- Born
- Died
- Birth namePhyllis O'Haver
- Height1.64 m
- Phyllis Haver was born Phyllis O'Haver on January 6, 1899, in Douglas, KS. When she was a child her family moved to California. Young Phyllis got a job playing piano at a local movie theater. Producer Mack Sennett saw her and hired her to be one of his "Sennett Bathing Beauties". Between 1916-20 she appeared in more than 35 short films. With her curvy figure and blonde hair she quickly became one of the most popular of Sennett's bathing beauties. Eventually she left Sennett compact and signed a contract with Cecil B. DeMille. She co-starred with Olive Borden in Sa majesté la femme (1926) and with Victor McLaglen in Au Service de la Gloire (1926). She also won rave reviews for her performances as Roxie Hart in Chicago (1927).
In 1929 she married millionaire William Seeman. Although she was at the peak of her career, she decided to retire from acting. She and William moved into an 11-room penthouse in New York City. Phyllis said she loved being a wife and never wanted to return to Hollywood. Sadly, after 16 years of marriage she and William divorced. The couple had no children. As she grew older Phylis became more reclusive. She lived in a large house in Connecticut and rarely had visitors. Her only companion was her longtime housekeeper. She reportedly made several suicide attempts and was devastated when her former boss Mack Sennett died.
On November 19, 1960, 61-year-old Phyllis took her own life with an overdose of barbiturates. She was found in her bed fully dressed and wearing make-up. Phyllis was buried at Grassy Hills Cemetery in Falls Village, CT.- IMDb mini biography by: Elizabeth Ann (qv's & corrections by A. Nonymous)
- SpouseWilliam Seeman(1929 - 1945) (divorced)
- When she married New York millionaire William Seeman in 1929, she was under contract to Cecil B. DeMille. She told DeMille she was ending her contract with him under the "Act of God" clause. Stunned, DeMille asked, "What Act of God?" Haver replied, "If marrying a millionaire isn't an Act of God, I don't know what is." DeMille let her go.
- Although she lived her later years in relative comfort, spending summers in Connecticut and for a time spending winters in an apartment in New York City, she became very lonely towards the end of her life and attempted suicide at least once before her death. She lived alone in her home in Connecticut with a housekeeper and rarely had visitors. According to the housekeeper, Haver especially hated Novembers, as this was the month she and her ex-husband were divorced. They had no children. She became very distraught over the death of her old friend and employer _Mack Sennett_ on November 5, 1960, mainly, according to the housekeeper, because she felt he was the last surviving friend she had from her days as a Hollywood star. Fourteen days after Sennett's death, Haver's housekeeper found her dead in bed, dressed and in full makeup, from an overdose of barbiturates.
- Broke into films as a Mack Sennett Bathing Beauty after earning a living as a silent movie theater pianist, and quickly mounted the Hollywood sex pedestal in the 20s.
- Silent-screen actress.
- Retired to marry a Manhattan millionaire in 1929. They divorced in 1945.
- In Hollywood we live like small-town folks. Early to bed early to rise and you make all the best pictures.
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