Miriam Hopkins | |
|---|---|
 Hopkins in the 1930s | |
| Born | Ellen Miriam Hopkins (1902-10-18)October 18, 1902 Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | October 9, 1972(1972-10-09) (aged 69) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1921–1970 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 1 |
Ellen Miriam Hopkins (October 18, 1902 – October 9, 1972) was an American actress known for her versatility.[1] She signed withParamount Pictures in 1930.
She portrayed a pickpocket inErnst Lubitsch's romantic comedyTrouble in Paradise, a bar singer named Ivy inRouben Mamoulian'sDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the titular character in the controversial dramaThe Story of Temple Drake. She received a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Actress for the 1935 filmBecky Sharp, becoming the first performer nominated for a color picture. She was nominated for aGolden Globe forThe Heiress. She co-starred withJoel McCrea in five films.
Her long-running feud with actressBette Davis was publicized for effect. Hopkins later became a pioneer of TV drama. She was considered a distinguished hostess in Hollywood and moved in intellectual and creative circles.
Hopkins was born inSavannah, Georgia, to Homer Hopkins and Ellen Cutler.[2] Her early childhood home was located at 321 Whitaker St (since demolished).[3] She was raised inBainbridge, near the Alabama border. She had an older sister, Ruby (1900–1990).[4] Her maternal great-grandfather, the fourth mayor of Bainbridge, had helped establish St. John's Episcopal Church in the city.[5] Hopkins sang in the choir as a girl.[6]
In 1909, she briefly lived in Mexico with her family. After her parents separated, Hopkins moved as a teen with her mother toSyracuse, New York, to be near her paternal uncle, Thomas Cramer Hopkins, head of the geology department atSyracuse University.[7]
Hopkins attended Goddard Seminary inPlainfield, Vermont (later renamedGoddard College), and Syracuse University in New York State.[7]
At age 20, Hopkins became achorus girl in New York City; she also acted regularly on the stage throughout the 1920s, including in the 1926 stage adaptation ofTheodore Dreiser'sAn American Tragedy. In 1930, she starred onBroadway in the playRitzy bySidney Toler. She starred on Broadway in the lead ofJezebel, a 1933 play byOwen Davis. When it was adapted as a1938 film of the same name, Hopkins was bitterly disappointed thatBette Davis was chosen for the role she had played on stage. This began a feud between them, which the motion picture studios publicized.[8][9]
In 1930, Hopkins signed withParamount Pictures and made her official film debut inFast and Loose. Her first great success was in the 1931 horror drama filmDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, where she portrayed Ivy Pearson, a prostitute who becomes entangled with Jekyll and Hyde. She received rave reviews, including one fromMordaunt Hall of theNew York Times, saying she portrayed Ivy "splendidly".[10]
Her career ascended swiftly. In 1932, she made her breakthrough inErnst Lubitsch'sTrouble in Paradise, where she proved her charm and wit as a beautiful and jealous pickpocket.[11] During the pre-code Hollywood of the early 1930s, she appeared inThe Smiling Lieutenant,The Story of Temple Drake, andDesign for Living, all of which were box-office successes and critically acclaimed.[12]Design for Living ranked as one of the top ten highest-grossing films of 1933.
Hopkins' early films were considered sexually risqué; produced in the years before theMotion Picture Production Code was rigorously enforced, they featured issues that would be prohibited after 1934. For instance,The Story of Temple Drake depicted a rape scene, andDesign for Living featured a ménage à trois withFredric March andGary Cooper. Her successes continued during the remainder of the decade with the romantic comedyThe Richest Girl in the World (1934); the historical dramaBecky Sharp (1935), for which she was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actress;Barbary Coast (1935);These Three (1936) (the first of four films with the directorWilliam Wyler); andThe Old Maid (1939).
Hopkins was one of the early actresses approached to play the role of Ellie Andrews inIt Happened One Night (1934). She rejected the part, andClaudette Colbert was cast.[13] Hopkins auditioned for the role ofScarlett O'Hara inGone with the Wind; she was the only candidate to be a native Georgian, but the part went to British actressVivien Leigh.
Hopkins had well-publicized fights with Bette Davis. Hopkins and Davis co-starred inThe Old Maid (1939) andOld Acquaintance (1943). In this period, she believed that Davis was having an affair with her husbandAnatole Litvak.[14] Davis resented her jealousy and said that she had enjoyed shaking Hopkins in a scene inOld Acquaintance after Hopkins's character makes unfounded allegations against Davis's. Press photos featured the two divas in a boxing ring, gloves up, with the directorVincent Sherman between them like a referee. In later interviews, Davis described Hopkins as a "terribly good actress", but also "terribly jealous".[citation needed]
AfterOld Acquaintance, Hopkins did not work in films again untilThe Heiress (1949), where she played the lead character's aunt. InMitchell Leisen's 1951 comedyThe Mating Season, she gave a comic performance as the mother ofGene Tierney's character. She also acted inThe Children's Hour (1961), a remake of her filmThese Three (1936). In the remake, she played the aunt toShirley MacLaine, who took Hopkins' original role.[15] Her last film roles includedRobert Redford's mother inThe Chase (1966) and as an ageing former Hollywood star in the horror filmSavage Intruder (1970).
Hopkins was a television pioneer. She performed in teleplays from the late 1940s through the late 1960s, in such programs asThe Chevrolet Tele-Theatre (1949),Pulitzer Prize Playhouse (1951),Lux Video Theatre (1951–1955), and in episodes ofThe Investigators (1961),The Outer Limits (1964), andThe Flying Nun in 1969.
She has two stars on theHollywood Walk of Fame: one for film at 1709 Vine Street and one for television at 1716 Vine Street.[16]
Hopkins married four times. Her first marriage was to actor Brandon Peters, second to aviator and screenwriter Austin Parker, third to the directorAnatole Litvak, and fourth to war correspondent Raymond B. Brock.[17] In 1932, she adopted a son, Michael T. Hopkins (March 29, 1932 – October 5, 2010), who had a career in the U.S. Air Force.[18]
She was known for hosting elegant parties.John O'Hara, a frequent guest, noted that
most of her guests were chosen from the world of the intellect ... Miriam knew them all, had read their work, had listened to their music, had bought their paintings. They were not there because a secretary had given her a list of highbrows.[19]
She was a staunchDemocrat who strongly supported the presidency ofFranklin D. Roosevelt.[11]
Hopkins died in New York City from aheart attack on October 9, 1972. She is buried in Oak City Cemetery in Bainbridge, Georgia.[20]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | The Home Girl | short Paramount film | |
| 1930 | Fast and Loose | Marion Lenox | Hopkins's feature film debut |
| 1931 | The Smiling Lieutenant | Princess Anna | The first of three films Hopkins made with Lubitsch |
| 24 Hours | Rosie Duggan | ||
| Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | Ivy Pearson | ||
| 1932 | Two Kinds of Women | Emma Krull | |
| Dancers in the Dark | Gloria Bishop | ||
| The World and the Flesh | Maria Yaskaya | ||
| Trouble in Paradise | Lily | Second film directed by Lubitsch and starring Hopkins | |
| 1933 | The Story of Temple Drake | Temple Drake | Based on Faulkner's scandalous novelSanctuary |
| The Stranger's Return | Louise Starr | ||
| Design for Living | Gilda Farrell | Third and final film Hopkins and Lubitsch made together | |
| 1934 | All of Me | Lydia Darrow | |
| She Loves Me Not | Curly Flagg | ||
| The Richest Girl in the World | Dorothy Hunter | First of five films Hopkins andJoel McCrea made together | |
| 1935 | Becky Sharp | Becky Sharp | Nominated –Academy Award for Best Actress The first feature film made in three-strip Technicolor |
| Barbary Coast | Mary 'Swan' Rutledge | Second film starring Hopkins and McCrea | |
| Splendor | Phyllis Manning Lorrimore | Third film starring Hopkins and McCrea | |
| 1936 | These Three | Martha Dobie | The film was adapted from the 1934 playThe Children's Hour by Lillian Hellman. Fourth film starring Hopkins and McCrea |
| Men Are Not Gods | Ann Williams | ||
| 1937 | The Woman I Love | Madame Helene Maury | Hopkins married director Anatole Litvak shortly after this film was made. |
| Woman Chases Man | Virginia Travis | Final film Hopkins andJoel McCrea made together | |
| Wise Girl | Susan 'Susie' Fletcher | ||
| 1939 | The Old Maid | Delia Lovell Ralston | The first of two films Hopkins made with Bette Davis |
| 1940 | Virginia City | Julia Hayne | Hopkins co-starred withErrol Flynn |
| Lady with Red Hair | Mrs. Leslie Carter | ||
| 1942 | A Gentleman After Dark | Flo Melton | |
| 1943 | Old Acquaintance | Millie Drake | Second of two films Hopkins made withBette Davis. |
| 1949 | The Heiress | Lavinia Penniman | Nominated –Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture |
| 1951 | The Mating Season | Fran Carleton | |
| 1952 | The Outcasts of Poker Flat | Mrs. Shipton / 'The Duchess' | |
| Carrie | Julie Hurstwood | ||
| 1961 | The Children's Hour | Lily Mortar | Hopkins had starred in the original film adaptation of the playThe Children's Hour titledThese Three in the role of Martha Dobie. In this film, Shirley MacLaine played Martha, and Miriam Hopkins played her Aunt Lily. |
| 1964 | Fanny Hill | Mrs. Maude Brown | |
| 1966 | The Chase | Mrs. Reeves | Hopkins played the mother of Robert Redford's character |
| 1970 | Savage Intruder | Katharine Parker |
The film and stage actress Miriam Hopkins married Raymond Brock, war correspondent, in the Methodist Church at Alexandria (Virginia). It was her third marriage and Brock's second.
