Louise Brooks (placeholder)

Born Mary Louise Brooks, in the Midwestern town of Cherryvale, Kansas, on November 14, 1906.

Started as a dancer before starring in silent films in the 1920s until she ended her career in film in 1938 at which point she had made 25 movies

Some Trivia Spots from IMDB:

After retiring from cinema in 1938, she was found working as a $40-a-week salesgirl at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Interred at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Rochester, New York, USA.

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#44). [1995]

Trying to make a Hollywood comeback after working in Europe, she turned down an offer to star with James Cagney in the classic The Public Enemy (1931). The role could have revitalized her career.

As a child, one of her best friends was Vivian Vance who played Ethel Mertz on “I Love Lucy” (1951) (TV).

Briefly the mistress of CBS founder William Paley, who secretly provided her with a yearly pension for the rest of her life.

In Neil Gaiman’s novel, American Gods, the character Czernobog called her the “greatest American actress of all time.”