Marion Davis Actress Cecilia Of The Pink Roses

Marion Davies, whose real name is Marion Cecilia Dourvas, was born on January 3, 1897, in Brooklyn. Davies appeared as a debutante in 1916 displaying Lucile's (Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon) fashion outfits. Her debut as an actor was in the movie Runaway Romany released in 1917. She had herself written the movie and George W. Lederer, her brother-in-law, directed it.

Marion Davies was the youngest of the five children in her family. Her father, Bernard J. Dourvas, was a lawyer. Marion and her sisters changed their surname from Dourvas to Davies seeing a neighborhood realtors sign. Her initial movies, Beatrice Fairfax, The Burden of Proof, Cecilia of the Pink Roses gave her success and helped her earn a decent amount to support her family.

More than her movies, Marion Davies gained popularity from her much talked about relationship with William Randolph Hearst. They came into contact soon after Davies had begun her career as an actor. Hearst was devoted to Davies so much so that he started the Cosmopolitan Pictures just to help her career grow. Her first film promoted by Hearst was Cecilia of the Pink Roses in 1918. The opposite of what was expected happened, but Hearst never gave in. Davies could never marry Hearst as his wife did not allow him a divorce, but throughout Hearst's life they maintained a relationship.

Hearst was so much in love with Marion Davies that the much-expected jealousy cropped in when Davies was being linked with Charlie Chaplin. It has been in rumors that Hearst had killed Ince, the producer mistaking him for Chaplin. Not only Chaplin Davies has also been linked with Dick Powell. A Few months after Hearst's death, on October 31, 1951 Davies got married to Horace Brown. The marriage was not successful; Davies even pleaded for divorce but was not allowed to.

Marion Davies was more in the limelight for the kind of social life she lead. A time had come when she was known more for her social life and relation with Hearst than her film career. But this does not exclude her from some great work she has exhibited. Some of her noteworthy works are Polly of the Circus (1932), Five and Ten (1931), The Bachelor Father (1931), Peg o' My Heart (1933), Blondie of the Follies (1932). Critics are indeed all praise for her works.

In 1956, Marion Davies faced a stroke, soon after it was detected that she was suffering from cancer of the jaw. Davies died of cancer in California on September 22, 1961. She is buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood. Marion Davies