Marie Dressler

Marie Dressler
Dressler in 1930
Born	Leila Marie Koerber (1868-11-09)November 9, 1868 Cobourg, Ontario, Canada
Died	July 28, 1934(1934-07-28) (aged 65) Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Citizenship	Canada United States[1]
Occupations	Actress comedian
Years active	1886–1934
Spouses	George Hoeppert ​ ​ (m. 1894; div. 1906)​ James Henry Dalton ​ ​ (m. 1907; died 1921)​ [2]
Children	1 (adopted)

Leila Marie Koerber (November 9, 1868 – July 28, 1934), known by her stage name Marie Dressler, was a Canadian stage and screen actress, comedian, and early silent film and Depression-era film star.^[3][4]

After leaving home at the age of 14, Dressler built a career on stage in traveling theatre troupes, where she learned to appreciate her talent in making people laugh. In 1892, she started a career on Broadway that lasted into the 1920s, performing comedic roles that allowed her to improvise to get laughs. She soon transitioned into screen acting and made several shorts, but mostly worked in New York City on stage. During World War I, along with other celebrities, she helped sell Liberty bonds.

In 1914, she played the title role in the first full-length screen comedy, Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914), opposite Charlie Chaplin and Mabel Normand. In 1919, she helped organize the first union for stage chorus players. Her career declined in the 1920s, and Dressler was reduced to living on her savings while sharing an apartment with a friend.

In 1927, she returned to films at the age of 59 and experienced a remarkable string of successes. For her performance in the comedy film Min and Bill (1930), Dressler won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She died of cancer in 1934.