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AGNES AYRES
[ERHAPS the town of Carbondale, 111., would prove less obscure in the public mind if it were generally known that a scintillating screen star was born there twenty-four years ago. As unusual as it may seem to the initiated, her real name was Agnes Ayres, the cognomen which she carried to the silver screen.
It was not long before the young girl outgrew her surroundings and was sent to Chicago for school training.
It was in the early days of the film that Miss Ayres thought she heard the screen calling her. She responded by applying for work at the Essanay studio, then making one-reel pictures. She began in a minor part and gradually increased her value by hard work and close application.
Next she signed with the Yitagraph and appeared in picturized versions of twentytive stories by O. Henry. Soon she became known to the screen colony and the public as "the O. Henry girl." Her first starring vehicle was one of this series, "The Defeat of the City," filmed in 1917.
Greater things were to come. The Paramount players during the latter part of the same year, numbered Miss Ayres prominently among them. Her first picture here was "Held by the Enemy."
Miss Ayres constantly had revealed growing talent throughout her upward climb. Now she scored her most distinctive triumph, up to that time, in the special feature, "Forbidden Fruit."
Then she played opposite the late Wallace Reid in "The Love Special" and "Too Much Speed" with equal success.
The all-star cast of "The Affairs of Ana
tor brought more distinction to this actress. She followed by appearances with Thomas Meighan in "Cappy Ricks" and with Rudolph Valentino in "The Sheik."
Then she was especially starred in the vehicle, "The Lane That Had No Turning." Other successes followed rapidly. Among these were "Bought and Paid For," "The Ordeal," "Borderland" and "A Daughter of Luxury."
But Miss Ayres began to do much more than wear gowns, register repression and appear in society dramas. The later productions called upon her for exciting action and dramatics, attended many times by actual danger. In all these features Miss Ayres refused to allow doubles to replace her. but revealed true courage by actually carrying through the risks personally. This was well illustrated in the exciting production, "Racing Hearts," in which she drove a racing car at the rate of 100 miles an hour.
She is at her best in the drama depicting the high-spirited, modern American girl, since her personality lends itself to the daring out-ofdoors life. Her home is in Hollywood, and rose culture holds first place among her hobbies. To it she devotes a large portion of her leisure time, and her garden is one of the most beautiful in Screendom's capital. Miss Ayres is an ardent outdoor girl, and her favorite sports are riding and golf. Few stars who frequent the splendid links near Hollywood can cover the course with a better score than Miss Ayres. Miss Ayres is 5 feet 4T/2 inches in height; has blonde hair and blue-gray eyes.