Mary Astor was born Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke on May 3, 1906 in
Quincy, Illinois to Helen Marie Vasconcellos, an American of Portuguese
and Irish ancestry from Illinois, and Otto Ludwig Langhanke, a German
immigrant. Mary's parents were very ambitious for her and wanted
something better for her than what they had, and knew that if they played
their cards right, they could make her famous. Recognizing her beauty, they
pushed her into various beauty contests. Luck was with Mary and her parents
because one contest came to the attention of Hollywood moguls who signed
her when she was 14.
Mary's first movie was a bit part in Buster Keatons verhinderte Trauung (1920). It wasn't much, but it was a
start. Throughout 1921-1923 she continued her career with bit or minor roles in a
number of motion pictures. In 1924, she landed a plum assignment with a role as
Lady Margery Alvaney opposite the great John Barrymore in the film
Beau Brummel (1924). This launched her career to stardom, as did a lively affair with
Barrymore. However, the affair ended before she could star with him again in the
classic Don Juan (1926). By now, Mary was the new cinematic darling, with each
film packing the theaters.
By the end of the 1920s, the sound revolution had taken a stronghold on the industry,
and Mary was one of those lucky actresses who made the successful transition to
"talkies" because of her voice and strong screen presence. Mary's career soared to greater
heights. Films such as Dschungel im Sturm (1932), Convention City (1933), Man of Iron (1935),
and Der Gefangene von Zenda (1937) kept her star at the top. In 1938, she turned out five feature
films that kept her busy and in the spotlight. After that, she churned out films
at a lesser rate. In 1941 she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as
Sandra Kovac in Vertauschtes Glück (1941). That same year she appeared in the celebrated film
Die Spur des Falken (1941), but her star soon began to fall.
Because of her three divorces, her first husband Kenneth Hawks' death in a plane crash,
alcoholism, a suicide attempt, and a persistent heart condition, Mary started to get
smaller film roles. She appeared in only five productions throughout the 1950s. Her
final fling with the silver screen was as Jewell Mayhew in Wiegenlied für eine Leiche (1964).Although
it was her final film, she had appeared in a phenomenal 123 motion pictures in her entire
career.
Mary lived out her remaining years confined to the Motion Picture Country Home,
where she died of a heart attack on September 25, 1987. She was 81.
