Biography
From Wikipedia
Ena Gregory (18 April 1906 – 13 June 1993) was an Australian
motion picture actress from Sydney, Australia.
In Australia Gregory was known as the child wonder of the
vaudeville stage. Her first screen experience came at the age of four when she
was shown in her mother's arms in a crowd which was welcoming British
dignitaries.
She was first signed in Hollywood for ingenue roles by
Universal Pictures in 1921. She also worked for Hal Roach Studios and First
National Pictures. In all she spent five years in comic roles before going into
dramatic work. By 1924 she was the leading lady of the Independent Pictures
Corporation. She was a Wampas Baby Star of 1925.
Gregory's film career started with comedy shorts like The
Bull Thrower (1920), Lion's Jaws and Kitten's Paws (1920), and The Whizbang
(1921). After completing The Calgary Stampede (1925) and The Chip of the Flying
U (1926), with Hoot Gibson, she was promoted to leading lady for Jack Hoxie,
for two movies.
When Gregory failed to achieve stardom by losing chances due
to illness and other causes, she consulted a Hollywood seer named Dareos. He
suggested a new name which combined the syllables of Mary Pickford and Douglas
Fairbanks. It was Marian Douglas. Her first film using the new name was The
Shepherd of the Hills (1928). She took steps to become an American citizen
beginning in October 1927.
Gregory continued to make movies as Marion Douglas until
1931. Her final films are Twisted Tales (1931), Three Wise Clucks (1931), Aloha
(1931), and Beach Pajamas (1931).
Gregory divorced film director Alfred Rogell in August 1934.
Beverly Hills, California attorney, William V.R. Smith, was named a
co-respondent in a $150,000 lawsuit brought by Rogell. Gregory was awarded a
temporary alimony sum of $300 per month from Rogell. Gregory married Dr. Frank
Nolan on 5 November 1937. The couple separated in May 1938 and Gregory obtained
a divorce decree in July 1939.
Ena Gregory died in Laguna Beach, California in 1993, aged
87.
Birthday: 1906-04-18