Olive Thomas

  • Olive Thomas
  • Olive Thomas
  • Olive Thomas
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Olive Thomas Biography

Oliveretta Elaine Duffy was born on October 20, 1894, in Charleroi, Pennsylvania. Olive, as she was known to family and friends, did not have much of a childhood. Life in industrial Pittsburgh was depressing and grim with its smoky factories and hard living. She married Bernard Krug Thomas at the age of 16 (which wasn`t uncommon at the time), but the marriage wasn`t a happy one and they divorced two years later. By this time Olive had quit the Pittsburgh public school system and left for New York. Here she found work in a department store. By chance there was a competition for the most beautiful girl in New York City. On a lark she entered and, as fate would have it, she won. With the publicity coming from the win, Olive was spotted by Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. and immediately went to work in his famed Follies. She was absolutely outstanding and men went wild over her beauty. She also posed nude for the famed Peruvian artist `Alberto Vargas` . As a result of her sudden fame, she was signed to a contract with Triangle Pictures. Her first film was Beatrice Fairfax (1916). Later that year, on October 20, she married Jack Pickford, brother of screen star Mary Pickford, but the relationship was a stormy one. In 1917, she starred in four more films: Madcap Madge (1917), A Girl Like That (1917), Broadway Arizona (1917) and Indiscreet Corinne (1917). With five films on her resume, Olive was the toast of Hollywood and indeed the film world. Her beauty was captivating. One look at her pictures can make one understand why. She made three films in 1918 and six in 1919. By 1920, Olive was at the top of the film world. She continued to make good pictures, most notably, Youthful Folly (1920) and The Flapper (1920), which was an overwhelming success and has assured her place in film history. After finishing shooting Everybody`s Sweetheart (1920), Olive and Jack sailed to France in August for a much needed vacation. The couple seemed happy, which seems odd in light of what was to follow. Olive accidentally ingested bi-chloride of mercury from a French-labeled bottle in a darkened bathroom, believing it to be another medication, and she died from it not long after. The death made worldwide headlines and it was finally ruled accidental. Had Olive not died so young, she would always be remembered as one of the finest actresses of the silent era. With the advent of sound pictures, she would have no doubt continued her dazzling career. Olive Thomas, who was considered to be one of the world`s great beauties, was only 20 when she died.
 

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Snapshot

    Name Olive Thomas
    (Oliveretta Elaine Duffy)
    Other Name(s) `Ollie`
    Height 5' 4"  (163 cm)
    Build Average
    Eye Color Blue
    Hair Color Brown - Light
    Date of Birth October 201894
    Birthplace Charleroi, Pennslyvania
    Star Sign Libra
    Died September 101920 (Aged 26)
    Location of Death Neuilly-sur seine, France
    Cause of Death Deliberate Overdose of Mercury Bichloride
    Nationality American
    Ethnicity White
    Occupation Actress
    Celebrity Index Ol

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William [Brother] (born 1899) :: James [Brother] (born 1896)

Trivia and Quotes

Quotes
  • The glitter and the best people out front every night began to pall, in other words, I got an exaggerated attack of Higher Ambition
  • People think that nothing is required of a Follies girl but beauty... well, I worked harder in the Follies than I ever did in my life.
    Trivia
  • Her ghost has been said to haunt the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City.
    (imdb.com)
  • Oldest of three. Younger brothers were James (born 1896) and William (born 1899).
    (imdb.com)
  • A member of the Ziegfeld Follies
    (imdb.com)
  • Was the first actress to play a 'Flapper' which would become a huge fad in the coming years.
    (imdb.com)
  • Was sister-in-law of Mary Pickford.
    (imdb.com)
  • Daughter-in-law of Charlotte Smith.
    (imdb.com)
  • Discovered by Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. for his Follies of 1915, he also cast her in the "Ziegfeld Midnight Frolics" which was a racier, after-hours show atop the New Amsterdam Theater for mostly male audiences. She often wore nothing but balloons which the gents would eagerly burst with their cigars. She also became Ziegfeld's mistress.
    (imdb.com)
  • Was a Ziegfeld Girl.
    (imdb.com)
  • Found poisoned in her room after consuming mercury bichloride tablets dissolved in alcohol. The circumstances around this event were mysterious but were officially determined to be accidental. She died five days later in the American Hospital in Neuilly.
    (imdb.com)
  • Sister-in-law of Mary Pickford and Lottie Pickford.
    (imdb.com)
  • Her personal belongings were sold at auction in New York for $26,931. Fellow screen star Mabel Normand bought a 14-karet gold cigarette case for $50, a 20-piece toilet set for $1,425, a diamond pearl brooch and sapphire pin for $500, and a platinum set with star sapphire for $425 (22 November 1920)
    (imdb.com)
  • Was the first actress to play a `Flapper` which would become a huge fad in the coming years.
  • Discovered by Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. for his Follies of 1915, he also cast her in the "Ziegfeld Midnight Frolics" which was a racier, after-hours show atop the New Amsterdam Theater for mostly male audiences. She often wore nothing but balloons which the gents would eagerly burst with their cigars. She also became Ziegfeld`s mistress.
  • Her ghost has been said to haunt the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City.
  • Her personal belongings were sold at auction in New York for $26,931. Fellow screen star Mabel Normand bought a 14-karet gold cigarette case for $50, a 20-piece toilet set for $1,425, a diamond pearl brooch and sapphire pin for $500, and a platinum set with star sapphire for $425 (22 November 1920)
  • Sister-in-law of Mary Pickford and Lottie Pickford.
  • A member of the Ziegfeld Follies
  • Irish-American descent
  • Found poisoned in her room after consuming mercury bichloride tablets dissolved in alcohol. The circumstances around this event were mysterious but were officially determined to be accidental. She died five days later in the American Hospital in Neuilly.
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