Acting
May McAvoy
CY, EN, XX cinema · 77 credits
Born
6 September 1899
Died
26 April 1984 (aged 84)
Birthplace
New York City, New York, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia May McAvoy (September 8, 1899 – April 26, 1984) was an American actress who worked mainly during the silent film era. Some of her major roles are Laura Pennington in The Enchanted Cottage, Esther in Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, and Mary Dale in The Jazz Singer. McAvoy appeared in her first film, entitled Hate, in 1917. After appearing in more than three dozen films, she co-starred with Ramón Novarro and Francis X. Bushman in director Fred Niblo's 1925 production of Ben-Hur, released by MGM. The feature-length film was one of the most lavish and spectacular productions of the silent movie era. Although her voice was not heard in The Jazz Singer, McAvoy did speak in several other films, including the second "all-talkie" released by Warner Brothers, The Terror, which was directed by Roy Del Ruth and co-starred Conrad Nagel. For years a rumor circulated that McAvoy retired from the screen at the transition to sound films because of a lisp or speech impediment. In truth, she married the treasurer of United Artists, who asked her not to work. Later, she returned to films and played small roles during the 1940s and 1950s, making her final film appearance in a small part in the 1959 version of Ben-Hur.
Known for
Filmography
Gareth Hughes
2000
Gareth Hughes
as Self (archive footage)
Ben-Hur
as Woman in crowd (uncredited)
The Wings of Eagles
as Nurse (uncredited)
Executive Suite
as Grimm's Secretary (uncredited)
The Bad and the Beautiful
as Pebbel's Secretary (uncredited)
The Yellow Cab Man
as (uncredited)
Mystery Street
as Nurse (uncredited)
Luxury Liner
as Woman (uncredited)
The Romance of Rosy Ridge
as Wife (uncredited)
Two Girls and a Sailor
as Dowager (uncredited)
Movie Pests
as Woman Whose Vision Gets Blocked (uncredited)
Born to Sing
as (uncredited)
Rio Rita
as Hotel Guest (uncredited)
Love Crazy
as Sanity Hearing Secretary (uncredited)
Ringside Maisie
as 1st Nurse (uncredited)
Whispers
as Gossip (uncredited)
Main Street on the March!
as Window Shopper (uncredited)
Sucker List
as Secretary (uncredited)
1-2-3-Go!
as Nurse
Third Finger, Left Hand
as Telephone Operator (uncredited)
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
as Saleslady
Two Girls on Broadway
as Chatworth's Secretary (uncredited)
Phantom Raiders
as Middle Telephone Operator
Dulcy
as Miss Murphy - Van Dyke's Secretary (uncredited)
Stolen Kisses
as May Lambert
No Defense
as Ruth Harper
The Little Snob
as May Banks
The Lion and the Mouse
as Shirley Ross
Caught in the Fog
as The Girl
The Terror
as Olga Redmayne
The Jazz Singer
as Mary Dale
Irish Hearts
as Sheila
A Reno Divorce
as Carla
Slightly Used
as Cynthia Martin
If I Were Single
as May Howard
Matinee Ladies
as Sallie Smith
The Fire Brigade
as Helen Corwin
My Old Dutch
as Sal Gratton
The Savage
as Ysabel Atwater
The Road to Glory
as Judith Allen
Lady Windermere's Fan
as Lady Windermere
The Mad Whirl
as Cathleen Gillis
Tessie
1925
Tessie
as Tessie
The Bedroom Window
as Ruth Martin
Three Women
as Jeannie Wilton
The Enchanted Cottage
as Laura Pennington
Tarnish
as Letitia Tevis
West of the Water Tower
as Bee Chew
Hollywood
as May McAvoy
Only 38
as Lucy Stanley
Her Reputation
as Jacqueline Lanier
Grumpy
as Virginia Bullivant
A Homespun Vamp
as Meg Mackenzie
Clarence
as Cora Wheeler
Kick In
as Myrtle
The Top of New York
as Hilda O'Shaunnessey
Through a Glass Window
as Jenny Martin
Morals
as Carlotta Carlotta
A Private Scandal
as Jeanne Millett
Sentimental Tommy
as Grizel
A Virginia Courtship
as Prudence Fairfax
The Devil's Garden
as Norah
The Truth About Husbands
as Leslie Brownell
The Forbidden Valley
as Morning Glory
The House of the Tolling Bell
as Lucy Atheron
The Sporting Duchess
as Mary Aylmer
My Husband's Other Wife
as Nettie Bryson
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch
as Australy Wiggs
The Way of a Woman
as Grace Lee
The Woman Under Oath
as Edith Norton
A Perfect Lady
as Claire Higgins
To Hell with the Kaiser!
as Wounded Girl