Janet Gaynor
| Janet Gaynor | |
 Janet Gaynor | |
| Background information | |
| Born as: | Laura Augusta Gainor |
| Born | Oct 6, 1906 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | Sep 14, 1984 - at age 78 Palm Springs, California "never recovered" from 1982 car wreck injuries. |
| Buried: | Hollywood Forever Cemetery |
| Spouse(s): |
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| Children: | 1 |
| Occupation: | Actress (1924–1939; 1950s–1981) |
Janet Gaynor (born Laura Augusta Gainor; October 6, 1906 – September 14, 1984) was an American actress. She began her career as an extra in shorts and silent films. After signing with Fox Film Corporation (later 20th Century-Fox) in 1926, she rose to fame and became one of the biggest box office draws of the era. In 1929, she became the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in 7th Heaven, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (both 1927) and Street Angel (1928), the only occasion an actress won one Oscar for multiple film roles. Her success continued into the sound film era; for A Star Is Born (1937), she received a second Best Actress Academy Award nomination.
After retiring from acting in 1939, Gaynor married film costume designer Adrian, with whom she had a son. She briefly returned to acting in films and television in the 1950s and later became an accomplished oil painter. In 1980, Gaynor made her Broadway debut in the stage adaptation of the 1971 film Harold and Maude, and appeared in the touring theatrical production of On Golden Pond in February 1982.
In 1982, Gaynor was severely injured when a drunken driver struck the taxicab in which she and two others were passengers. Two years later, on September 14, 1984, she died of health issues stemming from the injuries sustained in the accident.
Early life
Gaynor was born Laura Augusta Gainor (some sources stated Gainer) in Germantown, Philadelphia. Nicknamed "Lolly" as a child, she was the younger of two daughters born to Laura (Buhl) and Frank De Witt Gainor. Frank Gainor worked as a theatrical painter and paperhanger. When Gaynor was a toddler, her father began teaching her how to sing, dance, and perform acrobatics. As a child in Philadelphia, she started acting in school plays. After her parents divorced in 1914, Gaynor, her sister, and her mother moved to Chicago. Shortly thereafter, her mother married electrician Harry C. Jones. The family later relocated to San Francisco.
After graduating from San Francisco Polytechnic High School in 1923, Gaynor spent the winter in Melbourne, Florida, where she did stage work. Upon returning to San Francisco, Gaynor, her mother, and stepfather moved to Los Angeles, allowing her to pursue an acting career. Initially hesitant, she enrolled at Hollywood Secretarial School. She supported herself by working in a shoe store and later as a theatre usher. Her mother and stepfather continued to encourage her to become an actress, and she began visiting studios (accompanied by her stepfather) to find film work.
Gaynor won her first professional acting job on December 26, 1924, as an extra in a Hal Roach comedy short.[6] This led to more extra work in feature films and shorts for Film Booking Offices of America and Universal.[4] Universal eventually hired her as a stock player for $50 a week. Six weeks after being hired by Universal, an executive at Fox Film Corporation offered her a screen test for a supporting role in the film The Johnstown Flood (1926).[7] Her performance in the film caught the attention of Fox executives, who signed her to a five-year contract and began to cast her in leading roles.[8][9] Later that year, Gaynor was selected as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars (along with Joan Crawford, Dolores del Río, Mary Astor, and others).[10]