Edna May Oliver Biography

Fast Facts

• Was a direct descendant of the sixth President of the United States, John Quincy Adams
• Began acting professionally after quitting school at the age of 14, getting her first successful role as Aunt Penelope in the Broadway musical "Oh, Boy!" in 1917
• Made her screen acting debut in the film "Wife in Name Only" in 1923
• Worked as a dressmaker and milliner to support herself before finding steady work in Hollywood
• Worked with actor James Gleason in the early 1930s on a series of comedic detective films: "The Penguin Pool Murder," "Murder on the Blackboard," and "Murder on a Honeymoon․"
• Best known as a character actress who played witty spinsters in films like "Little Women," "David Copperfield," and "Drums Along the Mohawk․"
• Her most notable stage performance was in a 1927 original stage production of "Show Boat," in which she played Parthy, and later took on the role again in the 1932 Broadway revival