Edna May Oliver

Edna May Oliver

Edna May Oliver (November 9, 1883 – November 9, 1942) was an American stage and film actress. During the 1930s, she was one of the best-known character actresses in American films, often playing tart-tongued spinsters. ​She was born Edna May Nutter in Malden, Massachusetts. The daughter of Ida May and Charles Edward Nutter, Edna was a descendant of the 6th American president John Quincy Adams. Miss Oliver took an early interest in the stage, and she would quit school at the age of 14 to pursue her ambitions in the theater. Despite abandoning traditional schooling, Edna continued to study the performing arts, including speech and piano. One of her first jobs was as pianist with an all female orchestra which toured America around the turn of the century. By 1917 she had achieved success on Broadway in the hit play "Oh, Boy". By 1923 she had appeared in her first film. Edna May Oliver seems to have been born to play the classics of American and British literature. Some of her most memorable film roles were in adaptations of works of Charles Dickens. Although some have described her as plain or "horse faced", Edna May Oliver's comedic talents lent a beautiful droll warmth to her characters. She was usually called upon to play less glamorous roles such as a spinsters, but she played them with such soul, wit, and depth that to this day she remains one of the best loved of Hollywood's character actresses. A fine example of her comedic talent can be found in Laugh and Get Rich (1931). Here we find her playing a role almost autobiographical in nature, that of a proud woman with Boston roots who has married "down". As the plot unwinds, she is invited to a society gala despite her modest circumstances. At the gala she becomes tipsy. With a frolicsome air Edna May seems to use the role to gently mock her real self. Her slightly drunk character seizes upon a bit of flattery, and alluding to her old New England family, proudly proclaims to each who will listen, "I am a Cranston. That explains everything!". In real life, Edna May Oliver was a Nutter, and perhaps that explains everything. Edna May Oliver married stock broker David Pratt in 1928, but the marriage ended in divorce five years later. In 1939 she received an Oscar nomination for her supporting role as Widow McKlennar in the picture Drums Along the Mohawk (1939). That was to be one of her last films. Miss Oliver was struck ill in August of 1942. Although she seemed to recover briefly, she was re-admitted to Los Angeles's Cedars of Lebanon hospital in October Her dear friend actress Virginia Hammond flew out from New York to stay by her bedside. Edna May Oliver died on her 59th birthday, 9th November 1942. Virginia Hammond was with her and said, "She died without ever being aware of the gravity of her condition. She just went peacefully asleep."

  • Titre: Edna May Oliver
  • Popularité: 5.965
  • Connu pour: Acting
  • Anniversaire: 1883-11-08
  • Lieu de naissance: Malden, Massachusetts, USA
  • Page d'accueil:
  • Aussi connu sous le nom:
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Edna May Oliver Films

  • 1933
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    Alice au pays des merveilles

    Alice au pays des merveilles

    6.1 1933 HD

    S'endormant au pied d'un arbre, Alice est réveillée par un lapin blanc à l'attitude bien étrange et décide de le...

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  • 1937
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    Rosalie

    Rosalie

    5.5 1937 HD

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  • 1933
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    Ann Vickers

    Ann Vickers

    5.9 1933 HD

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  • 1939
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    Second Fiddle

    Second Fiddle

    5 1939 HD

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  • 1936
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    Roméo et Juliette

    Roméo et Juliette

    6.19 1936 HD

    A Vérone, malgré la haine qui sépare leurs deux familles, Juliette, fille des Capulet et Roméo, issu de la famille...

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  • 1935
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    David Copperfield

    David Copperfield

    6.567 1935 HD

    Début du XIXe siècle, en Angleterre. David Copperfield vient de perdre sa mère. M. Murdstone, son beau-père l'envoie chez...

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  • 1935
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    Le Marquis de Saint-Évremont

    Le Marquis de Saint-Évremont

    6.8 1935 HD

    En 1789, Lucie Manette, dont Sydney Carton vient de s'éprendre, aime Charles Darney, neveu du tyrannique Marquis de Saint-Évremont....

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  • 1933
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    Les Quatre Filles du docteur March

    Les Quatre Filles du docteur March

    6.8 1933 HD

    Pendant la guerre de Sécession, alors que son mari bataille, Mme March tente de se débrouiller avec ses quatre filles. Pour Jo,...

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  • 1939
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    La Grande Farandole

    La Grande Farandole

    7 1939 HD

    Irène et Vernon Castle étaient l'un des couples de danseurs les plus connus et respectés. Malheureusement, lors de la...

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  • 1939
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    Sur la piste des Mohawks

    Sur la piste des Mohawks

    6.425 1939 HD

    En pleine guerre d'indépendance américaine, Gil Martin, un jeune colon de Deerfield, se rend à Albany pour épouser Lana...

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  • 1941
    imgFilms

    Lydia

    Lydia

    6.4 1941 HD

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  • 1932
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    Penguin Pool Murder

    Penguin Pool Murder

    5.5 1932 HD

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  • 1935
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    Murder on a Honeymoon

    Murder on a Honeymoon

    5.8 1935 HD

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  • 1930
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    Half Shot at Sunrise

    Half Shot at Sunrise

    6.2 1930 HD

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  • 1935
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    No More Ladies

    No More Ladies

    5.1 1935 HD

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  • 1933
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    Meet the Baron

    Meet the Baron

    4.3 1933 HD

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  • 1929
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    The Saturday Night Kid

    The Saturday Night Kid

    4.4 1929 HD

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  • 1937
    imgFilms

    My Dear Miss Aldrich

    My Dear Miss Aldrich

    6.1 1937 HD

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  • 1934
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    The Last Gentleman

    The Last Gentleman

    3 1934 HD

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  • 1934
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    Murder on the Blackboard

    Murder on the Blackboard

    5.3 1934 HD

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  • 1934
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    The Poor Rich

    The Poor Rich

    1 1934 HD

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  • 1931
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    Laugh and Get Rich

    Laugh and Get Rich

    4.7 1931 HD

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  • 1999
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    Clara Bow: Discovering the It Girl

    Clara Bow: Discovering the It Girl

    7.7 1999 HD

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  • 1934
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    We're Rich Again

    We're Rich Again

    4 1934 HD

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  • 1938
    imgFilms

    Paradise for Three

    Paradise for Three

    6.8 1938 HD

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  • 1932
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    The Conquerors

    The Conquerors

    5.7 1932 HD

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  • 1937
    imgFilms

    Parnell

    Parnell

    4.6 1937 HD

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  • 1939
    imgFilms

    Nurse Edith Cavell

    Nurse Edith Cavell

    6.4 1939 HD

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  • 1931
    imgFilms

    Cracked Nuts

    Cracked Nuts

    7 1931 HD

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  • 1938
    imgFilms

    Hôtel à vendre

    Hôtel à vendre

    6.6 1938 HD

    Une jeune orpheline est adoptée par le gérant d'un hôtel de luxe fréquenté par la crème du show-business.

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  • 1932
    imgFilms

    Ladies of the Jury

    Ladies of the Jury

    6.4 1932 HD

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  • 1933
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    Only Yesterday

    Only Yesterday

    6.8 1933 HD

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  • 1924
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    Icebound

    Icebound

    1 1924 HD

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  • 1933
    imgFilms

    The Great Jasper

    The Great Jasper

    1 1933 HD

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  • 1931
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    La Ruée vers l'Ouest

    La Ruée vers l'Ouest

    5.6 1931 HD

    Quand s'ouvre aux colons le territoire d'Oklahoma en 1889, Yancey Cravat demande une parcelle et s'y rend depuis Wichita avec sa famille....

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  • 1931
    imgFilms

    Fanny Foley Herself

    Fanny Foley Herself

    1 1931 HD

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  • 1932
    imgFilms

    Hold 'Em Jail

    Hold 'Em Jail

    6.8 1932 HD

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  • 1940
    imgFilms

    Orgueil et préjugés

    Orgueil et préjugés

    6.886 1940 HD

    M. et Mme Bennet ont cinq filles célibataires, et Mme Bennet est particulièrement désireux de trouver des maris qui leur...

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  • 1931
    imgFilms

    Newly Rich

    Newly Rich

    3 1931 HD

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  • 1926
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    The American Venus

    The American Venus

    1 1926 HD

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  • 1933
    imgFilms

    It's Great to Be Alive

    It's Great to Be Alive

    5 1933 HD

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  • 1926
    imgFilms

    Let's Get Married

    Let's Get Married

    1 1926 HD

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  • 1925
    imgFilms

    Lovers in Quarantine

    Lovers in Quarantine

    1 1925 HD

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  • 1925
    imgFilms

    The Lucky Devil

    The Lucky Devil

    6.5 1925 HD

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  • 1923
    imgFilms

    Wife in Name Only

    Wife in Name Only

    1 1923 HD

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  • 1923
    imgFilms

    Three O'Clock in the Morning

    Three O'Clock in the Morning

    1 1923 HD

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  • 1924
    imgFilms

    Manhattan

    Manhattan

    6 1924 HD

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  • 1924
    imgFilms

    Restless Wives

    Restless Wives

    1 1924 HD

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  • 1925
    imgFilms

    The Lady Who Lied

    The Lady Who Lied

    1 1925 HD

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