Birthday: 1906-02-11
Deathday: 1994-07-07
Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA
Gender: Female
Owned By: Unowned
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anita Garvin (February 11, 1907 – July 7, 1994) was an American actress and comedian who appeared in both silent and sound films. She is best known for her work with comedians Laurel and Hardy and Charley Chase.
Garvin was born in New York City.] Her two sisters who danced in vaudeville encouraged her talents. At age 12, she lied to an agent saying she was "almost sixteen" and got a job being a bathing beauty for one of Mack Sennett's stage shows. The following year she joined the Ziegfeld Follies. She took pride in being the only woman allowed to touch Will Rogers's ropes. She also appeared in Earl Carroll Vanities.
Garvin went on tour with the musical Sally staying with the show for two seasons, then decided to stay in California when the tour left that stop in 1924. In Hollywood, Garvin began working for Christie Film Company's comedies. She recalled her co-star Bobby Vernon dropping butter on the floor onto which she stepped and tumbled, cementing her career as a comedian. Charles Lamont brought her over to work for Educational Pictures. In 1926, Hal Roach took her under contract, where she appeared in many silent films with Charley Chase, James Finlayson, and Max Davidson as well as playing occasional supporting roles in feature films. Standing around 6 feet tall, "her regal countenance and deadpan expression" made her the perfect comic foil.
Roach later considered her "one of his finest actresses." Reflecting upon her frequent co-star Stan Laurel, Garvin observed: "One thing about Stan--with apologies to a lot of directors--they thought they were directing him. And they thought they were directing the picture. But Stan was the one...He was very clever about it. The director was never cognizant of the fact that he was not doing all the directing. Stan's mind was going all the time, always thinking of gags and things to do. The script didn't mean a thing." Garvin appeared in a total of eleven Laurel and Hardy films. In 1928, she was teamed with Marion Byron as a short-lived female version of Laurel and Hardy. Along with Edgar Kennedy, Byron and Garvin appeared in A Pair of Tights, an "acknowledged masterpiece."
Year | Title | Character | |
---|---|---|---|
1940-08-06 | Sunk by the Census | ||
1940-07-16 | Bested by a Beard | Mrs. Vivian Errol | |
1940-01-25 | A Chump at Oxford | Mrs. Vandevere (uncredited) | |
1938-05-20 | Swiss Miss | Tradesman's wife | |
1937-07-16 | Topper | ||
1936-05-08 | Sleepless Hollow | Harry's Wife | |
1936-01-04 | While the Cat's Away | Emma | |
1934-04-18 | Merry Wives of Reno | Male-Seeking Woman in Hotel Lobby (uncredited) | |
1933-04-29 | His Silent Racket | Mrs. Finlayson | |
1933-01-21 | Asleep in the Feet | Dance Hall Hostess | |
1932-10-04 | Yoo-Hoo | Anita | |
1932-08-20 | Show Business | Anita Garvin | |
1931-09-01 | Murder at Midnight | Party Guest (uncredited) | |
1931-04-18 | The Skulls | Señora Laurel | |
1931-02-07 | Be Big! | Mrs. Laurel | |
1931-02-07 | The Chiselers | Mme. Laurel | |
1930-03-08 | Whispering Whoopee | Miss Garvin | |
1930-02-08 | Blotto | Mrs. Laurel | |
1930-01-12 | Sally | Party Guest (uncredited) | |
1929-12-13 | Dynamite | Undetermined Role (uncredited) | |
1929-11-23 | Red Hot Rhythm | Mable | |
1929-11-02 | Stepping Out | The Date | |
1929-09-08 | Our Modern Maidens | Bridesmaid (uncredited) | |
1929-07-27 | The Single Standard | Packy's Jealous Girlfriend at Art Exhibition (uncredited) | |
1929-07-21 | Modern Love | Mrs. Weston - the Brunette | |
1929-07-13 | On With the Show! | Chorine (uncredited) | |
1929-05-11 | Movie Night | ||
1929-04-13 | The Charlatan | Mrs. Paynter | |
1929-03-31 | Trent's Last Case | Ottilie Dunois | |
1929-02-16 | Off to Buffalo | Mrs. Brown | |
1929-02-03 | A Pair of Tights | Anita | |
1929-01-05 | Going Ga-Ga | Anita | |
1928-12-08 | Feed 'em and Weep | ||
1928-09-01 | Imagine My Embarrassment | ||
1928-07-29 | Roaming Romeo | The Princess | |
1928-05-19 | Their Purple Moment | Oliver's Girlfriend | |
1928-05-05 | Fandango | ||
1928-04-22 | The Play Girl | Millie | |
1928-03-24 | From Soup to Nuts | Mrs. Culpepper | |
1927-12-31 | The Battle of the Century | Slips on pie (uncredited) | |
1927-12-24 | Never the Dames Shall Meet | Edna's Sister | |
1927-11-05 | Hats Off | Customer at top of stairs | |
1927-09-25 | Sailors, Beware! | Madame Ritz | |
1927-08-28 | With Love and Hisses | Captain Bustle's 1st girlfriend | |
1927-08-08 | Assistant Wives | Gwendolyn - the Flapjack Queen | |
1927-07-17 | Why Girls Love Sailors | Captain's Wife | |
1927-06-26 | Baby Brother | Amorous nursemaid | |
1927-04-10 | Forgotten Sweeties | ||
1927-01-30 | Upstream | Theatre Audience Admirer at Stage Door | |
1927-01-29 | Two-Time Mama | Mrs. Dazzle | |
1927-01-09 | Many Scrappy Returns | Wellington's Wife | |
1927-01-02 | The Motor Boat Demon | Colleen | |
1926-12-19 | Bertha the Sewing Machine Girl | Flo Mason | |
1926-11-06 | Raggedy Rose | Janice | |
1926-07-24 | Move Along | Rich girl with roses | |
1926-05-30 | Creeps | ||
1926-01-24 | For Sadie's Sake | ||
1925-11-29 | Fair But Foolish | ||
1925-08-15 | Book Bozo | ||
1925-06-30 | The Sleuth | The other woman | |
1925-06-20 | In the Grease | Physical Culture teacher | |
1925-02-18 | A Dangerous Peach | Mrs. Wilson | |
1924-11-02 | The Last Man on Earth | A Millionairess (uncredited) | |
1924-09-14 | Bright Lights |