From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia May McAvoy (September 8, 1899 – April 26, 1984) was an American actress who worked mainly during the silent film era. Some of her major roles are Laura Pennington in The Enchanted Cottage, Esther in Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, and Mary Dale in The Jazz Singer. McAvoy appeared in her first film, entitled Hate, in 1917. After appearing in more than three dozen films, she co-starred with Ramón Novarro and Francis X. Bushman in director Fred Niblo's 1925 production of Ben-Hur, released by MGM. The feature-length film was one of the most lavish and spectacular productions of the silent movie era. Although her voice was not heard in The Jazz Singer, McAvoy did speak in several other films, including the second "all-talkie" released by Warner Brothers, The Terror, which was directed by Roy Del Ruth and co-starred Conrad Nagel. For years a rumor circulated that McAvoy retired from the screen at the transition to sound films because of a lisp or speech impediment. In truth, she married the treasurer of United Artists, who asked her not to work. Later, she returned to films and played small roles during the 1940s and 1950s, making her final film appearance in a small part in the 1959 version of Ben-Hur.

Filmography

• 1959Ben-Hur — Woman in crowd (uncredited)
• 1957The Wings of Eagles — Nurse (uncredited)
• 1954Executive Suite — Grimm's Secretary (uncredited)
• 1952The Bad and the Beautiful — Pebbel's Secretary (uncredited)
• 1950Mystery Street — Nurse (uncredited)
• 1950The Yellow Cab Man — (uncredited)
• 1948Luxury Liner — Woman (uncredited)
• 1947The Romance of Rosy Ridge — Wife (uncredited)
• 1944Movie Pests — Woman Whose Vision Gets Blocked (uncredited)
• 1944Two Girls and a Sailor — Dowager (uncredited)
• 1942Born to Sing — (uncredited)
• 1942Mr. Blabbermouth!
• 1942Rio Rita — Hotel Guest (uncredited)
• 19411-2-3-Go! — Nurse
• 1941Love Crazy — Sanity Hearing Secretary (uncredited)
• 1941Main Street on the March! — Window Shopper (uncredited)
• 1941Ringside Maisie — 1st Nurse (uncredited)
• 1941Sucker List — Secretary (uncredited)
• 1941Whispers — Gossip (uncredited)
• 1940Dulcy — Miss Murphy - Van Dyke's Secretary (uncredited)
• 1940Hollywood: Style Center of the World — Saleslady
• 1940Phantom Raiders — Middle Telephone Operator
• 1940Third Finger, Left Hand — Telephone Operator (uncredited)
• 1940Two Girls on Broadway — Chatworth's Secretary (uncredited)
• 1929No Defense — Ruth Harper
• 1929Stolen Kisses — May Lambert
• 1928Caught in the Fog — The Girl
• 1928The Lion and the Mouse — Shirley Ross
• 1928The Little Snob — May Banks
• 1928The Terror — Olga Redmayne
• 1927A Reno Divorce — Carla
• 1927If I Were Single — May Howard
• 1927Irish Hearts — Sheila
• 1927Matinee Ladies — Sallie Smith
• 1927Slightly Used — Cynthia Martin
• 1927The Jazz Singer — Mary Dale
• 1926My Old Dutch — Sal Gratton
• 1926The Fire Brigade — Helen Corwin
• 1926The Passionate Quest
• 1926The Road to Glory — Judith Allen
• 1926The Savage — Ysabel Atwater
• 1925Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ — Esther
• 1925Lady Windermere's Fan — Lady Windermere
• 1925Tessie — Tessie
• 1925The Mad Whirl — Cathleen Gillis
• 1924Tarnish — Letitia Tevis
• 1924The Bedroom Window — Ruth Martin
• 1924The Enchanted Cottage — Laura Pennington
• 1924Three Women — Jeannie Wilton
• 1924West of the Water Tower — Bee Chew
• 1923Grumpy — Virginia Bullivant
• 1923Her Reputation — Jacqueline Lanier
• 1923Hollywood — May McAvoy
• 1923Only 38 — Lucy Stanley
• 1922A Homespun Vamp — Meg Mackenzie
• 1922Clarence — Cora Wheeler
• 1922Kick In — Myrtle
• 1922The Top of New York — Hilda O'Shaunnessey
• 1922Through a Glass Window — Jenny Martin
• 1921A Private Scandal — Jeanne Millett
• 1921A Virginia Courtship — Prudence Fairfax
• 1921Morals — Carlotta Carlotta
• 1921Sentimental Tommy — Grizel
• 1920My Husband's Other Wife — Nettie Bryson
• 1920The Devil's Garden — Norah
• 1920The Forbidden Valley — Morning Glory
• 1920The House of the Tolling Bell — Lucy Atheron
• 1920The Sporting Duchess — Mary Aylmer
• 1920The Truth About Husbands — Leslie Brownell
• 1919Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch — Australy Wiggs
• 1919The Way of a Woman — Grace Lee
• 1919The Woman Under Oath — Edith Norton
• 1918A Perfect Lady — Claire Higgins
• 1918I'll Say So
• 1918To Hell with the Kaiser! — Wounded Girl

Appearances as themselves (2)

• 2000Gareth Hughes — Self (archive footage)
• 1922A Trip to Paramountown — Self