"silent movies" "silent film" "silent era"

Jeanette Loff

Of Norwegian/Danish parentage, Loff was born Janette Lov in Idaho in 1906. While still very young, her father, an accomplished violinist, moved the famiy to Canada so he could pursue his career. By age 11, she as performing the title role in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" on stage. With a beautiful voice, Loff performed in opera, and by the time she was 17, her family moved to Portland, OR, so she could continue her musical educatio at the Ellison and White Conservatory of Music. She also played the organ in theaters in Portland during this time. It is not known how she got the role, but Loff made her first screen appearance as am uncredited extra in two films -- "Young April" (1926) and "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1927). Picked up by Cecil B. DeMille, she began making films for his DeMille Pictures Corporation (DeMille "oversaw" the pictures; he did not direct them) starting with "My Friend From India" which is available for viewing today. She worked steadily even into the early sound era with her beautiful voice being put to use, especially in films such as "The King of Jazz" (1930). When her parents divorced, her mother and two sisters came to live with her in California. She married a salesman, Harry Rosenbloom, but the marriage was short-lived with a divorce in 1929. She is said to have had love affairs with notables such as producer Paul Bern, song writer Walter O'Keefe and actor Gilbert Roland. Her roles became fewer as the sound era wore on, and she made her final film appearance in 1934. She retired and married liquor salesman Bert E. Friedlob, to whom she stayed married until her death in August 1942 at age 35 from ammonia poisoning. It was never determined if her death was accidiental or a suicide, although her family insists she did not commit suicide.

Selected films of this star available for viewing:

Uncle Tom's Cabin (1927)

My Friend From India (1927)

Hold 'Em Yale (1928)

Return to photos page