| Marian Nixon | |
| Birthname: | Marja Nissinen |
| Birth Date: | 20 October 1904 |
| Birth Place: | Superior, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Othername: | Marian Nixon |
| Years Active: | 1922–1936 |
| Spouse: | |
| Children: | 5, including Barbara Lyon (stepdaughter) |
Marian Nixon (born Marja Nissinen;[1] October 20, 1904 – February 13, 1983) was an American film actress. Sometimes credited as Marion Nixon, she appeared in more than 70 films.
Born in Superior, Wisconsin, in 1904, to parents of Finnish descent,[2] Nixon began her career as a teen dancing in choruses in vaudeville.[3] She began appearing in bit part in films in 1922 and landed her first substantial role in the 1923 film Cupid's Fireman opposite Buck Jones. The following year, she was named a WAMPAS Baby Star.[4] Nixon continued to work steadily throughout the mid to late 1920s appearing in Riders of the Purple Sage (1925), Hands Up! (1926), and The Chinese Parrot (1927). In 1929, she made her talkie debut as the lead in Geraldine. Later that same year, Nixon appeared opposite Al Jolson in Say It with Songs followed by General Crack in 1930. In 1931, Nixon's Beauty Arts Institute moved into the Equitable Building of Hollywood; Nixon was president of the company.[5]
In 1932, she starred as Rebecca in the film adaption of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm with Ralph Bellamy.[6] Following the release of Rebecca, Nixon co-starred in Winner Take All with James Cagney. The next year she had a supporting role in John Ford's Pilgrimage. In 1934, Nixon attempted to change her wholesome image with a role in the comedy We’re Rich Again. The film was not a success and, after appearing in eight more films, Nixon retired from acting in 1936. She made her last film, Captain Calamity, at the age of 32.
Nixon was married four times. She married boxer Joseph Benjamin in 1925, but they divorced two years later. Then, on August 11, 1929, Nixon married Chicago department store heir Edward Hillman Jr. at his parents' home. That union ended in 1933. The following year, Nixon wed director William A. Seiter with whom she had worked on the film We're Rich Again. Their marriage lasted until Seiter's death in 1964 and produced three children: Christopher Seiter, Selena, and Jessica. Finally, on April 1, 1972, in Los Angeles, she married actor/producer Ben Lyon, although her obituary in the Chicago Tribune reports that she married Lyon in 1971.
Her grandsons are the screenwriters Ted Griffin and Nicholas Griffin, the sons of a daughter Nixon had with husband William Seiter.[7]
Nixon died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center[8] of complications following open heart surgery on February 13, 1983,[9] and is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California.[10]
For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Nixon has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1724 Vine Street in Los Angeles, California. It was dedicated on February 8, 1960.[11]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | Rosita | Undetermined Bit Role | Uncredited |
| The Shriek of Araby | Minor Role | Uncredited | |
| Big Dan | Dora Allen | ||
| Cupid's Fireman | Agnes Evans | Lost film | |
| 1924 | The Vagabond Trail | Lou Macon | Lost film |
| The Circus Cowboy | Bird Taylor | Lost film | |
| Just Off Broadway | Jean Lawrence | Lost film | |
| The Last of the Duanes | Ruth | ||
| 1925 | The Hurricane Kid | Joan Langdon | Credited as Marion Nixon |
| Durand of the Bad Lands | Molly Gore | Lost film | |
| Riders of the Purple Sage | Bess Erne | ||
| The Saddle Hawk | Rena Newhall | Lost film | |
| I'll Show You the Town | Hazel Deeming | ||
| Let 'er Buck | Jacqueline McCall | Credited as Marion Nixon; Lost film | |
| Where Was I? | Alicia Stone | ||
| The Sporting Life | Nora Cavanaugh | Lost film | |
| 1926 | Hands Up! | Mae | preserved by the U.S. Library of Congress |
| What Happened to Jones | Lucille Bigbee | ||
| Rolling Home | Phyllis | Lost film | |
| Devil's Island | Rose Marie | ||
| Spangles | Spangles Delancy | ||
| 1927 | Heroes of the Night | Mary Allen | |
| Down the Stretch | Katie Kelly | ||
| Out All Night | Molly O'Day | Lost film | |
| The Chinese Parrot | Sally Phillmore | Lost film | |
| Taxi! Taxi! | Rose Zimmerman | Lost film | |
| The Auctioneer | Ruth Levi | Lost film | |
| 1928 | The Fourflusher | June Allen | |
| Out of the Ruins | Yvonne Gilbert | Lost film | |
| How to Handle Women | Beatrice Fairbanks | Lost film | |
| Jazz Mad | Elsa Hausmann | ||
| Red Lips | Cynthia Day | Lost film | |
| 1929 | The Rainbow Man | Mary Lane | |
| In the Headlines | Anna Lou Anderson | Lost film | |
| Young Nowheres | Annie Jackson | Lost film | |
| Geraldine | Geraldine | ||
| Man, Woman and Wife | Bella Rogers / Helen Brandon | ||
| Silks and Saddles | Lucy Calhoun | ||
| The Red Sword | Vera | Lost film | |
| Say It with Songs | Katherine Lane | ||
| Show of Shows | Performer | ||
| General Crack | Archduchess Maria Luisa | Silent version extant, sound version lost | |
| 1930 | Scarlet Pages | Nora Mason | |
| Ex-Flame | Lady Catherine | Lost film | |
| The Pay-Off | Annabelle | ||
| The Lash | Dona Dolores Delfino | ||
| Courage | Muriel Colbrook | Lost film | |
| College Lovers | Madge Hutton | Lost film | |
| 1931 | Sweepstakes | Babe Ellis | |
| Women Go on Forever | Betty | Lost film | |
| A Private Scandal | Mary Gate | ||
| 1932 | Charlie Chan's Chance | Shirley Marlowe | |
| After Tomorrow | Sidney Taylor | ||
| Winner Take All | Peggy Harmon | ||
| Amateur Daddy | Sally Smith | ||
| Too Busy to Work | Rose | ||
| Madison Square Garden | Bee | ||
| Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm | Rebecca | ||
| 1933 | Best of Enemies | Lena Schneider | |
| Chance at Heaven | Glory Franklyn | Credited as Marion Nixon | |
| Face in the Sky | Madge | ||
| Doctor Bull | May Tupping | ||
| Pilgrimage | Mary Saunders | ||
| 1934 | Strictly Dynamite | Sylvia Montgomery | |
| We're Rich Again | Arabella Sykes | ||
| By Your Leave | Andree | ||
| Embarrassing Moments | Jane | ||
| Once to Every Bachelor | Natalie Stuart | ||
| The Line-Up | Peggy Arnold | ||
| 1935 | Sweepstake Annie | Annie Foster | Alternative title: Annie Doesn't Live Here Anymore |
| 1936 | Tango | Treasure McGuire | |
| The Drag-Net | Katherine 'Kit' van Buren | ||
| The Reckless Way | Helen Rogers | ||
| Captain Calamity | Madge Lewis |