Natalie Talmadge (April 29, 1896 – June 19, 1969) was an American

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

actress who was the wife of

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...

, and sister of the movie stars

Norma Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Astronomy *Norma (constellation) *555 Norma, a minor asteroid * Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy Geography *Norma, Lazi ...

and

Constance Talmadge Constance Alice Talmadge (April 19, 1898 – November 23, 1973) was an American silent film star. She was the sister of actresses Norma and Natalie Talmadge. Early life Talmadge was born on April 19, 1898 in Brooklyn, New York, to poor p ...

. She retired from acting in 1923.

Early life and career

Talmadge was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York to Margaret L. "Peg" and Frederick O. Talmadge. She was the younger sister of

Norma Talmadge Norma Marie Talmadge (May 2, 1894 – December 24, 1957) was an American actress and film producer of the silent era. A major box-office draw for more than a decade, her career reached a peak in the early 1920s, when she ranked among the most pop ...

and the older sister of

, both of whom became successful film actresses. She appeared in D.W. Griffith's '' Intolerance'' (1916), ''

The Passion Flower ''The Passion Flower'' is a 1921 American drama film starring Norma Talmadge, Courtenay Foote, and Eulalie Jensen, and directed by Herbert Brenon. It is based on the 1913 Spanish play '' The Unloved Woman'' (Spanish: ''La malquerida'') by Jac ...

'' (1921) with her sister Norma, and

's ''

Our Hospitality ''Our Hospitality'' is a 1923 American silent comedy film directed by Buster Keaton and John G. Blystone. Starring Keaton, Joe Roberts, and Natalie Talmadge and distributed by Metro Pictures Corporation, it uses slapstick and situational com ...

'' (1923), her final film appearance.

Personal life

Marriage and children

Talmadge married actor

on May 31, 1921, at her sister Norma's home in

Bayside, Queens Bayside is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded by Whitestone to the northwest, the Long Island Sound and Little Neck Bay to the northeast, Douglaston to the east, Oakland Gardens to the south, and Fresh Meado ...

. She was

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

, but the marriage was performed as a

civil ceremony A civil, or registrar, ceremony is a non-religious legal marriage ceremony performed by a government official or functionary. In the United Kingdom, this person is typically called a registrar. In the United States, civil ceremonies may be performed ...

. They had two sons: Joseph Talmadge KeatonSmith, Imogen Sara (2008).
Buster Keaton: The Persistence of Comedy
'. Gambit Publishing. p. 140. . Retrieved October 20, 2019. and Robert Talmadge Keaton. The couple lived a lavish lifestyle in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

, Natalie spending prodigious amounts of money on clothes. After the birth of their second son, she decided not to have any more children, resulting in the couple staying in separate rooms. Keaton accepted this, and they agreed that he should keep any affairs discreet. Late in the marriage, Keaton's career began to suffer after his contract with

Joseph M. Schenck Joseph Michael Schenck (; December 25, 1876 – October 22, 1961) was a Russian-born American film studio executive. Life and career Schenck was born to a Jewish family in Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast, Russian Empire. He emigrated to New York City ...

was sold to

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

. After the couple's divorce was final on August 10, 1933, Talmadge legally changed their boys' names to "Talmadge", and denied them any contact with their father. In July 1942, the now-18 year old Robert and the now-20 year old Joseph made the name change legal after their mother won a court petition.

Later years and death

Natalie Talmadge was in frail health during her final years and was a resident of the Santa Monica Convalescent Home. She died of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

on June 19, 1969 at Santa Monica Hospital. She is buried in the Abbey of the Psalms in the Talmadge Room at

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angel ...

Filmography

* '' Intolerance'' (1916) *Uncredited role * ''

His Wedding Night ''His Wedding Night'' is a 1917 American two-reel silent comedy film written, directed by, and starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. Plot Arbuckle plays a drug store clerk, soda jerk, and gas station attendant, who can be both lazy and dishonest ...

'' (1917) *Uncredited role * '' A Country Hero'' (1917) *Lost film, uncredited role *'' Out West'' (1918) *''

The Isle of Conquest ''The Isle of Conquest'' is a 1919 American silent drama film starring Norma Talmadge and produced by Talmadge and her husband Joseph Schenck. The film is now considered lost. Plot Based upon a short review in a film magazine, a young woman (T ...

'' (1919) *Lost film * ''

The Love Expert ''The Love Expert'' is a surviving 1920 American silent romantic comedy film directed by David Kirkland and produced by and starring Constance Talmadge. It was an early distribution release by the First National Exhibitor's Company. Plot As desc ...

'' (1920) * '' Yes or No?'' (1920) * '' The Haunted House'' (1921) *Uncredited role * ''

'' (1921) * ''

'' (1923)

Footnotes

Sources

* *Marion Meade (1995), ''Buster Keaton: Cut to the Chase'', (). *1900 United States Federal Census, Brooklyn Ward 8, Kings, New York; Roll T623_1047; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 109. *1910 United States Federal Census, Brooklyn Ward 29, Kings, New York; Roll T624_982; Page: 13B; Enumeration District: 933; Image: 948.

External links

* *
Natalie Talmadge
at Virtual History {{DEFAULTSORT:Talmadge, Natalie 1896 births 1969 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from New York City American film actresses American silent film actresses Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery People from Brooklyn Catholics from New York (state) Women film pioneers