Eleanor Boardman (August 19, 1898 – December 12, 1991) was an American film actress of the silent era.

Spouses:

King Vidor (m. 1926–31)
Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast (m. 1940–68)

Early life and career

Born in Philadelphia, Boardman was originally on stage but, after temporarily losing her voice, in 1922, she entered silent films. There followed months of fruitless effort until one day Rupert Hughes saw her riding a horse and gave her a part in a film and she quickly began to attract audiences. She was chosen by Goldwyn Pictures as their "New Face of 1922," through which she signed a contract with the company. After several successful supporting roles, she played the lead in 1923's Souls for Sale.

Her growing popularity was reflected by inclusion on the list of WAMPAS Baby Stars in 1923. She appeared in more than thirty films during her career, achieving her greatest success in Vidor's The Crowd (1928). Her performance in that film is widely recognized as one of the outstanding performances in American silent films.

Unable to make the transition from silent to talking pictures, Boardman retired in 1935, and retreated from Hollywood. Her only subsequent appearance was in an interview filmed for Kevin Brownlow and David Gill's British documentary series Hollywood (1980).

Personal life

Boardman was married to the film director King Vidor, with whom she had two daughters, Antonia (born 1927) and Belinda (born 1930). Their marriage lasted from 1926 until 1931. Fellow actors John Gilbert and Greta Garbo had planned a double wedding with them, but Garbo broke off the plans at the last minute.

Boardman's second husband was Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast to whom she was married from 1940 until his death in 1968.

Death

Boardman died in Santa Barbara, California at the age of 93. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Eleanor Boardman has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6922 Hollywood Boulevard.