Frances Howard (actress)

Frances Howard (born Frances Howard McLaughlin, June 4, 1903 – July 2, 1976) was an American actress. She was the second wife of Academy Award-winning producer Samuel Goldwyn, and the paternal grandmother of actors Tony and John Goldwyn.

Frances Howard
Samuel Goldwyn and Frances Howard in 1953
Born
Frances Howard McLaughlin

(1903-06-04)June 4, 1903
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
DiedJuly 2, 1976(1976-07-02) (aged 73)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Years active1925–1935
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1925; died 1974)​
ChildrenSamuel Goldwyn Jr.
RelativesTony Goldwyn (grandson)
John Goldwyn (grandson)

Early years

Born Frances Howard McLaughlin[1] in Kansas City, Kansas,[2] or Omaha, Nebraska, in 1903[3] to Charles Douglas McLaughlin and Helen Victoria (née Howard) McLaughlin,[4] Howard was raised as a Catholic. Her mother, nicknamed "Bonnie", had been raised a Quaker but converted to Catholicism, predeceasing her daughter by only five years. Her father was reportedly a grandson of Irish nationalist politician Daniel O'Connell. Frances had two sisters and a brother.[4]

Career

Howard began her professional career at age 16 with a stock theater company.[5] When she was 21, Howard portrayed a flapper on Broadway in The Intimate Stranger. She followed that part with another flapper role in The Best People. Paramount signed her to a five-year contract, and she co-starred in the film The Swan.[2] She also appeared in Too Many Kisses (1925).[6] She had the contract canceled when she decided to marry.[2]

Personal life

Howard married Samuel Goldwyn, more than two decades her senior, on April 23, 1925.[7] They remained married until Goldwyn's death on January 31, 1974. They had one son, Samuel Goldwyn Jr.;[8] their grandsons are actors Tony and John Goldwyn.

Death

On July 2, 1976,[2] Howard died in Beverly Hills, California, aged 73, more than a year after being diagnosed with advanced cancer, for which she refused treatment which would have required invasive and disfiguring surgery.[4] She was interred next to her husband at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale.[9]

Filmography

Howard made four films between 1925 and 1935:

References
  1. Easton, Carol. The Search for Sam Goldwyn (2014)
  2. Illson, Murray (July 3, 1976). "Frances Howard Goldwyn Dies; Actress and Husband's Partner". The New York Times. p. 19. Retrieved November 24, 2020 – via ProQuest.
  3. Born in 1903 per Intelius
  4. Berg, A. Scott (2013). Goldwyn: A Biography. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781471130069. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  5. Bailer, Don (November 18, 1959). "34 Goldwyn Years -- For Only $310". The Miami Herald. p. 33. Retrieved November 24, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Dickstein, Martin S. (March 4, 1925). "The Cinema Circuit". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. p. 9. Retrieved November 24, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Magill, Frank N. (2014). The 20th Century Go-N: Dictionary of World Biography. Routledge. p. 1417. ISBN 9781317740605. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  8. Lentz, Harris M. III (2016). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2015. McFarland. p. 135. ISBN 9780786476671. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  9. Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 55. ISBN 9780786409839. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
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