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Edna May Oliver‌

Gender

Female

Birthday

calendar1883-11-08

Popularity

star1.7

Edna May Oliver

Malden, Massachusetts, USA

Edna May Oliver

Malden, Massachusetts, USA

Gender

Female

Birthday

calendar1883-11-08

Popularity

star1.7

Biography

Edna May Oliver (November 9, 1883 – November 9, 1942) was an American stage and film actress. During the 1930s, she was one of the best-known character actresses in American films, often playing tart-tongued spinsters. ​She was born Edna May Nutter in Malden, Massachusetts. The daughter of Ida May and Charles Edward Nutter, Edna was a descendant of the 6th American president John Quincy Adams. Miss Oliver took an early interest in the stage, and she would quit school at the age of 14 to pursue her ambitions in the theater. Despite abandoning traditional schooling, Edna continued to study the performing arts, including speech and piano. One of her first jobs was as pianist with an all female orchestra which toured America around the turn of the century. By 1917 she had achieved success on Broadway in the hit play "Oh, Boy". By 1923 she had appeared in her first film. Edna May Oliver seems to have been born to play the classics of American and British literature. Some of her most memorable film roles were in adaptations of works of Charles Dickens. Although some have described her as plain or "horse faced", Edna May Oliver's comedic talents lent a beautiful droll warmth to her characters. She was usually called upon to play less glamorous roles such as a spinsters, but she played them with such soul, wit, and depth that to this day she remains one of the best loved of Hollywood's character actresses. A fine example of her comedic talent can be found in Laugh and Get Rich (1931). Here we find her playing a role almost autobiographical in nature, that of a proud woman with Boston roots who has married "down". As the plot unwinds, she is invited to a society gala despite her modest circumstances. At the gala she becomes tipsy. With a frolicsome air Edna May seems to use the role to gently mock her real self. Her slightly drunk character seizes upon a bit of flattery, and alluding to her old New England family, proudly proclaims to each who will listen, "I am a Cranston. That explains everything!". In real life, Edna May Oliver was a Nutter, and perhaps that explains everything. Edna May Oliver married stock broker David Pratt in 1928, but the marriage ended in divorce five years later. In 1939 she received an Oscar nomination for her supporting role as Widow McKlennar in the picture Drums Along the Mohawk (1939). That was to be one of her last films. Miss Oliver was struck ill in August of 1942. Although she seemed to recover briefly, she was re-admitted to Los Angeles's Cedars of Lebanon hospital in October Her dear friend actress Virginia Hammond flew out from New York to stay by her bedside. Edna May Oliver died on her 59th birthday, 9th November 1942. Virginia Hammond was with her and said, "She died without ever being aware of the gravity of her condition. She just went peacefully asleep."

Movie Credits

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland‌
star6.1
calendar 1933

Rosalie

Rosalie‌
star5.5
calendar 1937

Ann Vickers

Ann Vickers‌
star5.9
calendar 1933

Second Fiddle

Second Fiddle‌
star5.0
calendar 1939

Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet‌
star6.0
calendar 1936

David Copperfield

David Copperfield‌
star6.5
calendar 1935

A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities‌
star6.8
calendar 1935

Little Women

Little Women‌
star6.7
calendar 1933

The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle

The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle‌
star7.0
calendar 1939

Drums Along the Mohawk

Drums Along the Mohawk‌
star6.4
calendar 1939

Lydia

Lydia‌
star6.4
calendar 1941

Penguin Pool Murder

Penguin Pool Murder‌
star5.5
calendar 1932

Murder on a Honeymoon

Murder on a Honeymoon‌
star5.8
calendar 1935

Half Shot at Sunrise

Half Shot at Sunrise‌
star6.2
calendar 1930

No More Ladies

No More Ladies‌
star5.1
calendar 1935

Meet the Baron

Meet the Baron‌
star4.3
calendar 1933

The Saturday Night Kid

The Saturday Night Kid‌
star4.4
calendar 1929

The Last Gentleman

The Last Gentleman‌
star3.0
calendar 1934

My Dear Miss Aldrich

My Dear Miss Aldrich‌
star6.1
calendar 1937

Murder on the Blackboard

Murder on the Blackboard‌
star5.3
calendar 1934

The Poor Rich

The Poor Rich‌
star0.0
calendar 1934

Laugh and Get Rich

Laugh and Get Rich‌
star4.7
calendar 1931

Clara Bow: Discovering the It Girl

Clara Bow: Discovering the It Girl‌
star7.7
calendar 1999

We're Rich Again

We're Rich Again‌
star4.0
calendar 1934

Paradise for Three

Paradise for Three‌
star6.8
calendar 1938

The Conquerors

The Conquerors‌
star5.7
calendar 1932

Parnell

Parnell‌
star4.6
calendar 1937

Nurse Edith Cavell

Nurse Edith Cavell‌
star6.4
calendar 1939

Cracked Nuts

Cracked Nuts‌
star7.0
calendar 1931

Little Miss Broadway

Little Miss Broadway‌
star6.6
calendar 1938

Ladies of the Jury

Ladies of the Jury‌
star6.4
calendar 1932

Only Yesterday

Only Yesterday‌
star6.8
calendar 1933

Icebound

Icebound‌
star0.0
calendar 1924

The Great Jasper

The Great Jasper‌
star0.0
calendar 1933

Cimarron

Cimarron‌
star5.5
calendar 1931

Fanny Foley Herself

Fanny Foley Herself‌
star0.0
calendar 1931

Hold 'Em Jail

Hold 'Em Jail‌
star6.8
calendar 1932

Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice‌
star6.9
calendar 1940

Newly Rich

Newly Rich‌
star3.0
calendar 1931

The American Venus

The American Venus‌
star0.0
calendar 1926

It's Great to Be Alive

It's Great to Be Alive‌
star5.0
calendar 1933

Let's Get Married

Let's Get Married‌
star0.0
calendar 1926

Lovers in Quarantine

Lovers in Quarantine‌
star0.0
calendar 1925

The Lucky Devil

The Lucky Devil‌
star6.5
calendar 1925

Wife in Name Only

Wife in Name Only‌
star0.0
calendar 1923

Three O'Clock in the Morning

Three O'Clock in the Morning‌
star0.0
calendar 1923

Manhattan

Manhattan‌
star6.0
calendar 1924

The Lady Who Lied

The Lady Who Lied‌
star0.0
calendar 1925

Restless Wives

Restless Wives‌
star0.0
calendar 1924

Tv Credits