Joy, Leatrice (1893–1985)
Joy, Leatrice (1893–1985)
American actress who starred primarily in silent films. Name variations: Mrs. John Gilbert. Born Leatrice Joy Zeidler in New Orleans, Louisiana, on November 7, 1893; died of acute anemia in 1985; married John Gilbert (the actor), in 1922 (divorced 1924); children: Leatrice Gilbert Fountain (who wrote the book Dark Star, a biography of John Gilbert).
A leading star of the 1920s, Leatrice Joy began her career as an extra in a Mary Pickford film in 1915. Three years later, Joy was starring in the comedies of Oliver Hardy and Billy West. The actress, whose bobbed hair set a styling trend, also appeared in many silents directed by Cecil B. De Mille. In 1924, she eloped to Mexico with actor John Gilbert, but the marriage lasted only two years. With the coming of sound, Joy, who was instrumental in fostering the career of Louise Beavers , her personal maid for 12 years, went into semi-retirement, eventually living in Riverside, Connecticut. Her films include His Turning Point (1915), The Slave (1917), City of Tears (1918), The Water Lily (1919), Blind Youth (1920), Smiling All the Way (1920), Down Home (1920), Manslaughter (1922), Java Head (1923), The Ten Commandments (1923), Triumph (1924), The Wedding Song (1925), The Angel of Broadway (1927), The Blue Danube (1928), The Bellamy Trial (1929), The Love Trader (1930), Of Human Hearts (1938), First Love (1939), and Love Nest (1951).