Early Life
According to her birth certificate, Talmadge was born on May 2, 1894 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Although it has been widely believed she was born in Niagara Falls, New York, after achieving stardom, she admitted that she and her mother provided the more scenic setting of Niagara Falls to fan magazines to be more romantic. Talmadge was the eldest daughter of Fred Talmadge, a chronic unemployed alcoholic, and Margaret "Peg" Talmadge, a witty and indomitable woman. Talmadge's childhood was marked by poverty. One Christmas morning, Fred Talmadge left the house to buy food and never came back, leaving his wife to raise their three little daughters. Peg took in laundry, sold cosmetics, taught painting classes, and rented out rooms, raising her daughters in Brooklyn, New York.
After telling her mother about a classmate from Erasmus Hall High School who modeled for popular illustrated song slides (which were often shown before the feature in movie theaters so that the audience could sing along), Mrs. Talmadge decided to locate the photographer. She arranged an interview for her daughter, who, after an initial rejection, was hired soon after. When they went to the theater to see her debut, Peg resolved to get her into motion pictures. Mrs. Talmadge pushed all three of her daughters to become actresses, encouraging them relentlessly to make money and invest it, though none of the sisters were really interested in being movie stars.
Read more about this topic: Norma Talmadge
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