Myrtle Gonzalez, a silent cinema actress, made eighty films in five years, from 1913 to 1917, yet her hard work went unnoticed. Gonzalez was born on September 28, 1891, into a family of Mexican ancestors of Californios (pre-state settlers in California, mostly Mexican and Spanish) and Irish immigrants. The iconic actress was born in Los Angeles, California, United States. She began her career as a young soprano, performing in local church choirs and theaters. According to historian and academic Rosa Linda Fregoso, she performed all around the city. Rosa Linda commented on this in her book, The Making of Social Identities on the Borderlands.
Who’s Myrtle Gonzalez On Google Doodle?
The legendary Spanish actress is recognized for performing as Enid Maitland in 1915. The Vitagraph feature film “The Chalice of Courage” was highly successful, and the character of Enid captured the audience’s attention. Her other successful films include.
- The Yellow Streak (1913)
- The Little Sheriff (1914)
- The Secret of the Swamp (1916)
- The Girl of Lost Lake (1917)
Gonzalez was a talented actress who portrayed various characters, including naïve heroines and calculating villains. Yet, her exceptional performance never made the audience feel as if they were seeing a film. She performed stunts during action sequences and displayed athleticism most of the time. The Spanish flu claimed the life of another famous actress in 1918. Despite her brief career, Google Doodle commemorates her birthday as the most popular silent film actress of her time.
Myrtle Gonzalez Family & Early Life
Myrtle Gonzalez was born into the family of Manuel George Gonzalez and Lillian L. Cook. The child soprano’s family history was well established, as her father was a retail grocer, and her mother was a former opera and popular vocalist. Myrtle also had two siblings, Stella M. Gonzalez and Manuel G. Gonzalez Jr., who lived together throughout their youth. Myrtle married James Parks Jones in 1910, and they had one son, James Parks Jones Jr., before splitting up. Myrtle married her lifelong love, actor and director Allen Watt, in 1917.
Watt was an officer in the United States Army, so Myrtle left acting to join him at Camp Lewis in Washington state. However, her health (a heart condition) rendered her feeble, and she was easily caught up in the severe weather. Caption Watt soon retired as well, and both relocated to Southern California. Watt returned to his career at Universal and began directing films. Myrtle Gonzalez died in 1918, ending the couple’s relationship.
This Is A Detailed Summary Of Myrtle Gonzalez’s Family
Father – Manuel George Gonzalez
Mother – Lillian L. Cook
Siblings – Stella M. Gonzalez And Manuel G. Gonzalez Jr.
Husbands – James Parks Jones And Allen Watt
Children – James Parks Jones Jr.
Myrtle Gonzalez Education
There is little information on the singer’s educational pursuits; therefore, it’s not a well-known aspect of her (previously secret). She started her career as a soprano, singing in local concerts, shows, and church choirs. These characteristics indicate that she may have had some voice training or performing arts skills lessons, either privately or in public schools. Myrtle Gonzalez also performed on stage with Fanny Davenport and Florence Stone, two well-known actors of the time. This suggests that she had acting instruction to perform well and make 80 films. She may now have obtained an education that served as a springboard for her academic and national accolades. As a result, it prepared her for a successful career as an actress and singer, as seen in her films.
Myrtle Gonzalez Career
American silent film actress started her career in her teens, following in her mother’s footsteps and recognizing her natural potential. Her participation in local vaudeville events and musical plays and her film debut in “The Yellow Streak” in 1913 demonstrated her entertainment industry knowledge. Following numerous successful silent films, her performance gradually acquired prominence, allowing her to become a frequent performer at Vitagrapseveralg. In 1915, Myrtle Gonzalez played a character in the Vitagraph feature film “The Chalice of Courage,” which became a great box office success.
The film solidified her standing as a leading woman in the industry and gained her critical praise; nevertheless, she could not maintain her golden career phase for long, dying within two years. At the time of her death, she was a young actress and prodigy who had achieved much at the age of 27. As a result, she is well-known in the industry and considered the glory of the early 1910s: her beauty, skill, and variety, as well as her film work, continue to captivate silent film lovers to this day.
Myrtle Gonzalez Net Worth
It is impossible to determine Myrtle Gonzalez’s net worth since there is inadequate financial information from the silent film period. However, her net worth may be calculated using income, fame, and lifestyle information. At the height of her career, she may have earned approximately $500 weekly, a large sum in the early 1910s. Furthermore, the young actress earned bonuses and royalties from her films, endorsements, and other forms of revenue.
Gonzalez enjoyed a luxury lifestyle thanks to her large earnings and affluent background, owning many houses, automobiles, jewelry, clothes, and travel. Given her income and spending, Myrtle Gonzalez’s net worth was most likely between $100,000 and $250,000 at the time of her death in 1918. Currently, it will be between $1.5 million and $3.75 million, adjusted for inflation. The percentage is simply an estimate; her real net worth may differ from this amount.
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Conclusion:
In a nutshell, Myrtle Gonzalez’s achievements in the film industry opened the way for future generations of Latina actors, and the industry remembers her as a pioneering singer and actress who passed away much too young.
