Lili Damita

"Marriage is a career itself. It requires full-time. When I do fall in love the career must go." ~ Lili

Lili Damita was born Liliane Marie Madeleine Carré on July 10, 1904, in Blaye, France. As a child she studied ballet and attended school in several different countries. By the age of sixteen she was working as a professional model and dancer. In 1921 she won a beauty contest and was offered her first acting role. She appeared in more than a dozen silent films made in Europe. Lili married Hungarian director Michael Curtiz in 1925. They divorced just a year later. Producer Samuel Goldwyn saw Lili and offered her a part in the 1928 romantic adventure The Rescue. American audiences fell in love with the exotic beauty nicknamed "Tiger Lil". She appeared in a string of box office successes including The Cock-Eyed World and This Is The Night. Despite her thick accent she was easily able to make the transition to talkies. Lili made headlines when she became engaged to Prince Ferdinand of Prussia but the couple never married. She was also bi-sexual and enjoyed several affairs with women. In 1935 Lili married actor Errol Flynn and decided to retire from the screen.

She was sometimes credited as "Lily Damita"

Her final role was in the 1938 French film Escadrille of Chance. Errol quickly became a superstar and Lili was now primarily known as his wife. The couple had a son, Sean, in 1940 but their marriage was tumultuous. Errol had many affairs and Lili divorced him in 1942. They would spend years fighting over custody and child support. Lili continued to stay out of the spotlight and focused on raising her son. In 1962 she married dairy farmer Allen R. Loomis and began living part-time in Iowa. Tragedy struck in 1970 when her son Sean went missing during a trip to Cambodia. Lili spent fourteen years and millions of dollars searching for him but he was never found. Sean Flynn was declared legally dead in 1984. By this time Lili was divorced from Allen and suffering from Alzheimer's disease. She died on March 21, 1994 in Palm Beach, Florida at the age of eighty-nine. Lili is buried at Oakland Cemetery in Fort Dodge, Iowa. The epitaph on her tombstone reads "She touched so many lives, brightened so many days."

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2015

 Lili and Errol Flynn

 An autographed photo (from my collection)

 

Janet Gaynor

"No one remains forever young and no one should want to." ~ Janet

Janet Gaynor was born Laura Augusta Gainor on October 6, 1906, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When she was a child her family moved to California. After high school she enrolled in secretarial school and worked in a shoe store. Janet decided to try acting and began getting work as an extra. Her first starring role was in the 1926 drama The Johnstown Flood. Just three years later she won the very first Academy Award for Best Actress for her cumulative work in Seventh Heaven, Sunrise, and Street Angel. She married Jesse Peck, an attorney, in 1929 but they divorced after four years together. Janet and Charles Farrell became a popular screen team and costarred in many hit films including Sunny Side Up and High Society Blues. By 1934 Janet was the top female box-office star in the country. She was nicknamed "The World's Sweetheart". Janet received another Oscar nomination in 1938 for 
her performance in A Star Is Born.

Despite all of her success she was tired of making movies and decided to retire. In 1939 she married MGM fashion designer Gilbert Adrian, who had worked on films like The Women and The Wizard Of Oz. They had a son, Robin, and moved to Brazil. Janet spent a lot of time traveling and started a second career as an artist. Her paintings were exhibited in galleries all over the country. She acted occasionally but never resumed her career full-time. In 1959 Adrian died of a heart attack. A few years later Janet married her close friend producer Paul Gregory. She also had a romantic relationship with actress Mary Martin that lasted for many years. In 1982 Janet was seriously injured in a car accident. She never fully recovered and died on September 14, 1984 from pneumonia. Janet was cremated and her ashes were buried next to Adrian at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2013

With her mother

With her husband Adrian

A handwritten letter (from my collection)

Lesbian & Bi-Sexual Classic Actresses

There are many classic actresses who were gay or bi-sexual. Some of these ladies married men and all of them had to keep their sexuality a secret.

Patsy Kelly was a lesbian. She had many girlfriends and enjoyed a long relationship with Tallulah Bankhead.

Barbara Stanwyck was bi-sexual. She was married to actor Robert Taylor for years and also had several female lovers.

 Joan Crawford was bi-sexual. She had four husbands and many love affairs with women.
 

Lizabeth Scott was a lesbian. She dated women during the 1950s and her career was ruined when a tabloid exposed her secret.

Marie Dressler was a lesbian. She married a man but she was romantically involved with stage actress Claire DuBrey for many years.


 Lilyan Tashman was a lesbian and her husband Edmund Lowe was gay. One of her many lovers was Greta Garbo.

 Marilyn Monroe was bi-sexual. Most of her lovers were men but she also had an affair with her female acting coach.

Kay Francis was bi-sexual. She was married five times and had numerous romances with women.
 

 Janet Gaynor was bi-sexual and so was her husband Gilbert Adrian. She had a long term relationship with actress Mary Martin.

 Carole Landis was bi-sexual. She usually dated men but author Jacqueline Susann was also one of her lovers.