Marie Prevost (born Marie Bickford Dunn; November 8, 1896 â€" January
21, 1937) was a Canadian-born film actress. During her 20-year career,
she made 121 silent and sound films.Prevost began her career during
the silent film era. She was discovered by Mack Sennett who signed her
to contract and made her one of his "Bathing Beauties" in the late
1910s. Prevost appeared in dozens of Sennett's short comedy films
before moving on to feature-length films for Universal. In 1922, she
signed with Warner Bros. where her career flourished as a leading
lady. She was a favorite of director Ernst Lubitsch who cast her in
three of his comedy films: The Marriage Circle (1924), Three Women
(1924) and Kiss Me Again (1925).After being let go by Warner Bros in
early 1926, Prevost's career began to decline and she was relegated to
secondary roles. She was also beset with personal problems, including
the death of her mother in 1926 and the breakdown of her marriage to
actor Kenneth Harlan in 1927, which fueled her depression. She began
to abuse alcohol and binge eat, resulting in a weight gain that made
it difficult for her to secure acting jobs. By 1935, Prevost was only
able to secure bit parts in films. She made her last onscreen
appearance in 1936.After years of drinking, Prevost died of acute
alcoholism at the age of 40 in January 1937. Prevost's estate was
valued at $300 since she had squandered most of her earnings. Her
death prompted the Hollywood community to create the Motion Picture &
Television Country House and Hospital.
21, 1937) was a Canadian-born film actress. During her 20-year career,
she made 121 silent and sound films.Prevost began her career during
the silent film era. She was discovered by Mack Sennett who signed her
to contract and made her one of his "Bathing Beauties" in the late
1910s. Prevost appeared in dozens of Sennett's short comedy films
before moving on to feature-length films for Universal. In 1922, she
signed with Warner Bros. where her career flourished as a leading
lady. She was a favorite of director Ernst Lubitsch who cast her in
three of his comedy films: The Marriage Circle (1924), Three Women
(1924) and Kiss Me Again (1925).After being let go by Warner Bros in
early 1926, Prevost's career began to decline and she was relegated to
secondary roles. She was also beset with personal problems, including
the death of her mother in 1926 and the breakdown of her marriage to
actor Kenneth Harlan in 1927, which fueled her depression. She began
to abuse alcohol and binge eat, resulting in a weight gain that made
it difficult for her to secure acting jobs. By 1935, Prevost was only
able to secure bit parts in films. She made her last onscreen
appearance in 1936.After years of drinking, Prevost died of acute
alcoholism at the age of 40 in January 1937. Prevost's estate was
valued at $300 since she had squandered most of her earnings. Her
death prompted the Hollywood community to create the Motion Picture &
Television Country House and Hospital.
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