Photo: Whitey Schafer / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Gloria Swanson was born on March 27, 1899 in Chicago, Illinois, United States and was credited as a film producer, autobiographer and stage actor. Gloria Swanson died on April 4, 1983, aged 84. Schooling on record includes Lake View High School. Awards on record include star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama (1951) and The George Pal Memorial Award.
My Take
For me, Gloria Swanson is forever Norma Desmond, delivering that immortal line about the pictures getting small. There is something staggering about a genuine silent-era queen playing a faded silent-era queen, weaponizing her own history into one of cinema's greatest performances. She headlined dozens of films in the 1920s, then turned her perceived obsolescence into immortality with Sunset Boulevard. The Golden Globe and Walk of Fame star feel almost incidental beside that act of fearless self-reinvention. I admire the sheer nerve of it, an artist confronting the cruelty of fame head-on and emerging timeless. Few stars have ever owned their myth so completely.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Gloria Swanson
- Name (Japanese)
- グロリア・スワンソン
- Reading
- ぐろりあ・すわんそん
- Born
- March 27, 1899 – April 4, 1983
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Boar
- Origin
- Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Occupation
- actor / film producer / autobiographer / stage actor / television actor
2. Background
- High school
- Lake View High School
Awards & achievements
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
- 1951 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
- The George Pal Memorial Award
3. Links
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Gloria Swanson born?
Born March 27, 1899.
When did Gloria Swanson die?
Died April 4, 1983, aged 84.
Where was Gloria Swanson from?
Gloria Swanson was from Chicago, Illinois, United States.
What did Gloria Swanson do?
Gloria Swanson worked as actor, film producer, autobiographer, stage actor, television actor.
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