Laurette Taylor became the biggest star of her day in 1912 when the stage play Peg o' My Heart opened. Highly sought after to enter films, she appeared in three silent films between the years 1922 to 1925. Her career declined and her personal fortunes dwindled after her husband playwright J. Hartley Manners died in 1928. Following years of alcoholism and erratic performances, Laurette made a comeback in the 1939 revival of Outward Bound and then regained her fame with a memorable performance in The Glass Menagerie in 1944. How did Laurette Taylor (1884-1946) become America’s most celebrated actress? How did her failed 1920s silent film career influence her stage technique? What was so remarkable about her portrayal of Amanda Wingfield in the original 1945 Broadway production of The Glass Menagerie that many actors and critics have proclaimed her performance as the greatest they have ever seen, before or since?
This biography offers fascinating new insights into the life and craft of Laurette Taylor. We discover how Laurette's acting style evolved until she became an acting genius, still revered decades after her death. In addition, there are rare photos, a filmography, information on selected stage appearances, and Laurette's only published play, The Dying Wife. Laurette Taylor, American Stage Legend will soon be available from McFarland.
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