en Natalie Talmadge

Natalie Talmadge
Natalie Talmadge
	Talmadge c. 1930s
Born	April 29, 1896; New York City, U.S.
Died	June 19, 1969 (aged 73); Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Resting place	Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1916–1923
Spouse	Buster Keaton (m. 1921; div. 1933)
Children	2
Relatives	Norma Talmadge (sister); Constance Talmadge (sister); Camille Keaton (granddaughter)

Natalie Talmadge (April 29, 1896^{[citation needed]} – June 19, 1969) was an American silent film actress who was the wife of Buster Keaton and sister of the movie stars Norma and Constance Talmadge. She retired from acting in 1923.

Early life and career

Talmadge was born in Brooklyn, New York to Margaret L. "Peg" and Frederick O. Talmadge. She was the younger sister of Norma Talmadge and the older sister of Constance Talmadge, both of whom became film actresses.^{[citation needed]}

She appeared in D.W. Griffith's Intolerance (1916), The Passion Flower (1921) with her sister Norma, and Buster Keaton's Our Hospitality (1923), her final film appearance.

Personal life

Marriage and children

Talmadge married actor Buster Keaton on May 31, 1921, at her sister Norma's home in Bayside, Queens.^[1] She was Roman Catholic, but the marriage was performed as a civil ceremony.^{[citation needed]}

They had two sons: Joseph Talmadge Keaton^[2] and Robert Talmadge Keaton.^[3] The couple lived a lavish lifestyle in Beverly Hills, Natalie spending prodigious amounts of money on clothes. After the birth of their second son, she decided not to have any more children, resulting in the couple staying in separate rooms.^[2] Keaton accepted this, and they agreed that he should keep any affairs discreet.^[2]

Late in the marriage, Keaton's career began to suffer after his contract with Joseph M. Schenck was sold to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. After the couple's divorce was final on August 10, 1933,^[4] Talmadge changed their boys' names to "Talmadge". In June 1942, Robert and Joseph (now 18 and 20, respectively) made the name changes legal after their mother won a court petition.^[5]^[6]

Later years and death

Natalie Talmadge was in frail health during her final years and was a resident of the Santa Monica Convalescent Home. She died of heart failure on June 19, 1969, at Santa Monica Hospital.^[7] She is buried in the Abbey of the Psalms in the Talmadge Room at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.^[8]

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1916	Intolerance	Favourite of the Harem	Uncredited
1917	His Wedding Night	Pretty Lady in Car	Short, uncredited
1917	A Country Hero	Unknown role, bit part	Short, lost film, uncredited
1918	Out West	—	Writer only
1919	The Isle of Conquest	Janis Harmon	Lost film
1919	The Fall of Babylon	Favourite of the Harem	Archive footage, uncredited
1920	The Love Expert	Dorcas Winthrop
1920	Yes or No?	Emma Martin
1921	The Haunted House	Fainting Female Bank Customer	Short, uncredited
1921	The Passion Flower	Milagros
1923	Our Hospitality	Virginia Carfield	Final film role
1924	Screen Snapshots, Series 5, No. 1	Self	Short
1939	Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 12	Self	Short

Footnotes

^ Talmadge, Margaret L. (1924). The Talmadge Sisters: Norma, Constance, Natalie; an Intimate Story of the World's Most Famous Screen Family. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. p. 174.
^ ^a ^b ^c Smith, Imogen Sara (2008). Buster Keaton: The Persistence of Comedy. Gambit Publishing. p. 140. ISBN 0967591740. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
^ Robert Talmadge, Social Security Death Index via ancientfaces.com, Dec. 7, 2015
^ "Gets Final Decree From Keaton". The New York Times. Associated Press. August 11, 1933. p. 18. ProQuest 100887746. Retrieved April 8, 2021 – via ProQuest.
^ "Keaton Youths Change Names". Los Angeles Times. July 1, 1942. p. Part I - Page 13. Retrieved December 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Keaton Sons Change Names to Talmadge" ladailymirror.com (June 30, 2012); retrieved October 26, 2021
^ "Deaths Elsewhere: Natalie Talmadge". Toledo Blade. June 20, 1969. p. 20.
^ Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland & Company Incorporated Pub2001. p. 152. ISBN 0-786-40983-5.

Sources

Smith, Imogen Sara (2008). Buster Keaton: The Persistence of Comedy. Gambit Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9675917-4-2.
Marion Meade (1995), Buster Keaton: Cut to the Chase, (ISBN 0-306-80802-1).
1900 United States Federal Census, Brooklyn Ward 8, Kings, New York; Roll T623_1047; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 109.
1910 United States Federal Census, Brooklyn Ward 29, Kings, New York; Roll T624_982; Page: 13B; Enumeration District: 933; Image: 948.

External links

[1] Talmadge, Margaret L. (1924). The Talmadge Sisters: Norma, Constance, Natalie; an Intimate Story of the World's Most Famous Screen Family. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. p. 174.

[Smith_140-2] Smith, Imogen Sara (2008). Buster Keaton: The Persistence of Comedy. Gambit Publishing. p. 140. ISBN 0967591740. Retrieved October 20, 2019.

[3] Robert Talmadge, Social Security Death Index via ancientfaces.com, Dec. 7, 2015

[4] "Gets Final Decree From Keaton". The New York Times. Associated Press. August 11, 1933. p. 18. ProQuest 100887746. Retrieved April 8, 2021 – via ProQuest.

[5] "Keaton Youths Change Names". Los Angeles Times. July 1, 1942. p. Part I - Page 13. Retrieved December 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] "Keaton Sons Change Names to Talmadge" ladailymirror.com (June 30, 2012); retrieved October 26, 2021

[7] "Deaths Elsewhere: Natalie Talmadge". Toledo Blade. June 20, 1969. p. 20.

[8] Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland & Company Incorporated Pub2001. p. 152. ISBN 0-786-40983-5.

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Natalie Talmadge