Janet Gaynor (born Laura Augusta Gainor; 1906 – 1984). American film, stage and television actress and painter.
By 1927, Gaynor was one of Hollywood's leading ladies. Her image was
that of a sweet, wholesome, and pure young woman who was notable for
playing her roles with depth and sensitivity. Her performances in
7th
Heaven (directed by
Frank Borzage), the first of 12 films she would make with actor Charles Farrell;
Sunrise, directed by
F. W. Murnau and
Street Angel (directed again by Borzage), also with Charles
Farrell, ea
rned her the first Academy
Award for Best Actress in 1929, when for the first and only time the
award was granted for multiple roles, on the basis of total recent work
rather than for one particular performance. This practice was prohibited
three years later by a new Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
rule. Gaynor was not only the first actress to win the award, but at 22,
was also the youngest until 1986, when deaf actress Marlee Matlin, 21,
won for her role in Children of a Lesser God.
Gaynor was one of only
a handful of established lead actresses who made a successful
transition to sound films. In 1929, she was reteamed with Charles
Farrell (the pair was known as "America's favorite love birds") for the
musical film Sunny Side Up. During the early 1930s, Gaynor was one of
Fox's most popular actresses and one of Hollywood's biggest box office
draws; in 1931 and 1932, she and Marie Dressler were tied as the
number-one draw. After Dressler's death in 1934, Gaynor held the top
spot alone. She was often cited as a successor to Mary Pickford, and
was cast in remakes of two Pickford films, Daddy Long Legs (1931) and
Tess of the Storm Country (1932).
- "
Miss Gaynor captivated audiences with her red-haired beauty and portrayals of elegant but vulnerable women."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/0c900734-45e8-4fa0-9aae-…/…
- "
As it began I beheld its star, an incredibly beautiful woman with
tightly curled auburn hair and large, expressive brown eyes. Something
about her was more than a little familiar and I took a peek at the TV
book. It was then that I learned her name – Janet Gaynor. "
http://www.ginalobiondo.com/janet-gaynor/