# Norma Shearer filmography

Norma Shearer (1902–1983) was a Canadian American film actress who was nominated five times for an Academy Award. She and her sister Athole were assisted in their pursuit of show business careers by their mother Edith Fisher Shearer. After amassing numerous letters of introduction from a variety of show business-related people in Canada, the trio relocated to New York, hoping to get into musical theatre.
She gained an introduction to impresario Florence Ziegfeld, who was unimpressed and turned her down. Shearer continued to pursue her career ambitions and spent five years being cast in bit parts in silent movies before landing a contract in 1923 with Louis B. Mayer, who had just formed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), with Irving Thalberg as his head of production. After a start in silent films, Shearer made a transition to sound film. She remained with MGM for the rest of her career, with occasional loan-outs to other studios. Shearer and Thalberg eventually married.
Shearer chose her own roles, frequently going against the professional advice of others. Her husband did not believe she would be well suited for the lead character in 1930 American pre-Code drama film The Divorcee. Nevertheless, she went against his counsel and made the movie, hiring celebrity photographer George Hurrell for a photo session to prove her sexual allure could translate to film. Her performance earned her the 1930 Academy Award for Best Actress. She was also nominated that same year for her performance in Their Own Desire. Shearer was nominated four more times for Academy Award for Best Actress: the 1931 film A Free Soul, the 1934 film The Barretts of Wimpole Street, the 1936 film Romeo and Juliet, and the 1938 film Marie Antoinette.
When her husband died in 1936, Shearer continued with her film career at MGM. Coming on the heels of her success in Marie Antoinette, a nationwide publicity campaign was launched to cast Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind. Producer David O. Selznick, however, had offered the role to Shearer. Her fans were incensed that she would portray a woman of such questionable character, and she eventually turned down the offer.
Norma's brother Douglas had remained in Canada until around 1925, when she introduced him to Louis B. Mayer, who arranged training for him at Bell Labs in the technique of adding sound to film. Her brother went on to earn 12 Academy Awards for his sound contributions to MGM.
Shearer received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 8, 1960.

## Silent films: 1919–1928

Norma Shearer silent films :
| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
| The Star Boarder | 1919 | Member of the Beauties Squad | Vitagraph Studios |
| The Flapper | 1920 | Extra | Selznick Pictures |
| The Stealers | 1920 | Julia Martin | Robertson-Cole Studios, Inc. |
| Way Down East | 1920 | Barn dancer | United Artists |
| The Restless Sex | 1920 | Extra | Cosmopolitan Productions |
| The Sign on the Door | 1921 | Uncredited Edited out | First National Pictures |
| Torchy's Millions | 1921 | Unknown | Educational film |
| The Leather Pushers | 1922 | Unknown | Universal Pictures |
| The Man Who Paid | 1922 | Jeanne | Apfel Productions |
| The Bootleggers | 1922 | Helen Barnes | Al Gilbert Film Productions |
| Channing of the Northwest | 1922 | Jes Driscoll | Selznick Pictures |
| A Clouded Name | 1923 | Marjorie Dare | Logan Productions |
| Man and Wife | 1923 | Dora Perkins | Arrow Film Corporation |
| The Devil's Partner | 1923 | Jeanne | Iroquois Productions |
| Pleasure Mad | 1923 | Elinor Benton | Metro Pictures |
| The Wanters | 1923 | Marjorie | First National Pictures |
| Lucretia Lombard | 1923 | Mimi | Warner Bros. |
| The Trail of the Law | 1923 | Jerry Vardon | Producers Security Corporation |
| The Wolf Man | 1924 | Elizabeth Gordon | Fox Film |
| Blue Water | 1924 | Lillian Denton | New Brunswick Films |
| Broadway After Dark | 1924 | Rose Dulane | Warner Bros. |
| Broken Barriers | 1924 | Grace Durland | MGM |
| Married Flirts | 1924 | Herself, cameo appearance | MGM |
| Empty Hands | 1924 | Claire Endicott | Paramount |
| The Snob | 1924 | Nancy Claxton | MGM |
| He Who Gets Slapped | 1924 | Consuelo | MGM |
| Excuse Me | 1925 | Marjorie Newton | MGM |
| Lady of the Night | 1925 | Molly/Florence | MGM |
| Waking Up the Town | 1925 | Mary Ellen Hope | United Artists |
| A Slave of Fashion | 1925 | Katherine Emerson | MGM |
| Pretty Ladies | 1925 | Frances White | MGM |
| The Tower of Lies | 1925 | Glory | MGM |
| His Secretary | 1925 | Ruth Lawrence | MGM |
| The Devil's Circus | 1926 | Mary | MGM |
| The Waning Sex | 1926 | Nina Duane | MGM |
| Upstage | 1926 | Dolly Haven | MGM |
| The Demi-Bride | 1927 | Criquette | MGM |
| After Midnight | 1927 | Mary | MGM |
| The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg | 1927 | Kathi | MGM |
| The Latest from Paris | 1928 | Ann Dolan | MGM |
| The Actress | 1928 | Rose Trelawny | MGM Shearer's final silent film |
| A Lady of Chance | 1928 | Dolly | MGM |

## Sound films: 1928–1963

Norma Shearer sound films :
| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
| Voices Across the Sea | 1928 | Herself (with other celebrities) | MGM short Telephone call for the opening of Loew's Empire Theatre in London, and premiere of Alias Jimmy Valentine |
| The Trial of Mary Dugan | 1929 | Mary Dugan | MGM |
| The Last of Mrs. Cheyney | 1929 | Mrs. Fay Cheyney | MGM |
| The Hollywood Revue of 1929 | 1929 | Herself as Juliet | MGM |
| Their Own Desire | 1929 | Lolly | MGM |
| The Divorcee | 1930 | Jerry Martin | MGM Academy Award for Best Actress |
| Let Us Be Gay | 1930 | Kitty Brown | MGM |
| Jackie Cooper's Christmas Party | 1931 | Herself | MGM |
| Strangers May Kiss | 1931 | Lisbeth Corbin | MGM |
| A Free Soul | 1931 | Jan Ashe | MGM/Loew's, Inc. |
| Private Lives | 1931 | Amanda Prynne | MGM |
| The Stolen Jools | 1931 | Herself | Released in the UK as The Slippery Pearls. National Variety Artists |
| Strange Interlude | 1932 | Nina Leeds Evans | MGM |
| Smilin' Through | 1932 | Kathleen Moonyean Clare | MGM |
| Hearst Metrotone News | 1933 | Herself | Home from vacation abroad |
| Riptide | 1934 | Lady Mary Rexford | MGM/Loew's, Inc. |
| The Barretts of Wimpole Street | 1934 | Elizabeth Barrett | Loew's Inc., MGM |
| Romeo and Juliet | 1936 | Juliet Capulet | MGM Copyright register and world premiere 1936; released generally 1937 |
| Mr. Will Shakespeare | 1936 | Herself | MGM Film short to publicize Romeo and Juliet |
| Marie Antoinette | 1938 | Marie Antoinette | MGM |
| Hollywood Goes to Town | 1938 | Herself | MGM World premiere of Marie Antoinette |
| Idiot's Delight | 1939 | Irene | MGM |
| The Women | 1939 | Mrs. Stephen Haines, Mary | MGM |
| Escape | 1940 | Countess Ruby von Treck | MGM |
| Good Neighbor Day in Movieland - Hollywood, California | 1941 | Herself | Hearst production footage |
| We Were Dancing | 1942 | Vicki Wilomirska | MGM |
| Her Cardboard Lover | 1942 | Consuelo Croyden | MGM |
| Anniversary | 1963 | Herself and other Canadians in the film industry | Documentary celebrating Canadian contributions to cinema |