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Lowell Sherman
Lowell Sherman came from an acting family and had many
stage appearances to his credit from the age of four through the
years prior to 1920. Born in San Francisco Oct. 11, 1888. His
first film appearance was as a friend to Mary Pickford and James
Kirkwood in "Behind the Scenes" (1914). Although he
played a variety of roles in the early years, it wasn't long before
he found his forté as a scoundrel and villain. This character
was solidified with his roles in "Yes or No" (1920 where
he lured Norma Talmadge away from her husband and then abandoned
her, and in "Way Down East" (1920) in which he dupes
Lillian Gish into a fake marriage and gets her pregnant. He played
everything from a killer, to a Russian lusting after mother and
daughter to a German spy. One of his most famous roles was in
Garbo's "The Divine Woman" (1928) where he steals her
away from Lars Hanson. Sherman was also able to play the scoundrel
and, at the same time, instill humor into the character. In "The
Garden of Eden" he tries to seduce Corinne Griffith attempting
to force himself on her, but when the lights come on, he actually
has grabbed the motherly Louise Dresser! With hair awry and clothes
askew, Sherman makes a comical figure as he tries to maintain
his pomposity. Another such role is in "A Lady of Chance"
where he plays a shady figure from Norma Shearer's background
constantly threatening her happiness with the innocent John Mack
Brown. Sherman made 53 films between 1914 and 1932, but he also
turned to directing with 14 films to his credit between 1930 and
1935. One unfortunate point in Sherman's career was that he was
Fatty Arbuckle's partner in the infamous Labor Day party in 1921
which resulted in the death of Virginia Rappé and Arbuckle's
ban from the screen. Famous Players-Lasky canceled Sherman's contract
as a result of this, but it wasn't long before he was back on
the screen. He was married to Pauline Garon from 1926 to 1930
and then married Helene Costello. Sherman died Dec. 28, 1934,
from pneumonia.
Selected films of this star available for viewing:
Way Down East (1920)
Molly O' (1921)
Monsieur Beaucaire (1924)
The Garden
of Eden (1928)
A
Lady of Chance (1928)
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