Mary Miles Minter

Mary Miles Minter has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to Motion Pictures, at 1724 Vine St. O'Donnell continues to entertain and remains a popular pop culture icon, and an important celebrity representative of the gay and lesbian community. She died from heart failure in Santa Monica, California. Her decision to marry Carpenter came after O'Donnell blasted President Bush over his support for the Federal Marriage Amendment. She commented that she had never been happy with her Hollywood career and was content to live without it. On February 26, 2004, O'Donnell married her partner Kelli Carpenter in San Francisco, some two weeks after that city began granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples. She left Hollywood and lived the rest of her life in obscurity. Of note was a former magazine colleague who testified that O'Donnell said to her on the phone that "people who lie die of cancer.".

The studio terminated her contract as soon as it became clear that her reputation had been destroyed. O'Donnell would often give brief press interviews outside of the courtroom responding to various allegations. She made two more films after this, but her public had rejected her. The trial received massive press coverage. Minter was at the height of her success, having starred in more than 50 films and the revelation of her association with Taylor caused a sensation. They claim that by removing herself from the magazine's publication she was in breach of contract. O'Donnell claims that there was no way she could conscionably continue to be a part of the magazine because they were steering away from her vision and demanding that content be printed that she did not agree with. The ensuing scandal was the subject of widespread media speculation, and as allegations about Taylor's questionable past began to circulate, it was revealed that several intimate letters written by Minter had been found in his house after his death. They claim that the fall of the magazine (and its eventual shutdown) was due to O'Donnell's uncooperative (and allegedly rude and violent) behavior at the magazine's offices.

In 1922 Taylor was murdered in his home. In late 2003 O'Donnell entered into a massive legal battle with the publishers of Rosie magazine. A close relationship developed between them and Minter began to distance herself from her mother. If that was the true motive, it proved successful. Her first film for director William Desmond Taylor was Anne of Green Gables in 1919, and Taylor actively promoted Minter as a star of great potential. She eventually claimed that she had cut her hair in imitation of Boy George, in hopes that he would allow her to produce his stage show in the United States. Minter specialised in playing demure and innocent young girls, and with her gentle features and curly hair, both emulated and rivalled Mary Pickford. O'Donnell pointed out that her stand-up routine had always been very political and abrasive, and that her haircut was a personal choice.

Changing her name to Mary Miles Minter, she made her first film in 1915 and over the next few years steadily built her career. She also received what was considered by many to be an unflattering, somewhat masculine haircut (remniscent of Cyndi Lauper's hair in the 1980s.) The tabloid press again picked up on her life, claming that she had abandoned the "queen of nice" image. Until the age of 15, she was rarely unemployed and was greatly admired for both her talent and her beauty. She returned to stand-up comedy, and within her first few shows made fun of various celebrities (among them former comedienne-turned-fashion critic Joan Rivers). Her mother pushed her towards a stage career, and by the age of 5 she had appeared in her first play. After leaving her show and coming out, O'Donnell underwent an image change. Born Juliet Reilly in Shreveport, Louisiana, she was the daughter of an ambitious but unsuccessful actress named Charlotte Shelby. She hoped to educate viewers around the world on this subject.

Mary Miles Minter (April 1, 1902 - August 4, 1984) was a US film actress in silent films. As a lesbian adoptive mother (with a long-time lover) she was infuriated that adoption agencies, particularly in Florida, were refusing adoptive rights to able and loving gay parents. (In fact, within the gay community this was common knowledge.) She had various reasons for doing so, including the need to put a familiar and beloved face with homosexuality, but her primary reason was more important. Just before quitting, O'Donnell proved rumors to be true when she came out of the closet as a lesbian. Her show, which was to still be called The Rosie O'Donnell Show, was to be hosted by comedienne Caroline Rhea.

In 2002 O'Donnell decided to stop working on her talk show, favoring a return to stand-up comedy. In this, she continued her tradition of standing up for what she believed in. Rather than cover the magazine with thin models and fill it with stories about how to be more beautiful, she opted for stories about depression, breast cancer and foster care. In the year 2000 O'Donnell partnered with the publishers of McCall's to revamp the magazine as Rosie's McCall's (or, more commonly, Rosie).

This led to tabloid speculation that O'Donnell was actually a lesbian. Children's charities were a clear favorite of O'Donnell, and she began to adopt children to raise, eventually adopting four. During the late 1990s she limited her movie appearances to cameos and children's films, although she appeared in several gay-themed films. In 1996 she was given her own daytime talk show, called, appropriately enough, The Rosie O'Donnell Show. The show proved extremely successful as O'Donnell was dubbed "The Queen of Nice." Having all manner of entertainment performers on her show, she also brought on various charitable projects, earning millions of dollars for various charities. Her popularity then rose again as she took roles in less commercially successful but highly acclaimed films like Now and Then, Beautiful Girls and the children's movie Harriet the Spy.

These included Car 54, Where Are You?, The Flintstones and Exit to Eden. In the early 1990s O'Donnell starred in a string of comedy films including A League of Their Own, Another Stakeout and Sleepless in Seattle. She was highly acclaimed for her performances, but quickly lost that popularity by appearing in a string of flops in the mid 1990s. She hosted the VH1 stand-up comedy series Stand-Up Spotlight in the late 1980s, and eventually was cast as the lead in her own sitcom in 1992, called Stand by Your Man. It was quickly cancelled from lack of viewers. O'Donnell began her acting career doing stand-up comedy around the East Coast, and was soon cast as Maggie O'Brien on the Nell Carter sitcom Gimme a Break. Her heavy-set appearance and tomboyish, husky New York accent stood her apart from other actresses and comediennes.

Her brother, Daniel O'Donnell, is a member of the New York legislature. She was born in Commack, New York (Long Island). Roseanne Teresa O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American comedienne, actress, and talk show host. The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000) (voice).

Tarzan (1999) (voice). Wide Awake (1998). Harriet the Spy (1996). Beautiful Girls (1996).

Now and Then (1995). The Flintstones (1994). Car 54, Where are You? (1994). Exit to Eden (1994).

I'll Do Anything (1994). Sleepless in Seattle (1993). Fatal Instinct (1993). Another Stakeout (1993).

A League of Their Own (1992).