Olive Borden

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Olive Borden

Born July 14, 1906(1906-07-14)
Died October 1, 1947 (aged 41)

Olive Borden (July 14, 1906 - October 1, 1947) was an American actress in silent and early talking motion figures, known for her jet-black hair and overall beauty.

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[edit] Career

She started as one of Mack Sennett's bathing beauties in 1924 and was soon signed to Fox, after being named a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1925. Olive quickly became one of their most popular and highest paid stars. She also made movies for Columbia and Radio Pictures, often playing beautiful, sophisticated types. During this time she worked with some directors who would go on to achieve major fame, including John Ford, Howard Hawks and Leo McCarey. It was said that Olive had the most beautiful figure in Hollywood. Her trademark was her jet black hair.

When Fox cut her salary in 1927 she walked out on her contract. By this point she was a major star but she found it difficult to make the transition from silent films to "talkies". Olive worked at Columbia and RKO studios but her career stalled. She made several movies in the early 1930s, playing a younger, more modern sort of character. Her last screen credit came in 1934. She moved to New York and had a brief stage career which was derailed by her numerous personal problems.

[edit] Personal life

Olive Borden was born born in Richmond, Virginia and raised in Norfolk, Virginia and Baltimore, Maryland where she attended boarding school. Her father died when was just a baby. Olive was an only child and was extremely close to her mother Sibbie. She convinced her mother to take her Hollywood when she was a teenager. Olive had two failed marriages and was romantically involved with actor George O'Brien (actor). By the 1940s she was bankrupt and suffering from alcoholism. She became a nurse's aide and volunteered as a WAAC during World War II. Her final years were spent cleaning floors at the Sunshine Mission, a home for destitute women. She died there on October 1, 1947 from a stomach ailment and pnuemonia caused by years of alcohol abuse and neglecting her health. One of the few items she owned was a glossy photo of herself signed "Sincerely, Olive Borden". Olive was only 41 years old. She was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) in Glendale, California. Her mother Sibbie was interred in the grave next to her.

[edit] Trivia

Her birth name is often thought to have been Sybil Tinkle but research in the early nineties (including record searches as well as visits to surviving members of the Borden and Tinkle families) revealed that Sybil Tinkle was actually a woman from Texas who had a resemblance to Borden. Tinkle moved to California and told her family that she had changed her name to Olive Borden. One contemporary newspaper article read, "Olive Borden's Brother Dies in Car Crash" when in actuality it was Tinkle's brother as Borden was an only child for most of her life.

The other controversial issue about her life is the year of her birth which is often said to be 1907 when in fact she was born in 1906 as is written on her grave stone which her mother was alive to verify.

Her cousin Natalie Joyce also became a successful actress.

Olive Borden has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Blvd. She was one of the first eight stars chosen to receive a star in 1960. Her name was drawn randomly from hundreds of nominees.

[edit] Filmography

  • Wide Open (1924)
  • Air Pockets (1924)
  • Why Men Work (1924)
  • Should Landlords Live? (1924)
  • Too Many Mamas (1924)
  • The Royal Razz(1924)
  • Just a Good Guy(1924)
  • Should Husbands be Watched? (1925)
  • The Dressmaker from Paris (1925)
  • Bad Boy (1925)
  • Tell It to a Policeman (1925)
  • Good Morning, Nurse (1925)
  • The Happy Warrior (1925)
  • The Overland Limited (1925)
  • The Yankee Senor (1926)
  • My Own Pal (1926)
  • Yellow Fingers (1926)
  • 3 Bad Men (1926)
  • Fig Leaves (1926)
  • The Country Beyond (1926)
  • The Monkey Talks (1927)
  • Secret Studio (1927)
  • The Joy Girl (1927)
  • Pajamas (1927)
  • Come to My House (1927)
  • The Albany Night Boat (1928)
  • Virgin Lips (1928)
  • Gang War (1928)
  • Stool Pigeon (1928)
  • Sinners in Love (1928)
  • Love in the Desert (1929)
  • The Eternal Woman (1929)
  • Half Marriage (1929)
  • Dance Hall (1929)
  • Wedding Rings (1929)
  • Hello Sister (1930)
  • The Social Lion (1930/I)
  • The Divorce Racket (1932)
  • Leave It to Me (1933)
  • Hotel Variety (1933)
  • The Mild West (1933)
  • The Inventors (1934)
  • Chloe, Love Is Calling You (1934)

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  • Drew, William H, Speaking of Silents: First Ladies of the Screen. Vestal: New York, 1989.
  • Lowe, Denise, An encyclopedic dictionary of women in early American films, 1895-1930. New York: Haworth Press, 2005.