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Agnes Ayres

Agnes Ayres

From Wikipedia Agnes Ayres (April 4, 1892 – December 25, 1940) was an American actress who rose to fame during the silent film era. She was known for her role as Lady Diana Mayo in The Sheik and The Son of the Sheik opposite Rudolph Valentino. She was born Agnes Eyre Henkel in Carbondale, Illinois to Solon and Emma Slack Henkel on April 4, 1898. She had an older brother named Solon William Henkel born in 1888. Ayres began her career in 1914 when she was noticed by an Essanay Studios staff director and cast as an extra in a crowd scene. After moving to New York City with her mother to pursue a career in acting, Ayres was spotted by actress Alice Joyce. Joyce noticed the physical resemblance the two shared, which eventually led to Ayres being cast in Richard the Brazen (1917) as Joyce's character's sister. Ayres' career began to gain momentum when Paramount Pictures founder Jesse Lasky began to take an interest in her. Lasky gave her a starring role in the Civil War drama Held by the Enemy (1920), and also lobbied for parts for her in several Cecil B. DeMille productions. It was during this time that Ayres married, and quickly divorced, Captain Frank P. Schuker, an army officer whom she had wed during World War I. She also began a romance with Lasky. In 1921, Ayres shot to stardom when she was cast as Lady Diana Mayo, an English heiress opposite "Latin lover" Rudolph Valentino in The Sheik. Ayres later reprised her role as Lady Diana in the 1926 sequel Son of the Sheik. Following the release of The Sheik, she went on to have major roles in many other films including The Affairs of Anatol (1921) starring Wallace Reid, Forbidden Fruit (1921), and Cecil B. DeMille's epic The Ten Commandments (1923). By 1923, Ayres' career began to wane following the end of her relationship with Jesse Lasky. She married Mexican diplomat S. Manuel Reachi in 1924. The couple had a daughter before divorcing in 1927. In 1929, Ayres lost her fortune and real estate holdings in the Crash of '29. That same year, she also appeared in her last major role in The Donovan Affair, starring Jack Holt. To earn money, she left acting and played the vaudeville circuit. She returned to acting in 1936, confident that she could make a comeback. Unable to secure starring roles and somewhat overweight, Ayres appeared in mostly uncredited bit parts, and finally retired from acting for good in 1937. After her retirement, Ayres became despondent and was eventually committed to a sanatorium. She also lost custody of her daughter to Reachi, in 1939. She died from a cerebral hemorrhage on December 25, 1940 at her home at the age of 42. She is interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. For her contribution to motion pictures, Agnes Ayres has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6504 Hollywood Boulevard.

Personal information

Birthday

1892-04-04

Birth Place

Carbondale, Illinois, USA

Movies and TV shows :

A Daughter of Luxury

A Daughter of Luxury

1922

0.0

Movie
A Little Ouija Work

A Little Ouija Work

1918

0.0

Movie
Bought and Paid For

Bought and Paid For

1922

0.0

Movie
Cappy Ricks

Cappy Ricks

1921

0.0

Movie
Clarence

Clarence

1922

0.0

Movie
Detained

Detained

1924

5.5

Movie
Don't Call It Love

Don't Call It Love

1924

0.0

Movie
Eve's Love Letters

Eve's Love Letters

1927

6.3

Movie
Forbidden Fruit

Forbidden Fruit

1921

6.1

Movie
Go and Get It

Go and Get It

1920

6.0

Movie
Held by the Enemy

Held by the Enemy

1920

0.0

Movie
Her Market Value

Her Market Value

1925

0.0

Movie
Hollywood

Hollywood

1923

7.0

Movie
Life in Hollywood No. 7

Life in Hollywood No. 7

1927

0.0

Movie
Maid of Salem

Maid of Salem

1937

5.9

Movie
Mammon and the Archer

Mammon and the Archer

1918

0.0

Movie
Midnight Taxi

Midnight Taxi

1937

5.0

Movie
Morals for Men

Morals for Men

1925

0.0

Movie
Motherhood

Motherhood

1917

0.0

Movie
Mrs. Balfame

Mrs. Balfame

1917

0.0

Movie
Racing Hearts

Racing Hearts

1923

0.0

Movie
Sacred Silence

Sacred Silence

1919

1.0

Movie
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)

Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)

1942

0.0

Movie
Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 12

Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 12

1922

0.0

Movie
Small Town Girl

Small Town Girl

1936

6.2

Movie
The Affairs of Anatol

The Affairs of Anatol

1921

5.6

Movie
The Awful Truth

The Awful Truth

1925

5.0

Movie
The Debt

The Debt

1917

0.0

Movie
The Donovan Affair

The Donovan Affair

1929

6.0

Movie
The Furnace

The Furnace

1920

0.0

Movie
The Guilty One

The Guilty One

1924

0.0

Movie
The Heart Raider

The Heart Raider

1923

0.0

Movie
The Inner Voice

The Inner Voice

1920

0.0

Movie
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino

The Legend of Rudolph Valentino

1961

0.0

Movie
The Love Special

The Love Special

1921

0.0

Movie
The Marriage Maker

The Marriage Maker

1923

0.0

Movie
The Ordeal

The Ordeal

1922

0.0

Movie
The Sheik

The Sheik

1921

5.9

Movie
The Son of the Sheik

The Son of the Sheik

1926

6.2

Movie
The Story Without a Name

The Story Without a Name

1924

0.0

Movie
The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments

1923

6.6

Movie
The Venturers

The Venturers

1917

0.0

Movie
Too Much Speed

Too Much Speed

1921

0.0

Movie