Mary McIvor

Mary McIvor
Born
Mary Ellsworth McKeever

(1897-08-31)August 31, 1897
Barnesville, Ohio, US
DiedFebruary 28, 1941(1941-02-28) (aged 43)
Los Angeles, California
OccupationActress
SpouseWilliam Desmond (1919 - 1941, her death)
Children2

Mary McIvor (born Mary Ellsworth McKeever) was an American actress who was active during Hollywood's silent era. She was married to serial star William Desmond.[1][2]

Biography

Mary was born in Barnesville, Ohio, to Elmer McKeever and Bertha Bentley. Her father died six months before she was born.[citation needed]

After moving west, she found work in Hollywood as an actress in Westerns at Triangle, eventually becoming the leading lady for William S. Hart.[3] She married her co-star, William Desmond, in 1919, after becoming his personal secretary.[4][5] Mary more or less retired from acting in 1920, the year the couple's first daughter Mary was born.[6][7][8]

McIvor's health began to sharply decline around 1930. As a result, the family spent time at a beach cottage in her home state in 1932; during their trip, McIvor wandered off and was reported missing.[9] In April 1939, Desmond reported his wife missing again from their apartment in Los Angeles; she was found wandering the streets of Hollywood nine days later and subsequently treated by doctors for amnesia.[10][11][12] The pair remained married until her death in 1941 of a heart attack. Her cremated remains are interred in the vault at the Chapel Of The Pines Crematory in Los Angeles California.[citation needed]

Partial filmography

References

  1. ^ Langman, Larry (2015-07-11). The Media in the Movies: A Catalog of American Journalism Films, 1900-1996. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-0925-6.
  2. ^ The Moving Picture World. World Photographic Publishing Company. 1917.
  3. ^ "Mary McIvor Back After Illness". The Bourbon News. 14 Dec 1917. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  4. ^ "William Desmond Is Dead". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 4 Nov 1949. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  5. ^ "About Shows and Pictures and Players". Salt Lake Telegram. 8 Mar 1919. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  6. ^ "Desmond a Papa". The Los Angeles Times. 8 Apr 1920. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  7. ^ Katchmer, George A. (2015-05-20). A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-0905-8.
  8. ^ Motography. 1917.
  9. ^ "Actress Is Found". Dayton Daily News. 3 Jan 1932. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  10. ^ "Missing Ex-Actress Found in Los Angeles". The Montgomery Advertiser. 8 Apr 1939. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  11. ^ "Former Movie Actress Treated for Amnesia". The News Journal. 8 Apr 1939. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  12. ^ Guider, Elizabeth (2006-04-23). "Femmes framed by old stereotypes". Variety. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  13. ^ "Gem Today". The Newark Advocate. 20 Sep 1930. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  14. ^ "Mary McIvor Brilliant in 'Chasing Rainbeaux'". The Tennessean. 10 Aug 1919. Retrieved 2020-03-18.