Jean Acker
Jean Acker | |
|---|---|
| File:Jean Acker.jpg | |
| Born | Harriet Acker |
| Other names | Mrs. Rudolph Valentino |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1913-1955 |
| Spouse | Rudolph Valentino (1919-1923) |
| Partner | Chloe Carter (? - 1978) |
Jean Acker (October 23, 1893 – August 16, 1978) was an American film actress with a career dating from the silent film era through the 1950s. She was perhaps best known as the estranged wife of silent film star Rudolph Valentino.
Biography
Early life and career
Acker was born Harriet Acker in Trenton, New Jersey where she attended school. She performed in vaudeville until she moved to California in 1919.[1] After arriving in Hollywood, Acker became the protegee and lover of Alla Nazimova, a film actress whose clout and contacts enabled Acker to negotiate a $200 per week contract with a movie studio. Acker appeared in numerous films during the 1910s and 1920s, but by the early 1930s she began appearing in small, mostly uncredited film roles. She made her last onscreen appearance in the 1955 film How to Be Very, Very Popular, opposite Betty Grable.
Marriage to Valentino
After meeting and befriending the then-struggling actor Rudolph Valentino at a party, they entered a two-month courtship and married on November 6, 1919. Acker quickly had regrets and locked him out of their hotel bedroom on their wedding night.[2][3] The marriage was reportedly never consummated.[4]
After filing for divorce, Valentino did not wait the requisite period for it to be finalized before marrying his second wife, Natacha Rambova, in Mexico, and he was charged with bigamy when the couple returned to the United States.[5] Acker then sued Valentino for the legal right to call herself "Mrs. Rudolph Valentino," Valentino remained angry at her for several years. They mended their friendship before his death in 1926, and Acker wrote a popular song about him soon after he died called "We Will Meet at the End of the Trail".[6][7]
In reality, Acker was a lesbian, and had been involved in an affair with famous actress and lesbian Alla Nazimova, as well as struggling actress Grace Darmond. Nazimova, rumoured to have been jealous when involved with a woman, had made Acker a part of what Nazimova dubbed the "Sewing circles", basically a group of actresses who were forced to conceal the fact that they were lesbian, thus living secret lives. Nazimova reportedly disapproved of Acker's involvement with both Grace Darmond and Valentino. [1]
Death
After divorcing Valentino in 1923, Acker met Chloe Carter, a former Ziegfeld Follies girl with whom she would remain with for the rest of her life. The couple owned an apartment building together in Beverly Hills.[8]
Acker died of natural causes in 1978 at the age of 84,[9] and is buried next to Carter in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | Bob's Baby | Bob's Cousin | |
| 1915 | Are You a Mason? | Alternative title: The Joiner | |
| 1914 | The $5,000,000 Counterfeiting Plot | Helen Long | |
| 1919 | Never Say Quit | Vamp | |
| 1920 | The Round-Up | Polly Hope | |
| 1921 | Brewster's Millions | Barbara Drew | |
| 1922 | Her Own Money | Ruth Alden | |
| 1923 | The Woman in Chains | Felicia Coudret | Credited as Mrs. Rudolph Valentino |
| 1925 | Braveheart | Sky-Arrow | |
| 1927 | The Nest | Belle Madison | |
| 1933 | No Marriage Ties | Adrienne's Maid | Uncredited |
| 1934 | Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen | Friend of Miss Fane | Uncredited |
| 1935 | No More Ladies | Nightclub Extra | Uncredited |
| 1936 | San Francisco | ||
| 1937 | Vogues of 1938 | Extra | Uncredited |
| 1939 | Good Girls Go to Paris | Bit Part | Uncredited |
| 1940 | My Favorite Wife | Postponed case witness | Uncredited |
| 1942 | Obliging Young Lady | Cousin | Uncredited |
| 1944 | The Thin Man Goes Home | Tart | Uncredited |
| 1945 | Spellbound | Matron | Uncredited |
| 1946 | It's a Wonderful Life | Uncredited | |
| 1947 | The Peril of Pauline | Switchboard operator | Uncredited |
| 1948 | Isn't It Romantic? | Townswoman | Uncredited |
| 1951 | The Mating Season | Party guest | Uncredited |
| 1952 | Something to Live For | Wife | Uncredited |
| 1955 | How to Be Very, Very Popular | Undetermined Supporting Role | Uncredited |
References
- ^ Leider, Emily W. Dark Lover: The Life and Death of Rudolph Valentino. New York City, Farrar Straus Giroux, 2003. ISBN 0374282390. p. 100.
- ^ "Jean Acker of Metro Weds". Motion Picture News. 1919. p. 3774.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Donnelley, Paul (2005). Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries. Omnibus Press. p. 935. ISBN 1-844-49430-6.
- ^ Donnelley, Paul (2005). Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries. Omnibus Press. p. 7. ISBN 1-844-49430-6.
- ^ Madsen, Axel (2002). The Sewing Circle: Sappho's Leading Ladies. Kensington Books. p. 103. ISBN 0-758-20101-X.
- ^ Newman, Ben-Allah (2004). Rudolph Valentino His Romantic Life and Death: His Romantic Life and Death. Kessinger Publishing. p. 50. ISBN 1-417-91464-5.
- ^ Briggs, Joe Bob (2005). Profoundly Erotic: Sexy Movies that Changed History. Universe. p. 30. ISBN 0-789-31314-6.
- ^ Shearer, Stephen Michael (2006). Patricia Neal: An Unquiet Life. University Press of Kentucky. p. 391. ISBN 0-813-12391-7.
- ^ Donnelley, Paul (2005). Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries. Omnibus Press. p. 8. ISBN 1-844-49430-6.
External links
- Please use a more specific IMDb template. See the documentation for available templates.
- Jean Acker at AllMovie
- Jean Acker at Find a Grave
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