Janet Gaynor

Janet Gaynor was an American film, stage and television actress who won the first ever Academy Award for Best Actress. Beginning her career as an extra in shorts and silent films, she soon rose to fame to become one of the most popular female stars of her era. Unlike many of her contemporaries who were unable to make a successful transition to talkies with the advent of sound in films, Janet Gaynor effortlessly transitioned to talkies and enjoyed great success. The daughter of a theatrical painter, she was taught to sing and dance when she was just a toddler. Blessed with an inherent love for acting, she started performing in school plays as a child. As a teenager she became serious about an acting career and made her first film appearance in the bathing-beauty two-reeler ‘All Wet.’ Soon she started appearing as extras in films and caught Hollywood’s fancy with her innocent looks and wide eyes. Once she started getting lead roles in feature films, there was no looking back. The audience loved her child-like appeal which led her to be typecast as a sweet child-woman. When the silent films gave way to talkies, she easily made the transition and continued to be one of the most sought-after female stars of her era. Post her retirement from the silver screen, she became an accomplished oil painter.