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Peggy Shannon

Actor
Born January 10, 1907Died May 11, 1941 (34 years)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Peggy Shannon (born Winona Sammon, January 10, 1907 – May 11, 1941) was an American actress. She appeared on the stage and screen of the 1920s and 1930s.

Shannon began her career as a Ziegfeld girl in 1923 before moving on to Broadway productions. She was signed to Paramount Pictures and groomed to replace Clara Bow as the newest "It girl", whom she replaced in the 1931 film, The Secret Call. Her growing dependency on alcohol eventually derailed her career. She appeared in her final film, Triple Justice, in 1940. In May 1941, Shannon died at the age of 34 from a heart attack, brought on by alcoholism. Her husband, Albert G. Roberts, shot himself three weeks after her death. Shannon was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas in 1907[ (some sources erroneously cite 1909 or 1910) to Edward and Nannie Sammon. She had a younger sister, Carol. She attended Annunciation Academy Catholic School and Pine Bluff High School before being hired as a chorus girl by Florenz Ziegfeld while visiting her aunt in New York in 1923. The following year she was cast in the Ziegfeld Follies followed by a role in Earl Carroll's Vanities. While on Broadway in 1927, she was spotted by B. P. Schulberg, production head of Paramount Pictures, and was offered a contract. When she arrived in Hollywood, she was hailed as the next "It girl", replacing the former, Clara Bow. Prior to the shooting of The Secret Call, Bow had suffered a nervous breakdown and Shannon was hired to replace her only two days after her arrival in Hollywood.

Shannon would sometimes work sixteen-hour days (from 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. the next day) while shooting a film, and when shooting wrapped, would rush to begin another film. She would occasionally work on two separate films in one day. Through films and publicity, Shannon became known as a fashion plate, wearing styles three months before they became popular. In 1932, she signed a new contract at Fox and became known as difficult and temperamental on the set and was rumored to have had a drinking problem. In 1934, Shannon returned to New York City to do the Broadway show, Page Miss Glory.

In 1935, she continued on Broadway with The Light Behind the Shadow, but was soon replaced, with a press release claiming a tooth infection, though rumors claimed it was her drinking. In 1936, she returned to Hollywood with Youth on Parole. She found it harder to conceal her drinking. Fewer movie roles were offered, while her drinking worsened. She made her last film appearance in the 1940 film, Triple Justice, opposite George O'Brien.

Movies & Shows on Plex

  • The Case of the Lucky Legs

Known For

  • Deluge
  • Back Page
  • The Case of the Lucky Legs
  • Turn Back the Clock
  • The House Across the Bay
  • Hotel Continental
  • Ellis Island

Filmography

1940
Triple Justice · as Susan
1940
1940
Cafe Hostess · as Nellie
1939
The Amazing Mr. Williams · as Kitty (uncredited)
1939
The Women · as Mrs. Jones (uncredited)
1939
Fixer Dugan · as Aggie Moreno
1939
Blackwell's Island · as Pearl Murray
1939
1938
Girls on Probation · as Inmate Ruth
1937
Youth on Parole · as Peggy
1936
Ellis Island · as Betty Parker
1935
1935
Night Life of the Gods · as Daphne Lambert
1933
Back Page · as Jerry Hampton
1933
Turn Back the Clock · as Elvina Evans Wright / Elvina Evans Gimlet
1933
Deluge · as Claire Arlington
1933
Girl Missing · as Daisy Bradford
1932
False Faces · as Elsie Fryer
1932
The Painted Woman · as Kiddo
1932
Society Girl · as Judy Gelett
1932
Hotel Continental · as Ruth Carleton
1932
This Reckless Age · as Mary Burke
1931
The Road to Reno · as Lee Millet
1931
Silence · as Norma Davis / Norma Powers
1931
The Secret Call · as Wanda Kelly
1931
Good Mourning · as Cast
1930
The Gob · as Cast

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