Jeanne Eagels (born Eugenia Eagles; June 26, 1890 – October 3, 1929) was an American stage and film actress. Eagels appeared in many Broadway productions, and in the emerging medium of sound films. She was posthumously nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her 1929 role in The Letter after dying suddenly that year at the age of 39.
Early life
Eugenia Eagles was the second of six children born to Edward, of German and French Huguenot descent, and his wife Julia Eagles (née Sullivan), who was of Irish descent. Her birth year – depending on the source – is given as 1888, 1890 (official bio year), 1891, 1893 (death certificate), or 1894. Jeanne, who later changed the spelling of her surname to "Eagels", would later claim that her father was a Spanish architect and she was born in Boston. In reality, she was born in Kansas City, Missouri and her father was a carpenter. Actress Mary Shipp was Eagels's niece.
Eagels attended St. Joseph's Catholic School and Morris Public School. She quit school shortly after her First Communion to work as a cash girl in a department store. The ban did not stop Eagels from working in film, and she made two sound films for Paramount Pictures, The Letter and Jealousy, both released in 1929.
Personal life
Eagels was married twice. Her first marriage was to actor Maurice Dubinsky whom she married when she was a teenager. The couple reportedly had a son who either died (causing Eagels to have a nervous breakdown) or who was placed for adoption after the couple separated. Eagels and Dubinsky eventually divorced. In August 1925, Eagels married Edward Harris "Ted" Coy, a former football star at Yale University who became a stockbroker. They had no children and divorced in July 1928.
Death and legacy
During the peak of her success, Eagels began abusing drugs and alcohol and eventually developed an addiction. She went to several sanatoriums in an effort to kick her dependency. By the mid-1920s, she had begun using heroin. When she entered her 30s, Eagels began suffering from bouts of ill health that were exacerbated by her excessive substance abuse.
In September 1929, Eagels underwent eye surgery at St. Luke's Hospital in New York City. At the time, she was also suffering from breathing problems and neuritis. After a ten-day stay, Eagels returned to her apartment on Park Avenue. On October 3, 1929, Eagels and her secretary walked to the Park Avenue Hospital where Eagels had an appointment. While talking to the doctor, she began having convulsions and died shortly thereafter. The assistant chief medical examiner who performed Eagels' autopsy concluded that she died of "alcoholic psychosis". The medical examiner stated that while Eagels had not consumed alcohol in the two days preceding her death, she had been "acting strangely" and suffering from hallucinations three or four days before she died. Her death was attributed to an overdose of the chloral hydrate.
After services in New York at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel, Eagels received a second funeral service when her body was returned to Kansas City on October 7, where she was buried in Calvary Cemetery. She was survived by her mother Julia Eagles and several brothers and sisters.
In 1957, a mostly fictionalized film biography entitled Jeanne Eagels was made by Columbia Pictures, with Eagels portrayed by Kim Novak. Eagels' family sued Columbia over the way Eagels had been depicted in the movie. Jeanne Eagels: A Life Revealed by Eric Woodard and Tara Banks (Bearmanor Media) appeared in 2015.
Filmography
thumb|right|160px|Eagels featured in The Bellman, Volume 23, July 7, 1917
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| rowspan="2"|
| The Ace of Hearts
|
|
|-
| The Bride of the Sea
|
|
|-
|
| A Lesson in Bridge
| Mrs. Willis
|
|-
|
| The House of Fear
| Grace Cramp
|Lost film
|-
|
| The World and the Woman
| A Woman of the Streets
|Extant
|-
| rowspan="2"|
| The Fires of Youth
| Billy's Sister
| Credited as Jeanne Eagles; Extant
|-
| Under False Colors
| Countess Olga
| Lost film
|-
|
| The Cross Bearer
| Liane de Merode
|
|-
|
| The Madonna of the Slums
|
|
|-
|
| Man, Woman and Sin
| Vera Worth
|Extant
|-
| rowspan="2"|
| The Letter
| Leslie Crosbie
| Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress Extant
|-
| Jealousy
| Yvonne
| Lost film
|-
|}
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
! Ref
|-
| 1930
| Academy Awards
| Best Actress
| The Letter
| (posthumous)
|}
See also
- List of actors with Academy Award nominations
References
- 1900 United States Federal Census, Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, June 4, 1900, ED 111, p. 5.
- 1910 United States Federal Census, Kansas City Ward 9, Jackson County, Missouri, Enumeration District 111.
- Blum, Daniel (1952). Great Stars of the American Stage. Page 80.
- Kansas City Star, Edward W. Eagles Mortuary Notice, February 15, 1910.
- Kansas City Star "Another Kansas City Girl 'Arrives' October 5, 1913 Page 15
- Kansas City Post "Jeanne Eagles passes up Wales to play 'Rain" before mother" April 10, 1925 p. 29
- New York Times, "This Week To See Rush Of New Plays", September 8, 1912, Page X4.
- New York Times, "Jeanne Eagels Playing Again", July 13, 1927, Page 20.
- New York Times, "The Vacillating Vampire", December 5, 1927, Page 26.
Footnotes
External links
- tribute site (archived)
- Jeanne Eagels photographs at New York Public Library Digital Collections