COP11 Posted May 9, 2010 Posted May 9, 2010 Born on Nov. 9, 1868 in Cobourg, Ontario. She was a Canadian actress and a depression-era film star. Dressler was comedian early on in her childhood and started acting when she was 14. In 1892, she made her Broadway debut. She became a huge vaudeville star in the early 1900's. During the Actor's Equity strike in New York City in 1919, the Chorus Equity Association was formed and Dressler became the groups first president. She was later blacklisted by theater production companies for her strong stance in labor disputes. A MGM screenwriter helped put her back in films and audiences loved her wit and snappy comebacks. She became a popular comic among her peers. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1932 for the movie "Min and Bill". She was cast in the movie "Dinner at Eight" in 1933, which is one of her most popular films. After the movie's release, she was on the cover of Time magazine on Aug. 7, 1933. Unfortunately Ms. Dressler was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1934. Louis B. Mayer asked the doctor that she not be told she had cancer. Mayer adored her and didn't want to upset her. He demanded that she stay home and not take any more vacations which she agreed to. She passed away on July 28, 1934 in Santa Barbara. Quote
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