Olive Borden

The all too brief career of film star Olive Borden (1906-1947) is chronicled in this definitive biography. Apprenticing in short slapstick silent comedies, the vivacious Virginia-born actress rose to stardom after signing with Fox in 1925, enlivening such films as John Ford’s 3 Bad Men (1926). Borden’s career declined after she severed her ties with Fox, and by the early 1930s she was finished in Hollywood. Alcoholism and a devastating series of personal setbacks hastened her death at age forty-one.

Olive Borden’s controversial contract debacle with Fox and her long-term relationship with actor George O’Brien are thoroughly detailed. Personal anecdotes and insights are offered by Ralph Graves, Jr., who befriended Borden in the late 1920s. Dozens of heretofore unattributed screen appearances by the actress are included in the filmography.