At the time, awards were given based on this criterion: the Academy looked at a performer’s volume of work in a given time period rather than just one film. Janet was nominated for the award based on her roles in the three films during that time period. This was the first and only time an actress won the Oscar for multiple roles.

BIOGRAPHY

Janet Gaynor, known in real life as Laura Gainor, was born on October 6, 1906, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a child, she and her parents moved to San Francisco, California, where she had basic education and graduated from high school. Through her early years, Janet’s father who worked as a theatrical painter taught her to sing and dance. This prepared young Janet to assume starring roles in all the school plays. Later in her life, Janet enrolled in a secretarial school and took a job in a shoe store.

Though she was not certain about film-making for a living, both her mother and stepfather encouraged her to go to auditions in film industries when they had moved to Los Angeles. Janet got married and had her only child at age 33.

CAREER BACKGROUND

Janet Gaynor started working as an extra in short films. In 1925, she was hired by Fox Films for a supporting role in the 1926 film, The Johnstown Flood- where she played as Anna Burger. The Studio executives, being impressed with her work, offered Janet a five-year contract to play leading film roles.

Gaynor was not just talented, but also versatile as an actress. When ‘talkies’ replaced silent films, Janet was one of the few talents who made a successful transition. Her voice was also instrumental in this new face of the film industry. Janet starred in A Star Is Born (1937), in which her performance earned her another Oscar nomination. This time however, she lost to Luise Rainer who performed in The Good Earth (1937), her second in many tries.

Janet’s last performance was in a play which was a ‘Broadway version of Harold and Maude’. This was after she appeared in The Young in Heart (1938) and in Bernardine (1957). Janet later died on September 14, 1984, in Palm Springs, California, at the age of 77.

On winning the Oscar, Janet had this to say in an interview with the Telegraph: “Nobody felt there was any historical significance. I was pleased to win the award, and it was a thrill because I got to meet Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks for the first time.”

REFERENCE

Information from https://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/1138349/timeline-historic-female-oscar-wins/,  https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0310980/bio, https://www.colorized.com/1920s-actress-janet-gaynor-the-first-best-actress-oscar-winner/8, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0310980/bio was used in this story