Miss Mae Murray

I'm back, and bringing the force of another silent screen diva with me! Nazimova. Negri. Swanson. Murray. These four women acted the hell out of their movie roles and really embraced the diva/vamp of the silent film era. I don't think I am alone in thinking this either. Mae Murray exuded so much emotion and power in her films that it is just incredible to watch. Merry Widow. Go watch it. Now.

Mae Murray was born Marie Adrienne Koenig in Portsmouth, Virginia.

She made her stage debut in 1906 and in 1908 she joined the Ziegfeld Follies. Seven years later, she became a headliner of the Follies instead of just a chorus girl.

She appeared on the film screen the first time in 1916. Her career began to rise although some film critics weren't thrilled with a lot of her performances. They got a little tired of seeing her in lavish costumes and "over acting." (Sometimes it can be a little over the top, but hey, she was good at it)

When the talkies finally came, Mae was not very gung ho about it. She had training on the stage, so it wasn't really her voice, but she was just very nervous. As a result, she only made three talkies.

Another low point was when Mae's husband at the time told her she should leave MGM, which had been her home studio for years. She followed his "advice" and turned her back on her contract and MGM head Louis B. Mayer, who was very unhappy (well, he was pissed). As a result, Mayer used his powers around Hollywood and had her blacklisted from all the other studios.

Mae didn't make any more movies after 1931. In the 1940s, she went back to her roots and appeared on stage in a variety of shows. She continued to wear her well known lavish gowns and heavy make up. She didn't give a damn what the critics said. She knew she was fabulous!

Sadly, like many performers of that era, Mae lost a lot of her money and was living in poverty at the end of her life. She eventually moved into the Motion Picture House, a home that she along with her fellow actor friends had helped establish.

Mae Murray passed away on March 23, 1965 at the Motion Pictures Home.

She was buried at the Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in North Hollywood, California.

Mae was probably more famous for her personal life than she was for her film career. She played pretty much the same roles on screen but had a lot of different men. She was married four times. Her first marriage was to a stockbroker named William Schwenker Jr.  They were only married from 1908 to 1909. Her second marriage was to a bobsledder named Jay O'Brien in 1916. They too were only married for a year. Her third marriage was to director Robert Leonard in 1918. They divorced in 1925. Her fourth and final marriage was also her most famous. She married "prince" David Mdivani in 1926. He was the one behind Mae's leaving MGM. The couple had a son named Koran David Mdivani. After the couple divorced, a custody fight began over Koran. Mae won the fight and Mdivani was ordered to pay child support. Eventually Mae handed over custody of her son to nurse/friend Sara "Bess" Cunning. Bess had custody of Koran earlier when he was recovery from an operation. She eventually adopted him and changed his name to Daniel Michael Cunning.

Mae used to write a weekly column for one of William Randolph Heart's newspapers.

She was known as "The Girl with the Bee Stung Lips"

In her early career as a dancer, she was partnered with such big names as Vernon Castle, Valentino, Clifton Webb, and John Gilbert.

Rudolph Valentino was the best man at her wedding to David Mdivani. Pola Negri, who was married briefly to Mdivani's brother Serge, was the maid of honor.

It has been rumored that Mae was the inspiration behind Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard.

"None of us floozies was that nuts!" - Mae Murray [commenting on the Norma Desmond character]