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Photo of Anita Garvin

Anita Garvin

Actor
Born February 11, 1906Died July 7, 1994 (88 years)
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."
Movies & Shows on Plex
  • Topper
  • Laurel & Hardy
Known For
  • Blotto
  • Be Big!
  • From Soup to Nuts
  • The Battle of the Century
  • Their Purple Moment
  • Laurel and Hardy's Laughing 20's
  • Hats Off
  • The Sleuth
  • Raggedy Rose

Filmography

1986
Laurel & Hardy (TV Series) · as Mrs. Laurel
1986
Classic Comedy Teams · as Mrs. Laurel (segment "laurel And Hardy")
1965
1960
When Comedy Was King · as Edited From 'a Pair Of Tights'
1940
Cookoo Cavaliers · as Weakfish Customer
1940
1940
A Chump at Oxford · as Mrs. Vandevere (uncredited)
1938
Swiss Miss · as Tradesman's Wife
1937
1934
I Am a Thief · as Train Passenger
1934
Merry Wives of Reno · as Male-Seeking Woman In Hotel Lobby (uncredited)
1932
Les carottiers · as Mme. Laurel
1932
The Hollywood Handicap · as Character
1931
Murder at Midnight · as Party Guest (uncredited)
1931
Los calaveras · as Señora Laurel
1931
Be Big! · as Mrs. Laurel
1930
The Virtuous Sin · as Undetermined Secondary Role
1930
Night Work · as Bit Part
1930
Blotto · as Mrs. Laurel
1929
Sally · as Party Guest (uncredited)
1929
Dynamite · as Undetermined Role (uncredited)
1929
Our Modern Maidens · as Bridesmaid (uncredited)
1929
The Single Standard · as Packy's Jealous Girlfriend At Art Exhibition (uncredited)
1929
On with the Show! · as Chorine (uncredited)
1929
All Steamed Up · as The Wife
1929
The Charlatan · as Mrs. Paynter
1929
Trent's Last Case · as Ottilie Dunois
1928
Their Purple Moment · as Oliver's Girlfriend
1928
From Soup to Nuts · as Mrs. Culpepper
1928
1927
The Battle of the Century · as Slips On Pie (uncredited)
1927
Assistant Wives · as Gwendolyn - The Flapjack Queen
1927
Hats Off · as Customer At Top Of Stairs
1927
Sailors, Beware! · as Madame Ritz
1927
With Love and Hisses · as Captain Bustle's 1st Girlfriend
1927
Why Girls Love Sailors · as Captain's Wife
1927
Upstream · as Theatre Audience Admirer At Stage Door
1926
Raggedy Rose · as Janice
1925
The Sleuth · as The Other Woman
1924
The Last Man on Earth · as A Millionairess (uncredited)

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