Stats
01Born:
Mae Koenig in 1889 (reportedly, unconfirmed)
Died:
March 23rd, 1965 in the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills, CA
Buried:
Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood. California
02
Occupation: Actress, Follies Girl, Gardenia
Years Active: 1906-1915 (stage and Follies)
1916-1931 (silent film and talkie career)
Married:
William M. Schwenker Jr. (1908–1909), a stockbroker she married very briefly
Jay O'Brien (1916–1917), an Olympic athlete she also married briefly
Robert Z. Leonard (1918–1925) , a movie director who helped form her film career and create 'Tiffany Pictures'
David Mdivani (1926–1934), a fake Prince who ruined her financially and mentally
Religion: Unknown
Known for:
Being a Follies Girl with bee stung lips who left for the silent screen where she became known as 'The Gardenia of the Screen'. Knew Rudolph Valentino before he was famous, was friends until his death. Acted in a revue with Nita Naldi in her later years.
Mae Murray
Sites: There are none currently (do you have an active Mae Murray site? Contact us!)
Books about: "The Self-Enchanted" by Jane Ardmore. Long out of print it is actually a biography, not an autobiography. Very fanciful.
Films About: None
Voice: Murray made only a few talkies. Clips are not yet available.
More Mae Murray on the web:
by Hala Pickford @2010, please do not use without permission
Please note, this is not a standard 'article', but a plea for research help.
Biography:
I like Mae Murray. She was a gorgeous actress who may or may not have
had Rudolph Valentino
and after a few bad turns well...ended up bat shit crazy. Marrying a
fake Prince who destroys your career and takes all your money while
selling your oil holdings tends to do that to you.
During her spectacular older years Mae allowed a biography to be written
of her by Jane Ardmore (who would go on to write many celeb biographies,
including Joan Crawford's). Its a hard to find and expensive book
(usually going for over $50) from the 1950s so many people have not read
it. Most assume its a 'inventive' autobiography written by Mae. Mae
didn't write it, though inventive is the word. Events, places, and
dates don't sync up and Mae's age and origins are never really given.
To this day no one (and many have looked including Allan Ellenberger who
has written books of celeb census records) can find a real census record
of her early years, no one is certain she was really born Mae Koenig in
1889 though as always it sounds 'plausible'.
Mae was so much fun. She and
Nita Naldi did an
old timey stage show in the 40s and apparently got along well. She told
Nita when asked for your age to always say '29'. She held to this by
running around in the shortest tightest dresses possible. She also knew
Olive Thomas, reporting Ollie was the one who pointed Valentino out
to her as (paraphrasing) 'A dancer at Maxim's. Damn beautiful isn't
he?'
Mae needs a new accurate biography, and I'm happy to report one is in
the works. Michael G. Ankerich has begun researching the project, and
has made contact with her elusive son (the way ahead of his time named
Koran, later renamed David). He's trying to find people who knew Mae,
especially in her later years at the Motion Picture Fund Home. She died
in 1965, so there should be SOMEONE out there somewhere who knew her,
encountered her, or knew someone who knew her.
Michael has asked that if anyone knew her or has any information to
contribute that they email him at
mgankerich@charter.net .
I encourage you all to help in any form or way you can!