Myrtle Gonzalez; An unforgettable young actress of Los Angeles

People who work ambitiously and make their names in their fields are always kept in memories. No matter how much time has elapsed, their names and roles are recalled and they serve as a role model for coming generations. In the given article we are going to throw light on such a personality which is a sort of inspiration for all the coming actors in the field of filmography and acting.

Myrtle Gonzalez

Myrtle Gonzalez is not a new name nor she is a recent actress but the work she has done is still enlightening our minds and never let us forget her. Myrtle Gonzalez is an American actress. She was in action about a century ago but still, she is fresh in our memories just because of her marvelous acting and outstanding performances which she did during the short age of just 28 years.

Life of Myrtle Gonzalez

Myrtle Gonzalez was born in 1891 on 28 September.

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA.

During her life, she performed as a singer and an actress. She has worked in 80 films. She was gifted with an amazing dramatic talent and a soprano voice. Much of the work of the beautiful actress has been lost, but the Library of Congress has the honor of preserving some of her films.

Myrtle Gonzalez is best Known for;

Although Myrtle Gonzalez worked in more than 80 films the work that made her most popular is

• The Level (1914),
• The Little Sheriff (1914)
• The Chalice of Courage (1915)

Family

Myrtle Gonzalez was born to a noble family of Manuel George Gonzalez (belonging to a Spanish family) and Lillian L. Cook (from an Irish family). She had only one sister and one brother. sister named Stella M. Gonzalez and brother Manuel G. Gonzalez, Jr.

Myrtle Gonzalez had two marriages first with J. Parks Jones. Her second marriage was with

Allen Watt on December 1, 1917.

She had only one son named James Parks Jones, Jr. from her first husband.

Myrtle Gonzalez’s parents’ home address: Los Angeles, at 908 West Thirtieth Street.

Career

Myrtle Gonzalez was full of talent and hard work. She started her professional career by linking with pioneering film studios ‘the Selig Polyscope Company’ and silent motion picture studio ‘Vitagraph Studios’. She was interested in singing and acting from very start of her life. She began with singing soprano initially and performed in many local plays and concerts. She is also known for singing in church choirs in Los Angeles. She was very ambitious and she acted and performed in theaters throughout the city. She have a record of doing 80 films in just five years.

Fully blown in her profession she made her film debut in The Yellow Streak from Vitagraph Studios in 1913. The role that turned her career was in her film shoted in 1910 named “In Old California”. This movie turned her professional career and became one of the earliest Western movies ever made. The movie also won the title of being the first movie of any kind shot in Hollywood, California. Despite the limited resources and facilities available that time for filmmaking, Gonzales mesmerized audiences with both comedy, emotions and drama.

List of films done by Myrtle Gonzalez
The Show Down	–	1917
Mutiny	–	1917
The Greater Law	–	1917
The Secret of the Swamp	–	1916
The Girl of Lost Lake	–	1916
The Chalice of Courage	–	1915

Death:

Gonzalez died at a very early age of just 27 years in 1918.  Spanish flu pandemic served very unlucky for her and deprived the nation from such a talented actress. However, according to some researches it has also been declared that she might die of heart failure, attributed to a “severe fall suffered three years [earlier] while doing stunt riding in a photoplay.”