History did silent film starlet Marion Davies dirty. During her heyday, her peers and contemporaries thought of her as a skilled artist. However, as the years went on, her legacy became more twisted.
By the time that she died, the media portrayed her as an untalented sham who had used her connections to get to the top. So, what happened in the meantime? From the passionate decades-long affair with one of the most important men in the world to the bloody scandal that nearly derailed her career, Davies’ life was never ordinary.
Davies was famous for her roles in films like Little Old New York and Cain and Mabel, but she was infamous as the young and brash mistress of newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst. Though Hearst was already married, the two acted as a couple for decades—until the horrific day when Hearst died.
That fateful evening, all his friends and family were gathered in his mansion to say a final goodbye. The noise and chaos became too much for the frantic Davies, and she asked to lie down. When she woke up, she made a chilling discovery.
Hearst’s nurse had to tell her that he’d passed on during the night. She was utterly bereft and alone—and that wasn’t the worst part. Hearst’s associates had removed his body, along with any evidence that he’d ever lived there with Davies. She never had a chance to say goodbye.
When the funeral rolled around, Davies didn’t attend. It was unclear if she’d made that choice for herself, or if Hearst’s wife and sons had forbidden her presence.
