Marion Byron

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Marion Byron (born Miriam Bilenkin; March 16, 1911, Dayton, Ohio – July 5, 1985, Santa Monica, California) was an American movie comedian. After following her sister into a short stage career as a singer/dancer, she was given her first movie role as Buster Keaton's leading lady in the film Steamboat Bill, Jr. in 1928. From there she was hired by Hal Roach to co-star in short subjects with Max Davidson, Edgar Kennedy, and Charley Chase, but most significantly with Anita Garvin, where tiny (4'11" in high heels) Marion was teamed with the 6' Anita for a brief three-film series as a "female Laurel & Hardy" in 1928–1929.

She left Roach before they made talkies, but she went on working, now in musical features, like the Vitaphone film Broadway Babies (1929) with Alice White, and the early Technicolor feature, Golden Dawn (1930).

Her parts slowly got smaller until they were unbilled walk-ons in films like Meet the Baron (1933), starring Jack Pearl and Hips Hips Hooray (1934) with Wheeler & Woolsey. Her final screen appearance was as a baby nurse to the Dionne Quintuplets in their film, Five of a Kind (1938).

Known For

Steamboat Bill, Jr.

The Unkissed Man

Swellhead

The Heart of New York

Broadway Babies

The Matrimonial Bed

Golden Dawn

Filmography

1935 Swellhead

as Bessie

1934 Gift of Gab

as Telephone Girl (as Marian Byron)

1934 It Happened One Day

as Girl on Train

1934 Susie's Affairs

as Virginia

1933 Only Yesterday

as Grace (Uncredited)

1933 Meet the Baron

as College Girl (uncredited)

1933 College Humor

as Student

1933 Breed of the Border

as Sonia

1933 The Crime of the Century

as Bridge Player (uncredited)

1933 The Curse of a Broken Heart

as Little Ivy

1932 They Call It Sin

as Soda Jerk (uncredited)

1932 Trouble in Paradise

as Maid (uncredited)

1932 Love Me Tonight

as Bakery Girl (uncredited)

1932 The Hollywood Handicap

1932 The Tenderfoot

as Kitty

1932 The Heart of New York

as Mimi

1932 Running Hollywood

as Marion Byron

1931 Working Girls

as Ellen (uncredited)

1931 Children of Dreams

as Gertie

1931 Girls Demand Excitement

as Margery