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Marguerite De La Motte

Marguerite De La Motte

Acting

Biography

Marguerite De La Motte (June 22, 1902 – March 10, 1950) was an American film actress, most notably of the silent film era. Born in Duluth, Minnesota, De La Motte was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph De La Motte. She was a 1917 graduate of the Egan School of drama, music, and dancing. De La Motte began her entertainment career studying ballet under Anna Pavlova. In 1919, she became the dance star of Sid Grauman on the stage of his theater. In 1918, at the age of 16, she made her screen debut in the Douglas Fairbanks-directed romantic comedy film Arizona. In 1920, both of her parents died, her mother in January in an automobile accident and her father in August from heart disease. Film producer J.L. Frothingham assumed guardianship of her and her younger brother. De La Motte spent the 1920s appearing in numerous films, often cast by Douglas Fairbanks to play opposite him in swashbuckling adventure films such as 1920's The Mark of Zorro and The Three Musketeers. She developed a close friendship with Fairbanks and his wife, actress Mary Pickford. Her career as an actress slowed dramatically at the end of the silent film era of the 1920s. She did continue acting in bit parts through the sound era and made her final appearance in the 1942 film Overland Mail opposite both Noah Beery Sr. and Noah Beery Jr., as well as Lon Chaney Jr. After her film career ended, De La Motte worked as an inspector in a southern California war plant during World War II. Later she came to San Francisco, California, where she worked in the Red Cross office. On February 8, 1960, De La Motte was awarded a star in the Motion Pictures section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6902 Hollywood Blvd., in Hollywood, California.

Known For

Shattered Idols
8.0

This exotic adventure drama was based on the novel, The Daughter of Brahma, and went through at least one title change before reaching the screen as Shattered Idols. Jean Hurst, the widow of a British Army officer in India, hates her crippled son David because she thinks he is a coward and a weakling. She sends him away to England for his education. When he returns to India, he falls in love with native girl Sarasvati, who he saves from being burned on a funeral pyre.

Shattered Idols

1922
The Iron Mask
6.7

King Louis XIII of France is thrilled to have born to him a son - an heir to the throne. But when the queen delivers a twin, Cardinal Richelieu sees the second son as a potential for revolution, and has him sent off to Spain to be raised in secret to ensure a peaceful future for France. Alas, keeping the secret means sending Constance, lover of D'Artagnan, off to a convent. D'Artagnan hears of this and rallies the Musketeers in a bid to rescue her. Unfortunately, Richelieu out-smarts the Musketeers and banishes them forever.

The Iron Mask

1929
A Woman's Man
6.5

A temperamental movie star storms off the set of her latest picture in order to carry on a fling with an ambitious, publicity-hungry prizefighter.

A Woman's Man

1934
Overland Mail
10.0

Two investigators for a stagecoach company are assigned to find out why the company's stages keep being ambushed. They discover that the culprits are white men disguised as Indians, and they set out to discover who is behind the plot.

Overland Mail

1942
The Mark of Zorro
7.2

Don Diego Vega pretends to be an indolent fop as a cover for his true identity, the masked avenger Zorro. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.

The Mark of Zorro

1920
A Man of Action
10.0

Wealthy Bruce MacAllister, goaded by his fiancée, Helen, into proving that he is a man of action rather than a pampered youth tells his estate administrator, Eugene Preston, that he is going east for a meeting. Instead, Bruce dons a disguise and infiltrates the San Francisco underworld. Mistaken for master criminal "The Chicago Kid", he finds himself leading the gang in a robbery of his own fortune in diamonds. Discovering Eugene's intention to steal the jewels for himself he engineers it so the loot changes hands many times. Getting wise, Helen summons the police, the criminals are apprehended, and she sees Bruce in a new light.

A Man of Action

1923
The Man Who Returned to Life
8.0

An accused killer is granted a reprieve when his victim returns to town in the flesh after an eight-year absence.

The Man Who Returned to Life

1942
Red Dice
9.0

This unusual melodrama with comic touches was based on Octavus Roy Cohen's novel The Iron Chance. Alan Beckwith (Rod La Rocque) is a war hero who is very much down on his luck. He makes a deal with big-time bootlegger Andrew North (Gustave von Seyffertitz) -- if North will give him a large sum of money, Beckwith will kill himself at the end of a year's time. He is to marry a girl of North's choosing and take out an insurance policy naming her as beneficiary; North will collect from the widow. The plot thickens when Beckwith and Beverly (Marguerite De La Motte), the girl North has him marry, actually fall in love. Beverly's brother, Johnny (Ray Hallor), teams up with Beckwith to steal one of North's cargos of rum. North and his men catch them and things look bad until revenue officers -- called on by Beverly -- show up. The North gang is rounded up and Beckwith looks forward to a long life with his wife.

Red Dice

1926
The Three Musketeers
6.4

In 17th century France, young D'Artagnan wants to join the King's Musketeers, but instead befriends three legendary musketeers—Athos, Porthos, and Aramis—and together, they become embroiled in the political intrigue surrounding King Louis XIII and his adversaries, particularly the powerful Cardinal Richelieu.

The Three Musketeers

1921
Shadows
6.2

Yen Sin, a humble Chinese, is washed ashore after a storm and finds himself an outsider in the deeply Christian fishing community of Urkey. Yen Sin elects to stay, despite his status as a despised 'heathen', only to reveal hypocrisy amid the self-righteous township.

Shadows

1922
Shadow Ranch
6.5

Summoned to Shadow Ranch by his friend Ranny Williams, Sim Baldwin arrives to find Ranny has been ambushed and murdered. Sim learns ranch owner Ruth Cameron is under pressure to sell out to Dan Blake, as the dam on the ranch controls the town's water supply. Vowing to avenge his old friend's death, Sim takes up Ruth's fight and incurs Blake's hostility.

Shadow Ranch

1930
The Nut
6.2

Eccentric inventor Charlie Jackson tries to interest wealthy investors in his girlfriend's plan to help children from poor neighbourhoods.

The Nut

1921
Fifth Avenue
7.0

When her cotton crop is burned, Barbara Pelham, a beautiful southern girl, comes to New York to find work as a fashion designer, staying with Mrs. Kemp, a woman she meets on the northbound train. In Mrs. Kemp's house, Barbara encounters Peter Heffner, a wealthy stockbroker, and discovers from him that she has taken up residence in a whorehouse. There is a police raid, but Barbara escapes arrest and returns home. Heffner's son, Neil, goes south to inspect some family property and there meets Barbara, with whom he falls in love. They decide to be married, and she accompanies him to New York, where she meets the elder Heffner for a second time. He denounces her as a whore, but Barbara goes to Mrs. Kemp, who explains the misunderstanding to everyone's satisfaction.

Fifth Avenue

1926
Montmartre Rose
9.0

A respectable Paris jeweller becomes engaged to a celebrated performer of the Montmartre cafes.

Montmartre Rose

1929
No image
9.0

David Ross, a young farmer in a small New York town, becomes entranced with worldly radio personality Maida Vincent. Meanwhile, David's great uncle, Henry Ableton, threatens to disinherit David if his granddaughter, Mary Vaughn, is not contacted within six months of his demise. Maida and her friend, Josie Dare, discover the gravely ill Mary in New York City and write to Henry, unaware that he has since died. When Mary's brother, Thomas, arrives in the city to find his sister dead, he persuades Maida to assume her identity and claim the fortune. Maida falls in love with David during her stay in the small town, and upon discovering that he is the alternate heir, she reveals her true identity. David forgives her and they are married.

Broadway Madness

1927
Children of the Whirlwind
9.0

A recent parolee tries to go straight with the help of a friendly artist, but his old gang, his sweetheart, and a crooked cop make it difficult for him to escape a life of crime.

Children of the Whirlwind

1925
Josselyn's Wife
7.0

Bessie Barriscale and Nigel Barrie play Ellen and Gibbs Josselyn, a young married couple who have spent several years in Europe while Gibbs, an artist, developed his talent. When they return to the States, they stay with Gibbs' father (Tom Guise) and stepmother (Kathleen Kirkham). Gibbs had never cared much for his stepmother, Lillian, but now he warms up to her -- a lot. Lillian is much younger than her husband and begins spending a suspicious amount of time with her stepson.

Josselyn's Wife

1919
Daughters Who Pay
9.0

Immediately after the October revolution, in Russia, stir unrest and propaganda against the Government of the United States. Serge Oumansky is a Communist agent trying to organize terrorist actions against the same United States.

Daughters Who Pay

1925
Richard the Lion-Hearted
N/A

Wallace Beery repeats his role of King Richard, a role he played so sucessfully in Robin Hood the previous year.

Richard the Lion-Hearted

1923
Wandering Daughters
9.0

The daughter of straitlaced parents, Bessie Bowden is attracted to the social life of the fast set and finds Austin Trull, lounge lizard and sometime artist, more interesting than hard-working John Hargraves. Mr. Bowden and John try to compete with Bessie's new friends and spend all the family savings on making the Bowden home appear wealthy and a part of the social whirl. Bessie and Geraldine Horton finally catch Trull at his double-dealing, and Bessie wisely returns to home and Hargraves.

Wandering Daughters

1923