Edith Norma Shearer (August 10, 1902 â€" June 12, 1983) was a
Canadian-American actress who was active on film from 1919 through
1942. Shearer often played spunky, sexually liberated ingénues. She
appeared in adaptations of Noël Coward, Eugene O'Neill and William
Shakespeare, and was the first person to be nominated five times for
an Academy Award for acting, winning Best Actress for her performance
in The Divorcee (1930).Reviewing Shearer's work, Mick LaSalle called
her "the exemplar of sophisticated 1930s womanhood ... exploring love
and sex with an honesty that would be considered frank by modern
standards". As a result, Shearer is celebrated as a feminist pioneer,
"the first American film actress to make it chic and acceptable to be
single and not a virgin on screen".Shearer was of Scottish, English,
and Irish descent. Her childhood was spent in Montreal, where she was
educated at Montreal High School for Girls and Westmount High School.
Her life was one of privilege, due to the success of her father's
construction business. However, the marriage between her parents was
unhappy. Andrew Shearer was prone to manic depression and "moved like
a shadow or a ghost around the house", while her mother Edith Fisher
Shearer was attractive, flamboyant, and stylish. Young Norma was
interested in music, as well, but after seeing a vaudeville show for
her ninth birthday, she announced her intention to become an actress.
Edith offered support, but as Shearer entered adolescence, she became
secretly fearful that her daughter's physical flaws would jeopardize
her chances. Shearer herself "had no illusions about the image I saw
in the mirror".[This quote needs a citation] She acknowledged her
"dumpy figure, with shoulders too broad, legs too sturdy, hands too
blunt",[This quote needs a citation] and was also acutely aware of her
small eyes that appeared crossed due to a cast in her right eye. By
her own admission, though, she was "ferociously ambitious, even as a
young girl",[This quote needs a citation] and planned to overcome her
deficiencies through careful camouflage, sheer determination, and
charm.
Canadian-American actress who was active on film from 1919 through
1942. Shearer often played spunky, sexually liberated ingénues. She
appeared in adaptations of Noël Coward, Eugene O'Neill and William
Shakespeare, and was the first person to be nominated five times for
an Academy Award for acting, winning Best Actress for her performance
in The Divorcee (1930).Reviewing Shearer's work, Mick LaSalle called
her "the exemplar of sophisticated 1930s womanhood ... exploring love
and sex with an honesty that would be considered frank by modern
standards". As a result, Shearer is celebrated as a feminist pioneer,
"the first American film actress to make it chic and acceptable to be
single and not a virgin on screen".Shearer was of Scottish, English,
and Irish descent. Her childhood was spent in Montreal, where she was
educated at Montreal High School for Girls and Westmount High School.
Her life was one of privilege, due to the success of her father's
construction business. However, the marriage between her parents was
unhappy. Andrew Shearer was prone to manic depression and "moved like
a shadow or a ghost around the house", while her mother Edith Fisher
Shearer was attractive, flamboyant, and stylish. Young Norma was
interested in music, as well, but after seeing a vaudeville show for
her ninth birthday, she announced her intention to become an actress.
Edith offered support, but as Shearer entered adolescence, she became
secretly fearful that her daughter's physical flaws would jeopardize
her chances. Shearer herself "had no illusions about the image I saw
in the mirror".[This quote needs a citation] She acknowledged her
"dumpy figure, with shoulders too broad, legs too sturdy, hands too
blunt",[This quote needs a citation] and was also acutely aware of her
small eyes that appeared crossed due to a cast in her right eye. By
her own admission, though, she was "ferociously ambitious, even as a
young girl",[This quote needs a citation] and planned to overcome her
deficiencies through careful camouflage, sheer determination, and
charm.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.