In 1932 she was considered one of Universal's most promising young stars. In 1946 she retired after a career which, while impressive, had earned her few headlines. In the late Seventies, after the death of her screenwriter husband, she returned to the screen; and in 1997 she received an Oscar nomination for her role as the elderly heroine in Titanic. Now, after a distinguished 100 years, Gloria Stuart has died.
A dazzling blonde in her twenties, Stuart first made her name as a horror icon, appearing in much-loved early work like The Old Dark House and The Invisible Man. A close friend of director James Whale, she also starred in dark mysteries like 1933's The Kiss Before The Mirror, which would lead to a lifelong interest in crime film and television. She also took a strong interest in politics and was a founder member of the Screen Actors' Guild, seeking to improve actors' rights, as well as the Hollywood Anti-Nazi League. She was an associate of Dorothy Parker's Vicious Circle and very much a part of the intellectual community in Los Angeles, belying her purely decorative Hollywood image.
Sadly, in the 1940s there were only so many roles available for women. When Stuart grew tired of playing plucky young reporters and damsels in distress, she turned her back on the industry to concentrate instead on her love of fine art, which she turned into a business. It would be 30 years before she returned to the screen.
Returning in the Seventies, Stuart found herself up against a different set of barriers. She was now at an age where there were few roles available for women at all. But she still had talent, and gradually she proved it, despite also having to contend with breast cancer and dedicating much of her time to environmental causes. Delighted when James Cameron offered her the role of the elderly Rise in Titanic, she said that if roles like it had been around in the Forties, she would never have left. Co-star Kate Winslet was full of praise for her, saying, on hearing of her death, "I feel blessed to have met her, known her and to have acted alongside her."
In June this year, Stuart received a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors' Guild in recognition of her work both onscreen and off. "I'm very, very grateful," she responded. "I've had a wonderful life of giving and sharing."
After a five year battle with lung cancer, Stuart died in her sleep. She is survived by her daughter Sylvia Thompson, four grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.
