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Ena Gregory

Biography

Ena Gregory (1906–1993) was an Australian motion picture actress.

In Australia, Gregory was known as the child wonder of the vaudeville stage. Her first screen experience came at the age of four when she was shown in her mother's arms in a crowd which was welcoming British dignitaries.

She was first signed in Hollywood for ingenue roles by Universal Pictures in 1921. She also worked for Hal Roach Studios and First National Pictures. In all she spent five years in comic roles before going into dramatic work. By 1924 she was the leading lady of the Independent Pictures Corporation. She was a WAMPAS Baby Star of 1925.

Gregory's film career started with comedy shorts like The Bull Thrower, Lion's Jaws and Kitten's Paws, and The Whizbang. After completing The Calgary Stampede and The Chip of the Flying U, she was promoted to leading lady for Jack Hoxie for two movies.

When Gregory failed to achieve stardom, she consulted a Hollywood seer. He suggested a new name which combined the syllables of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. It was Marian Douglas. Her first film using the new name was The Shepherd of the Hills. She took steps to become an American citizen beginning in October 1927.

Gregory continued to make movies as Marion Douglas until 1931. Her final films are Twisted Tales, Three Wise Clucks, Aloha, and Beach Pajamas.

Gregory divorced film director Alfred Rogell in August 1934. Gregory married Dr. Frank Nolan on 5 November 1937. The couple separated in May 1938 and Gregory obtained a divorce decree in July 1939.

Ena Gregory died in Laguna Beach, California in 1993, aged 87.

Known For

Red Hot Leather
Red Hot Leather
Rough and Ready
Rough and Ready
Jeffries, Jr.
Jeffries, Jr.
Accidental Accidents
Accidental Accidents
The Western Rover
The Western Rover
Sioux Blood
Sioux Blood
The Calgary Stampede
The Calgary Stampede

Filmography

1931 Beach Pajamas
as
1931 Aloha
as Elaine Marvin
1929 Sioux Blood
as Barbara Ingram
1928 The Power of Silence
as Gloria Wright
1928 The Upland Rider
as Sally Graham
1928 The Wagon Show
as Sally Beldan
1928 The Shepherd of the Hills
as Maggie
1927 The Jazz Singer
as (uncredited)
1927 The Western Rover
as Millie Donlin
1927 Men of Daring
as Nancy Owen
1927 Blazing Days
as Milly Morgan
1927 Rough and Ready
as Beth Stone
1926 Red Hot Leather
as Ellen Rand
1926 The Better Man
as Nancy Burton
1925 Sporting Life
as Peggy
1925 The Calgary Stampede
as Trixie
1925 The Desert Flower
as Fay Knight
1925 Cold Nerve
as
1925 Riders of the Kitchen Range
as
1925 Folly of Vanity
as The Siren (fantasy sequence)