Redemption arcs are one of the most beloved tropes in Hollywood, but that does not mean that all of them are successful. For every celebrity who heroically redeemed himself, dozens and dozens went down in flames, didn’t follow the typical Hollywood movie, and were forgotten. Some had to deal with racism; some were victims of the industry’s mood swings, while others just had bad luck. These are some of the women that history should remember beyond an extremely short reference.
10. Dorothy Dandridge
No one possessed the charisma that Dorothy Dandridge had except for her. She was born in 192,2 and from a young age, she and her sister performed together and gained fame with Carmen Jones, a show for which she was the first Black actress to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Actress. Nevertheless, the openings she created for herself never really opened; She was left out of the race that she deserved due to her racism, stereotyping, and personal tragedy. Although she also had her struggles, the doors she flung open for the next generations of entertainers were still there, but Hollywood proper did not acknowledge her during her lifetime.
9. Olive Borden
The Joy Girl was the name that was given to Olive Borden, a movie star of the silent era whose fame was eclipsed by the advent of sound. Her glitzy on-screen personality could not continue in the new era, and she was no longer a star by the 1940s. These lead to money issues and personal tragedy. Her name was hardly mentioned except for the star that was still present on Hollywood Boulevard, a silent witness to her short-lived domination.
8. Anna May Wong
Anna May Wong was the most daring actress. She was the first Chinese-American movie star and broke all the barriers that were in her way, ay but never fully managed to overcome the restrictions as a result of Hollywood racism. Besides, Wong acted excellently in Shanghai Express; however, she was always typecast by the studios. Performances that matched her talents were given to white actresses who did yellowface. Wong’s legacy is only being recognized nowadays, which is way too late for her groundbreaking work not to have been forgotten.
7. Louise Brooks
With her bob cut and American Dream spirit, Louise Brooks was the representative of the Jazz Age. She was seen in Beggars of Life and Pandora’s Box, and her indefatigable energy in Hollywood led to her decline faster. She eventually came back as a writer, talking about her wild days in movies. Brooks enjoyed a cult-like status, but the history of film snatched away her glamour long before she ever had a comeback.
6. Clara Bow
Clara Bow, the first “It Girl,” was the most exciting thing about the 1920s. She played in It and Wings, the first movie to win the Best Picture award, and she was enchanted by her own lively spirit. However, underneath the glitz and glam, there was a whole lot of misery, family tragedy, and mental despair. Although she was able to make the transition to talkies, the pressures of being a star and the personal demons that she had eventually led her to quit. Many of her films have been lost, and thus, there is only a little window through which one can see the talent that was too often overshadowed by the nickname she was given.
5. Thelma Todd
Thelma Todd was not only a major comic force in the movies but also had the same comedic effect as the Marx Brothers and other comedy legends, thanks to her excellent timing and sharp wit. In 1935, she suddenly lost her life, put an end to her career, and a mystery that remains to this day was born. Unlike the talented actress who would have been remembered for her acting skills, Todd was just another Hollywood death, and her passing concealed the work she did for the entertainment industry from being acknowledged.
4. Kay Francis
The early part of the 1930s was the time when Kay Francis was at the peak of her career and was one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actresses. She was known for her glamour and sophistication in films like Trouble in Paradise. But after falling out with Warner Bros., she was confined to B-movie work and was virtually forgotten for ten years. Today, her films are mostly forgotten jewels that few people consider, and her name is only occasionally uttered by those far from the Hollywood community.
3. Ann Blyth
About her career debut in Mildred Pierce and the subsequent Oscar nomination at 16 years old, for which Ann Blyth was propelled into the bright Hollywood limelight, it was like heaven opening to her. But she lost her spine in a tobogganing accident, and the tragic incident knocked her career down. Blyth kept on acting, but she lacked her first success and hence became a cautionary tale that celebrity in Hollywood is ephemeral.
2. Marion Davies
Marion Davies had great comedic and commercial abilities, yet her biography became a tale of a love affair with William Randolph Hearst, a newspaper mogul. The energy he used to turn her into a tragic star backfired, while the Depression further lessened her brightness. As a cherry on top, Citizen Kane, directed by Orson Welles, deeply ingrained a distorted representation of her in the public’s perception. Although Welles admitted fault later, Davies was not able to revive her image as the talented actress she was.
1. Lillian Gish
Lillian Gish, known as the “First Lady of American Cinema,” can be regarded as the mother of screen acting in the silent film era with her appearances in Broken Blossoms and The Wind. Lillian continued her film career for a long time, and she was still very active in her 80s and 90s, but unfortunately, she did not get the acknowledgment she deserved from later generations. Currently, she is at the same level as a trivia answer as an icon of cinema history, a really unfair fate for one of the pioneers of screen acting.
The memory of Hollywood is very short, but these women still have the impact of their names, films, and characters in cinematic history. People who are familiar with their stories know that fame does not last long; however, the influence of these artists is still alive and will go on as long as somebody recalls it.