Agnes Ayres

Little remembered silent film star Agnes Ayres in a whimsical sitting by photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston (circa 1920). Ayres was born on April 4, 1898 in Carbondale, Illinois. She 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 Manhattan 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 drama “Held by the Enemy” (1920), and he lobbied for parts for her in several productions by Cecil B. DeMille. During this period Ayres began a romance with Lasky. In 1921 she shot to stardom when she was cast as Lady Diana Mayo, an English heiress, with "Latin lover" Rudolph Valentino in “The Sheik”. Ayres later reprised her role as Lady Diana in the sequel “The Son of the Sheik” (1926). Following the release of “The Sheik”, she had major roles in many other films, including “The Affairs of Anatol” (1921), “Forbidden Fruit” (1921), and Cecil B. DeMille's “The Ten Commandments” (1923). By 1923, her 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, then divorced in 1927. Sadly, Ayres lost her fortune and real estate holdings in the Wall Street Crash of 1929. That same year, she also appeared in her last major role in “The Donovan Affair” (1929). 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, Ayres appeared in mostly uncredited parts and finally retired from acting in 1937. After her retirement, she became despondent and was eventually committed to a sanatorium. In 1939, she also lost custody of her daughter to ex-husband Manuel Reachi. Ayres passed away from a cerebral haemorrhage on Christmas day 1940, at the young age of 48.

(www.hollywoodpinups.com)