Olive Borden | |
---|---|
Born |
Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
July 14, 1906
Died | October 1, 1947 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
(aged 41)
Cause of death | Stomach ailment and pneumonia |
Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale |
Years active | 1924–1934 |
Spouse(s) |
Theodore Spector (m. 1931–32) John Moeller (m. 1934–41) |
Olive Borden (July 14, 1906 – October 1, 1947) was an American film and stage actress who began her career during the silent film era. Nicknamed "The Joy Girl", Borden was known for her jet-black hair and overall beauty.
At the peak of her career in the mid-1920s, Borden was earning $1,500 a week. In 1927, she walked out on her contract with Fox after refusing to take a pay cut. By 1929, her career began to wane due to her reputation for being temperamental and her difficulty transitioning to sound films. She made her last film, Chloe, Love Is Calling You, in 1934 and moved on to stage work for a time. By the late 1930s, she had declared bankruptcy and stopped acting. During World War II, she joined the WACs. She was later honorably discharged after sustaining a foot injury and attempted to make a comeback in films. However, Borden's attempts to get back into acting were hindered by her alcoholism and health problems.
In 1945, she began working at the Sunshine Mission, a home for destitute women located in the skidrow section of Los Angeles. She died there in October 1947 of a stomach ailment and pneumonia at the age of 41.
Olive Borden was born in Richmond, Virginia on July 14, 1906. Her birth name was often reported erroneously as Sybil Tinkle until the 1990s when it was discovered that another woman with the same name had been confused with Borden. Borden's father died when she was a baby and she was raised by her mother, Sibbie, in Norfolk and Baltimore, Maryland where she also attended Catholic boarding schools. She was a distant relative of Lizzie Borden. As a teenager, she persuaded her mother to take her to Hollywood to pursue a career in show business. To support themselves they opened a candy store and Olive worked as a telephone operator.
Borden began her career as one of the Sennett Bathing Beauties in 1922 and was soon appearing as a vamp in Hal Roach comedy shorts. Producer Paul Bern chose her for an uncredited role in his film The Dressmaker from Paris (1925). She was signed by Fox after being named a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1925 (along with cousin Natalie Joyce). Borden quickly became one of their most popular and highest paid stars earning a salary of $1,500 a week. She had starring roles in eleven films at Fox including 3 Bad Men and Fig Leaves, both costarring her then-boyfriend George O'Brien. During this time she worked with some directors who would go on to achieve major fame, including John Ford, Howard Hawks, and Leo McCarey.