In the history of more than a hundred years of cinema, countless actors are like a galaxy.
A few have left a glittering star, and most of them have disappeared into the Tianhe, even if only a classic image is left, it is already a powerful faction or a lucky one.
The actress I want to introduce today is such an actress who was once amazing, but now little known.
Billie Burke
The only image she can recall is Glinda, the "good witch" in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
She was 55 years old when she starred in the film, ahead of her flourishing age.
However, from her delicate face, her delicate figure, and her agile eyes, we can still see her former beauty.
Billie Burke , who plays the fairy in The Wizard of Oz ( right )
The actress, billie Burke, was a talented woman and the "most expensive" actress in Hollywood.
Glinda in The Wizard of Oz is a charming fairy. And Billie Burke herself was once a fairy-like beauty.
Billie was born to be on the path of acting.
She was born in Washington, D.C., in 1884 to the son of a well-known clown actress.
At the age of 8, she moved with her family to england and France, spending most of her time outside of school traveling with her family in Europe.
During her days in London, Billie became fascinated by theatre. She often lingers in historic theatres and is fascinated by the variety of performances on stage.
Becoming a stage actor became her dream.
Billie is born beautiful, the girl's skin is better than snow, lips like Vermilion Cherry, a pair of large eyes in the gentleness of a little spirituality, full of red hair with a little playfulness, as if it is a little fairy who fell into the world, let people see the love of the moment.
Due to her father's influence and natural understanding, Billie soon learned to act, and began performing on the theatrical stage in London at the age of 19, soon becoming famous for her beauty and acting skills.
After her father's death in 1907, she returned to the United States with her mother.
Broadway, with a keen sense of smell, immediately extended an olive branch to her. She co-starred with John Drucker in the stage play My Wife, which became famous on Broadway.
At that time, the film industry was also booming, and with Billie's beauty and talent, it was only a matter of time before she became famous in Hollywood.
And the good marriage that coincided with the right time made this step come early.
In 1913, because of her work, she met the "king of song and dance" Siegfried.
"King of Song and Dance" Florence Siegfried
Originally a juggler, Siegfried later aimed at the market of song and dance performances with extraordinary brains and foresight, and founded the Siegfesty Song and Dance Troupe, becoming a young and promising "king of song and dance".
This marriage, which attracted the attention of the showbiz, accelerated the soaring of Billie's career.
In 1916, she made her debut on the big screen, playing the female number one in Peggy.
She was paid $40,000 for just eight weeks of filming— the highest salary for a film at the time.
However, Billie proved with her own strength that she was fully worth such a high salary. The film was a huge success, and Billie became a hit in the film industry.
She became a hot star, and since then she has starred in more than a dozen silent movies in a row, becoming a veritable "queen of the screen".
Some critics, satirizing Billie for borrowing her husband's light.
Billie didn't care about these things, she was bent on career and didn't bother to refute it.
She still loves stage plays, and those on-screen highlights are experienced again and again on the stage where NG cannot be NG.
In between filming, she was happy to perform plays, which were her "first love".
Other boring gossip media began to turn the focus to her marriage, and many Ziggy Fei's scandals broke out.
And Billie's attitude towards this has to be admired.
She loves her husband deeply and is a person who understands him, so in the face of these voices, she always chooses to trust and do her best to maintain his image.
Billie Burke and Siegfried
She criticized the tabloids for their evaluation of her husband as "vulgar and very inaccurate."
She repeatedly clarified that her husband would not be abusive, saying: "Siegfried has never been that kind of person!" ”
But she still affirms her husband's charm: "He just uses a look, or an unintentional expression, or invites the other person to a dance, and he can make people feel excited." And she thinks it's all about her husband's damn charm and has nothing to do with personal conduct.
At that time, a famous dancer had "revealed" in the media that Ziggy Fei had smashed his door three times in the middle of the night.
In this matter, Billie still chose to believe her husband, and she angrily told the media: "This is nonsense! ”
After the birth of her daughter Patricia, Billie and Siegfried's life became more fulfilling and sweet.
Billie entered a "semi-retired state" and began to focus on the family, raising a lovely daughter and silently supporting her husband's career.
However, in 1929, Siegfried's career fell into a trough, his stock investment was hugely lost in the financial crisis, and the couple's property was quickly exhausted.
In order to reinvigorate her husband, Billie sold expensive jewelry and finally had to re-emerge and return to the big screen.
At this time, she was half old and it was difficult to receive important roles, but she did not hesitate to face the challenge and adapted to various types of roles.
At that time, sound films had risen, and Billie, who had profound stage skills, had more room to show her talents in comedy, and became a popular actor again.
Unfortunately, Siegfried was unable to survive the harsh winter and died in overwork.
Ziggy's departure not only broke Billie's heart, but also left a huge debt.
Billie had no choice but to devote herself to her work. In the days that followed, she starred in dozens of films as a supporting role, all of which were frivolous and shallow, nagging characters, and the film remuneration naturally could not be compared with that of her youth.
But no matter what role she plays, Billie will try her best to be the best and most professional.
Because of her perseverance and professionalism, she also received her first Oscar nomination for her role in 1938's "Happy Heavens".
In 1939, she was invited to star in The Wizard of Oz as the "Good Witch" Glinda.
Although she is 55 years old, her gentle and beautiful face and superb acting skills have brought to life an elegant and lively fairy, making people remember the name Billie Burke again, which has become one of the most enduring classic characters on the screen.
Billie Burke in The Wizard of Oz
Billie was tireless for the rest of her life. She did not remarry, but devoted her energy to the acting career she loved.
In 1960, she starred in the last film of her life, Sergeant Ratrich, at the age of 76.
She has since lived in her home in Los Angeles and died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 85. This fairy who had fallen into the mortal world had finally returned to the heavens after a long absence...
(If you want to know more interesting souls and learn more interesting good books, welcome to pay attention to the headline number "Half a cup of coffee to read a good book")