Janet Gaynor became the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1929, securing the honor for her combined performances in three separate films: 7th Heaven, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, and Street Angel. This remains the only instance in which an actor won the award for multiple roles in a single year.
Early Career and Rapid Rise
Born Laura Augusta Gainor in Philadelphia in 1906, she moved to San Francisco after her parents' 1914 divorce. Following her graduation from San Francisco Polytechnic High School in 1923, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting, initially balancing work in a shoe store and as a theatre usher. She entered the industry as an extra in 1924, eventually securing a contract with Fox Film Corporation. Her performance in The Johnstown Flood led to widespread recognition and her selection as a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1926.
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Gaynor successfully navigated the transition from silent pictures to sound films, maintaining her status as one of Hollywood's primary box-office draws. Throughout the early 1930s, she frequently collaborated with actor Charles Farrell, and their popularity resulted in successful musical projects such as Sunny Side Up. By 1934, she held the top position in box-office rankings alone, often drawing comparisons to Mary Pickford as she starred in features like State Fair and The Farmer Takes a Wife.
Transition and Final Years
After leaving 20th Century-Fox, Gaynor appeared in A Star Is Born in 1937, earning a second Academy Award nomination. She retired from acting in 1939 to marry costume designer Adrian, with whom she had a son. She returned to film and television roles during the 1950s and later pursued oil painting. In 1980, she made her Broadway debut in the stage adaptation of Harold and Maude. She died in 1984 in Palm Springs from complications following a 1982 automobile accident and is buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 1906, Philadelphia
- Died: 1984, Palm Springs
- Primary Occupation: Actor
- First Academy Award for Best Actress: 1929
- Education: San Francisco Polytechnic High School
- Burial Site: Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Questions readers ask
Why was her 1929 Academy Award win unique?
She was the only actor to receive the award based on her cumulative work in three different films released during the same eligibility period.
Did she continue acting after her major film success?
Yes, after a retirement starting in 1939, she took on film and television roles in the 1950s and performed in theatre productions in 1980.
Achievements
- Academy Award for Best Actress — 1929
- Worked as stage actor, film actor and television actor
