Louise Brooks, nicknamed Lulu, lived the tragic life in the Hollywood fast lane before the age of 20, and her career would be over by 32, despite her talent and many connections to top people in the industry.
Part of her tragic life has been attributed to being sexually assaulted at 9, and to disappointment in her early career as a dancer. However, her notorious flings with Charlie Chaplin, (32 and married at that time), and director Walter Wanger soon led to the recognition and reputation of the original “It Girl, the flapper with the distinctive hairstyle.
Though talented and later respected for a unique acting style for the Silent Era, she had a self-destructive personal life, known for numerous flings and poor decisions. Her best opportunity for success came with her series of films with German director G. W. Pabst, 1929-30. These are among her most recognized work today.
Her refusal to d voiceover work on a film “going talkie,” conflicts with fellow actors, and refusing roles led her to be labeled as difficult. In the turn to talkie films, she lost her moment. By 1938, she appeared in a Western opposite John Wayne, having grown her hair longer and losing her distinctive “bob” —-this signaled the end of her acting career.
After decades from the spotlight, further personal failure, and even becoming a “courtesan “ among wealthy.clients, she languished in obscurity in hometown Kansas, then in New York. She gained latter day recognition through a 1982 memoir entitled, “Lulu In Hollywood.” Louise died of heart failure three years later.
Louise Brooks, nicknamed Lulu, lived the tragic life in the Hollywood fast lane before the age of 20, and her career would be over by 32, despite her talent and many connections to top people in the industry.
Part of her tragic life has been attributed to being sexually assaulted at 9, and to disappointment in her early career as a dancer. However, her notorious flings with Charlie Chaplin, (32 and married at that time), and director Walter Wanger soon led to the recognition and reputation of the original “It Girl, the flapper with the distinctive hairstyle.
Though talented and later respected for a unique acting style for the Silent Era, she had a self-destructive personal life, known for numerous flings and poor decisions. Her best opportunity for success came with her series of films with German director G. W. Pabst, 1929-30. These are among her most recognized work today.
Her refusal to d voiceover work on a film “going talkie,” conflicts with fellow actors, and refusing roles led her to be labeled as difficult. In the turn to talkie films, she lost her moment. By 1938, she appeared in a Western opposite John Wayne, having grown her hair longer and losing her distinctive “bob” —-this signaled the end of her acting career.
After decades from the spotlight, further personal failure, and even becoming a “courtesan “ among wealthy.clients, she languished in obscurity in hometown Kansas, then in New York. She gained latter day recognition through a 1982 memoir entitled, “Lulu In Hollywood.” Louise died of heart failure three years later.