Corinne Griffith

Corinne Griffith (née Griffin; November 21, 1894 – July 13, 1979) was an American film actress, producer, author and businesswoman. Dubbed "The Orchid Lady of the Screen", she was widely regarded as one of the most beautiful actresses of the silent film era. In addition to her beauty, Griffith achieved critical recognition for her performance in Frank Lloyd's The Divine Lady, which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Originally from Texas, Griffith pursued a film career after winning a beauty contest in Southern California. In 1916, she signed a contract with Vitagraph Studios, appearing in numerous films for the studio through the remainder of the decade. In 1920, she began making films for First National Pictures and became one of the studio's bigger stars. In the mid-1920s, she began executive-producing features and served as a producer on 1925's Déclassée and Classified, in both of which she starred.

In the latter part of the 1920s, Griffith's film career slowed, though she had lead performances in Outcast (1928) and the drama The Garden of Eden (also 1928). The following year, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in The Divine Lady. She starred in Lilies of the Field, a remake of the 1924 film in which she had also starred. Her following film, Back Pay (1930), was promoted as Griffith's final screen appearance before her retirement. She did, however, appear as the lead in Lily Christine (1932) two years later.

After 1932, Griffith retired from acting and became a successful author and businesswoman, writing numerous fiction and non-fiction books, as well as venturing into real estate, in which she had begun investing in the 1920s. She married her third husband, Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall, in 1936, and remained married to him until 1958. She made her final film appearance with a minor role in Paradise Alley (1962), which marked her first screen appearance in 28 years. A biographical film about Griffith was released in 1963 titled Papa's Delicate Condition, based on her 1952 memoir and focusing on the relationship between her and her father. After suffering a stroke in July 1979, Griffith was hospitalized in Santa Monica, California, where she died shortly after of a heart attack. She left behind a reported estate of $150 million, making her one of the wealthiest women in the world at that time.

Biography 1894–1932: Early life and Vitagraph films Griffith was born Corinne Griffin on November 21, 1894 in Waco, Texas, (Several sources claim Texarkana as Griffith's birthplace, but her obituary in The New York Times states that she was born in Waco.) This is supported by an article from The Washington Post that states Griffith herself asserted that she had been born in Waco, not Texarkana, though she was raised in the latter. her maternal grandmother, Maria Anthes, also an immigrant, was a native of Darmstadt, Germany. At the time of Griffith's birth, her mother Amboline was in her early 20s, while her father, John, was nearly 40. Griffith's parents had married in 1887, and the wedding was a celebrated event among local high society. before the family moved to Texarkana, Texas, where Griffith lived until age 10; she moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, to attend the Sacred Heart Convent school. Her father died in Mineral Wells, Texas on March 20, 1912. After completing her primary education, Griffin enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin for the 1912–1913 semester year. She also worked as a dancer before she began her acting career.

Accounts of Griffith's entry into the film industry vary. At some point after her father's death, Griffith left Texas and relocated with her mother and sister, Augusta, to Southern California. Some sources claim she was urged by Vitagraph Studios director Rollin S. Sturgeon to pursue an acting career after winning a beauty contest in Santa Monica, California, in which Sturgeon was a judge. According to another account, Griffith met Sturgeon at a high-society event in Crescent City, California, and he offered her a film contract on the spot. In a 1919 newspaper article, Griffith said she was approached by Sturgeon in New Orleans after she won a pageant during the Mardi Gras festival. According to Griffith, Sturgeon suggested she become an actress, and several months later she traveled to California to meet with executives at Vitagraph. She made her screen debut in a short film titled La Paloma, opposite Earle Williams.

1923–1932: First National contract

In 1923, after three years of marriage, Griffith divorced Campbell, whom she claimed was an abusive alcoholic. The same year, Griffith left Vitagraph Studios, signing a more lucrative contract of $10,000 a week with First National,

Griffith's first full sound film was Lilies of the Field, a remake of her 1924 silent film in the same role. Griffith's voice, which was regarded as nasal, and then left the public eye completely.

1933–1964: Post-film career After her retirement from film, Griffith divorced Morosco in 1934. Two years later, she married businessman and Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall. In December 1941, the couple adopted two daughters, Pamela and Cynthia. In the early years of her marriage to Marshall, she wrote the lyrics to the original fight song, "Hail to the Redskins".

In the 1940s, Griffith began investing in real estate in the Los Angeles area. The construction of the buildings, each named after her, proved lucrative, and she turned down an offer of $2.5 million for them in 1950. The same year, she spoke at the inaugural National Association of Real Estate Boards convention in Florida. Commenting on her dedication to the topic, she stated: "We have no substitute of other taxes because we have no substitute for waste, graft and corruption. If the federal government will eliminate only part of its waste, just 40 billions of dollars a year of its waste... I can prove to you in dollars and cents that the government does not need the income tax." The following year, her memoir Papa's Delicate Condition was made into a biographical feature film of the same name starring Jackie Gleason.

1965–1979: Claims about identity and final years In February 1965, she married her fourth husband, Broadway actor Danny Scholl in Alexandria, Virginia. Scholl was 44 years old, more than 25 years younger than Griffith. In court, Scholl's attorney proposed that Griffith had falsified her age in the couple's marriage documents as well as failed to disclose her previous two marriages. She published another collection of personal non-fiction stories titled This You Won't Believe in 1972. Her final book I'm Lucky at Cards (1974) was a book of her essays.

Screen and public image Griffith was lauded by numerous publications for her beauty. Valeria Beletti, a secretary of Samuel Goldwyn, described Griffith as "the most beautiful of all the silent stars, talented or otherwise," despite the fact that she personally found Griffith abrasive: "very haughty and disdainful. She looks at no one but her dogs, and is generally disliked by all." According to biographer Anthony Slide, the common phrase "the camera loves her" was coined for Griffith.

In addition to her appearance, Griffith took efforts to maintain a decorous and healthful image, claiming never to have smoked or drunk alcohol. She also avoided swearing and refrained from wearing make-up when not appearing on film. Columnist Adela Rogers St. Johns once referred to Griffith as "innocence personified."

Death Griffith suffered a stroke in early July 1979, brought on by cerebral arteriosclerosis, and was hospitalized at Saint John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. She died there shortly after of a heart attack on July 13, aged 84. Her sister Augusta, from whom she had been estranged, had died only weeks earlier. Griffith's remains were cremated by the Chapel of the Pines Crematory in Los Angeles and buried at sea in the Pacific Ocean. At the time of her death, Griffith's estate was valued at $150 million, principally real estate.

Filmography Motion Picture Classic magazine, September 1921, cover art by Benjamin Eggleston (1867–1937).

+Key Denotes a lost or presumed lost film. Year Title Role Notes 1916 La Paloma Stella Short film 1916 Bitter Sweet Ruth Slatter – John's Wife Short film 1916 Miss Adventure Gloria Short film 1916 The Cost of High Living Jack's Sister Short film 1916 The Rich Idler Marion- Mary's Friend Short film 1916 Ashes The Nurse Short film 1916 The Last Man Lorna 1917 The Mystery of Lake Lethe Short film 1917 The Stolen Treaty Irene Mitchell 1917 Transgression Marion Hayward 1917 The Love Doctor Blanche Hildreth 1917 I Will Repay Virginia Rodney 1917 Who Goes There? Karen Girard 1918 The Menace Virginia Denton 1918 Love Watches Jacqueline Cartaret 1918 The Clutch of Circumstance Ruth Lawson 1918 The Girl of Today Leslie Selden 1918 Miss Ambition Marta 1919 The Adventure Shop Phyllis Blake 1919 The Girl Problem Erminie Foster 1919 The Unknown Quantity Mary Boyne 1919 Thin Ice Alice Winton 1919 A Girl at Bay Mary Allen 1919 The Bramble Bush Kaly Dial 1919The Climbers Blanche Sterling 1920 The Tower of Jewels Emily Cottrell 1920 Human Collateral Patricia Langdon 1920 Deadline at Eleven Helen Stevens 1920 The Garter Girl Rosalie Ray 1920 Babs Barbara Marvin; "Babs" 1920 The Whisper Market Erminie North 1920 The Broadway Bubble Adrienne Landreth/Drina Lynn 1921 It Isn't Being Done This Season Marcia Ventnor 1921 What's Your Reputation Worth? Cara Deene 1921 Moral Fibre Marion Wolcott 1921 The Single Track Janette Gildersleeve 1922 Received Payment Celia Hughes 1922 A Virgin's Sacrifice Althea Sherrill 1922 Island Wives Elsa Melton 1922 Divorce Coupons Linda Catherton 1922 The Common Law Valerie West 1923 Black Oxen Madame Zatianny/Mary Ogden 1923 Six Days Laline Kingston 1924 Single Wives Betty Jordan Executive producer 1924 Love's Wilderness Linda Lou Heath Executive producer 1924 Lilies of the Field Mildred Harker Executive producer 1925 Déclassée Lady Helen Haden Producer 1925 Classified Babs Comet Producer 1925 Infatuation Violet Bancroft Executive producer 1925 The Marriage Whirl Marian Hale Executive producer 1926 Mademoiselle Modiste Fifi Executive producer 1926 Into Her Kingdom Grand Duchess Tatiana (at 12 and 20) Executive producer 1926 Syncopating Sue Susan Adams Executive producer 1927 The Lady in Ermine Mariana Beltrami Executive producer 1927 Three Hours Madeline Durkin Executive producer 1928 The Garden of Eden Toni LeBrun 1928 Outcast Miriam 1929 Saturday's Children Bobby Halevy 1929 Prisoners Riza Riga 1929 The Divine Lady Lady Emma Hart Hamilton Nominated— Academy Award for Best Actress 1930 Lilies of the Field Mildred Harker 1930 Back Pay Hester Bevins 1932 Lily Christine Lily Christine Summerset 1962 Paradise Alley Mrs. Wilson Alternative title: Stars in the Backyard