Search movies and TV series
Acting
Olive Eleanor Boardman (August 19, 1898 – December 12, 1991) was an American film actress of the silent era. Olive Eleanor Boardman was born on August 19, 1898, the youngest child to George W. Boardman and Janice Merriam "Jennie" Stockman Boardman. She had two older sisters named Merriam and Esther. In 1920, she was working as a contractor. Educated in Philadelphia, Boardman originally acted on stage, but she lost her voice while starring in The National Anthem. She then entered a nationwide contest for new actors and actresses for silent films. She was chosen from among 1,000 competitors by Goldwyn Pictures as their "New Face of 1922". Her initial screen test was unsuccessful, but a second test resulted in a contract. After several successful supporting roles, she played the lead in Souls for Sale in 1923. That same year, Boardman's growing popularity was reflected by her inclusion on the list of WAMPAS Baby Stars. She appeared in more than 30 films during her career, including director King Vidor's The Crowd (1928). Her performance in that film is widely recognized as one of the outstanding performances in American silent film. In 1932, after some success in sound films, she parted ways with MGM. Her final film was The Three Cornered Hat, which was made in Spain in 1935. After that production, she retired from acting and retreated from Hollywood. Her last appearances were in an interview filmed for Kevin Brownlow and David Gill's British documentary series Hollywood (1980) and the series MGM: When the Lion Roars (1992).

Land of Liberty
as (archive footage)

It Happened in Spain
as Magistrate's Wife

The Squaw Man
as Lady Diana Kerhill

Women Love Once
as Helen Fields

The Flood
as Joan Marshall

The Great Meadow
as Diony Hall

Redemption
as Lisa Protasoff

Mamba
as Helen von Linden

She Goes to War
as Joan Morant

Show People
as Roxalanne (uncredited)

Diamond Handcuffs
as Tillie

The Crowd
as Mary Sims

Tell It to the Marines
as Norma Dale

Bardelys the Magnificent
as Roxalanne de Lavedan

The Auction Block
as Lorelei Knight

Memory Lane
as Mary

The Only Thing
as Thyra, Princess of Svendborg
Exchange of Wives
as Margaret Rathburn

The Circle
as Elizabeth Cheney

Proud Flesh
as Fernanda

1925 Studio Tour
as Self

The Way of a Girl
as Rosamond

The Wife of the Centaur
as Joan Converse

So This Is Marriage?
as Beth Marsh

The Silent Accuser
as Barbara Jane

Wine of Youth
as Mary Hollister

The Turmoil
as Mary Vertrees

Sinners in Silk
as Penelope Stevens

True As Steel
as Ethel Parry

The Day of Faith
as Jane Maynard

Three Wise Fools
as Rena Fairchild / Sydney Fairfield

Souls for Sale
as Miss Remember Steddon

Vanity Fair
as Amelia Sedley

Gimme
as Clothilde Kingsley

The Strangers' Banquet
as Jean McPherson