Mabel Normand

Actress. Born in Boston, Massachusetts as the youngest of three children. She received her formal education at St. Mary’s Convent in Westport in the southernmost part of the state. When Mabel entered her teen years, she along with her family moved to New York where she caught the acting bug. She already had a small taste of acting as her parents had been in vaudeville. She entered motion pictures in 1911 just before she turned 17 years old. Her first film was titled Saved From Herself. Her first employers were the old Biograph and Vitagraph studios which were located in New York City. From the beginning she was cast in comedy roles because of her sense of humor and her comic timing. Mabel made 24 more films that year mostly one reelers. It was while she was working for Biograph that she met Mack Sennett under whose direction would give her fame. In those days, Sennett was a struggling actor in the movie industry. D. W. Griffith bought the Biograph studios and moved it to Los Angeles and signed Mabel. By 1912, Sennett had left Biograph taking Mabel with him, and he formed the Keystone Studios. Mabel appeared in 50 films that year, as movie goers flocked to see her films. By 1915, Mabel had cut her work schedule, only appearing in 20 films or so. She also started making films with Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle and each of the films were a success. In 1918, Mabel filmed a movie titled Mickey. It solidified Mabel’s career as a comedienne and also lifted Sennett’s studio from financial ruin. After this, she signed with Samuel Goldwyn at the rate of $3,500 a week. But unfortunately for Mabel, this was the beginning of the end of her career. She was known for her wild parties and her addiction to cocaine. She was also very generous with her money and gave it to anyone who asked her for it. By the 1920s Mabel was still on the silver screen, but not as frequently. When the public learned of her connection to the William Desmond Taylor murder case, she fell out of public favor. By the time the 1920s were coming to a close, Mabel had contracted tuberculosis and it physically weakened her. She made no other films after 1927. Mabel died on February 23, 1930 at the age of 35 of tuberculosis. The world lost a great comedienne and a true cinema pioneer. (bio by: Marta Monk)  Family links:  Spouse:  Lew Cody (1884 – 1934)Cause of death: Tuberculosis Inscription:”Rest In Peace.”