Frances Howard (actress)

Frances Howard Goldwyn (née McLaughlin; June 4, 1903 – July 2, 1976) was an American actress. She was the second wife of producer Samuel Goldwyn, and the paternal grandmother of actors Tony and John Goldwyn.

Frances Howard
Howard in 1953
Born
Frances Howard McLaughlin

(1903-06-04)June 4, 1903
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
DiedJuly 2, 1976(1976-07-02) (aged 73)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park
OccupationActress
Years active1925–1935
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1925; died 1974)​
ChildrenSamuel Goldwyn Jr.
Relatives

Early life

Frances Howard McLaughlin[1] was born in Kansas City, Kansas[2] or Omaha, Nebraska in 1903[3] to Helen Victoria (née Howard) and Charles Douglas McLaughlin.[4] She was raised as a Catholic. Her mother, nicknamed Bonnie, had been raised a Quaker but converted to Catholicism, and she predeceased her daughter by five years. Her father was reportedly a grandson of Irish nationalist politician Daniel O'Connell. Howard had two sisters and a brother.[4]

Career

Howard began her professional career at age 16 with a stock theater company.[5] When she was 21, Howard portrayed a flapper on Broadway in The Intimate Stranger. She followed that part with another flapper role in The Best People. Paramount signed her to a five-year contract, and she co-starred in the film The Swan.[2] She also appeared in Too Many Kisses (1925).[6] She had the contract canceled when she decided to marry.[2]

Personal life

Howard married Samuel Goldwyn, more than two decades her senior, on April 23, 1925.[7] They remained married until Goldwyn's death on January 31, 1974. They had one son, Samuel Goldwyn Jr.;[8] their grandsons are actors Tony and John Goldwyn.

Death

On July 2, 1976,[2] at the age of 73, Howard died in Beverly Hills, California more than a year after being diagnosed with advanced cancer, for which she refused treatment which would have required invasive and disfiguring surgery.[4] She was funeralized at Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills and interred next to her husband at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale.[9][10]

Filmography

Howard made four films from 1925 to 1935:

Legacy

The Hollywood Branch Library in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles is named for Howard, and it acts as an archival repository for many film collections.[11][12] The library was funded by The Samuel Goldwyn Foundation in 1982 after the previous building was destroyed by arson.[12]

References
  1. Easton, Carol. The Search for Sam Goldwyn (2014)
  2. Illson, Murray (July 3, 1976). "Frances Howard Goldwyn Dies; Actress and Husband's Partner". The New York Times. p. 19. ProQuest 122950314. Retrieved November 24, 2020 – via ProQuest.
  3. Born in 1903 per Intelius
  4. Berg, A. Scott (2013). Goldwyn: A Biography. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781471130069. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  5. Bailer, Don (November 18, 1959). "34 Goldwyn Years -- For Only $310". The Miami Herald. p. 33. Retrieved November 24, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Dickstein, Martin S. (March 4, 1925). "The Cinema Circuit". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. p. 9. Retrieved November 24, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Magill, Frank N. (2014). The 20th Century Go-N: Dictionary of World Biography. Routledge. p. 1417. ISBN 9781317740605. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  8. Lentz, Harris M. III (2016). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2015. McFarland. p. 135. ISBN 9780786476671. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  9. Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 55. ISBN 9780786409839. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  10. Illson, Murray (July 3, 1976). "Frances Howard Goldwyn Dies; Actress and Husband's Partner". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  11. "Frances Howard Goldwyn Hollywood Regional Library - Collection Information". Los Angeles Public Library. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  12. "Hollywood Branch Library". Water and Power Associates. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
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