Marie Dressler

Measuring 5'8" and sporting a hefty frame, Marie Dressler was an imposing lady, but her remarkably expressive face and superb comedic timing made her a beloved figure during Hollywood's Golden Age. Playing equally larger-than-life women, Dressler's rise started with years of acting in repertory theatre before moving to Broadway in her twenties and biding her time in vaudeville. She finally achieved recognition in "Tillie's Nightmare" (1910-11). The popularity of that humorous musical presentation led to an invitation to take her Tillie to the silver screen in "Tillie's Punctured Romance" (1914), where she starred with a young Charlie Chaplin. Motion picture roles continued through the teens and twenties, but it was at the beginning of the sound era where this veteran character player finally found herself a star, thanks to her supporting work in Greta Garbo's "Anna Christie" (1930) and her own Academy Award-winning turn in the tragicomedy "Min and Bill" (1930). Perfectly paired in the latter with the similarly craggy and uncouth Wallace Beery, Dressler joined him again in "Tugboat Annie" (1933) and she enjoyed much attention for her performance as a faded stage actress in "Dinner at Eight" (1933) who delivered one of Hollywood's most memorable lines. Sadly, right at the height of her fame, she discovered she had cancer and died within a year. Proof that movie stars need not be picture-perfect, Dressler's determination was as immense as her skills and the status she earned made for a most unique success story.