Actress. While a teenager, Agnes Ayres made her film debut at the Essanay Studios in Chicago. In 1920 she signed a contract with Paramount studios and began starring in various films, mostly under the direction of Cecil B. DeMille. 1921 was a busy year for her as she acted in the films “The Affairs of Anatol” and “Forbidden Fruit.” That same year she starred opposite Rudolph Valentino in the hit film “The Sheik” in which she was directed by George Melford. The film was originally meant as a vehicle for Agnes in hopes of making her a big star. The film propelled Valentino to stardom but did little to boost her career. In 1926 she acted in “Son of the Sheik” as a favor to Valentino, reprising her role from the original film. By this time, her career was in decline and she had only two notable roles in a 2-reel Hal Roach comedy (“Eve’s Love Letters” 1927) and a larger part in “The Donovan Affair” (1929), the latter being a talking picture directed by Frank Capra. Neither film did anything to help her career. She toured in vaudeville after the stock market crash of 1929 left her without any money. Her final roles were small bit parts at MGM where she held a contract as a stock player.