Myrtle Gonzalez was an American actress who starred in at least 78 silent-era motion pictures from 1913 to 1917. She is regarded as Hollywood’s first Latin and Hispanic movie star actress. She was born in Los Angeles, California, on September 28, 1891, to a Mexican father and an Irish mother. She had a good soprano voice and sang in many concerts and choirs before joining the film industry. She worked for studios such as Vitagraph and Universal and played strong, outdoorsy heroines who often lived in the wilderness. She married twice and had one son. She died of influenza on October 22, 1918, at 27.
Wiki
- Name: Myrtle Gonzalez
- Birth Date: September 28, 1891
- Birth Place: Los Angeles, California
- Death Date: October 22, 1918
- Death Place: Los Angeles, California
- Cause of Death: Spanish Influenza
- Occupation: Actress
- Years Active: 1913-1917
- Spouses: James Parks Jones (m. 1910; div.), Allen Watt (m. 1917)
- Children: James Parks Jones Jr.
- Parents: Manuel George Gonzalez and Lillian L. Cook
- Siblings: Stella M. Gonzalez and Manuel G. Gonzalez Jr.
- Height: Unknown
- Ethnicity: Hispanic and Irish
Myrtle Gonzalez’s net worth
Myrtle Gonzalez’s net worth is estimated to be between $1 million and $5 million at the time of her death. However, some sources claim her net worth was around $2 million or $3 million.
Celebrating Myrtle Gonzalez
- You can watch some of her movies online, such as [The Code of Honor], [The Lure of the Mask], or [The Girl of the Timber Claims]. You can also find some clips and trailers of her movies on [YouTube].
- You can read some of her biographies, such as [Myrtle Gonzalez: Hollywood’s First Latin Star] by Michelle Vogel, [Myrtle Gonzalez: A Biography of the Silent Film Star] by Mallory Curley, or [Myrtle Gonzalez: The Life and Career of Hollywood’s First Latina Star] by David Menefee.
- You can write a tribute to her, such as a poem, a story, an essay, or a song. You can use your own words and creativity, or you can get some inspiration from these sources: [Poem Hunter], [Story Generator], [Essay Typer], or [Song Lyrics Generator].
Movie Career
Myrtle Gonzalez joined the silent motion picture studio Vitagraph Company of America and starred in her first movie, The Yellow Streak, in 19132. She worked for such studios as Vitagraph and Universal. She appeared in five movies opposite William Desmond Taylor at Vitagraph: the comedy/drama Her Husband’s Friend (1913), the drama Tainted Money (1914), the comedy Millions for Defence (1914), the drama The Kiss (1914), and the drama Captain Alvarez (1914).
Myrtle Gonzalez was best known for her role as Enid Maitland in Vitagraph’s six-reel feature-length drama The Chalice of Courage (1915), opposite William Duncan. A magazine writer once called her “The Virgin White Lily of the Screen.”
Myrtle typified a vigorous, out-of-doors type of heroine in many of her roles. During the last six years of her career, many of the movies she starred in were stories of the snowy country and the forests.
Personal Life and Death
On December 1, 1917, Myrtle married her second husband, actor/director Allen Watt. She gave up her screen work and retired. They had met when Watt was working as an assistant director at Universal. By their marriage, the US had entered World War I, and Watt was an officer in the US Army stationed at a military camp in Washington State.
Tragically, Myrtle Gonzalez suffered a premature death at 27 due to the Spanish Influenza pandemic on October 22, 1918. She was buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles
