Welcome back to the Breakfast At Dominique’s biography series! Today we are learning about Leila Hyams, an actress whose star power shone brightly from the silent film era into the pre-code early talkies.
Leila Hyams was an American actress born into a family of entertainers. John Hyams and Leila McIntyre gave birth to Leila on May 1, 1905, in New York City, NY. Her mother and father were well-known vaudeville performers and actors. Because of this, Leila was allowed to grow up surrounded by the lifestyles and unique adventures that come with performance arts. According to The New York Times, there had been reports that “Miss Hyams spent many of her infant hours sleeping in the top of a wardrobe trunk as her parents performed on the stage.” Leila’s first stage appearance was at six months old when she reportedly kissed her hand at the audience. Naturally, as she grew, her childhood became a part of the vaudevillian shows orchestrated by Hyams and McIntyre. This had shuffled the growing girl into a routine of appearing on stage regularly at five years old.
Hyams’ unique upbringing led to a career modeling for newspaper ads in her teenage years for clothing, cosmetics, and toothpaste. Most notably, Leila became the first face of Listerine “halitosis” advertisements.
Longevity within the movie industry was not Leila’s goal when it came to her career. Leila made her first film appearance in 1924 in the Barbara La Marr-led film Sandra. Afterward, she worked regularly in an estimated 50+ films for twelve years before leaving behind the life of an actress to devote her time to focus on her private life. During the years Hyams spent acting, she managed to land roles in some of the most notable productions of the period including MGM’s first talking picture, Alias Jimmy Valentine, in 1928 alongside William Haines and Lionel Barrymore.
1927 became an important year in the history of Leila Hyams. It was the year she married her partner of 50 years, Hollywood agent, Phil Berg. Hyams and Berg started their careers at virtually the same time in 1924 and both walked away from these careers, an almost unheard-of thing to do in their particular industry. Though, each made their decision a decade apart. Yellow Dust became Leila’s final film role in 1936, and eleven years later, Phil left behind the responsibility of being an agent.
A 1970s book series by Richard Lamparski called Whatever Became Of…? Featured an interview with Leila in the 9th book where she has been quoted saying the following regarding her retirement, “Acting was to me simply the profession I was born into. I never developed the driving ambition which you really need if your goal is stardom… It became more and more like hard work. There I was with a huge, beautiful home and a wonderful husband. But I wasn’t able to enjoy much of either.”
The pair lived comfortably their entire lives, even owning a yacht which they had named “Savitar.” Leila in particular enjoyed spending her free time participating in outdoor activities such as fishing and tennis. As a duo, Berg and Hyams became heavily involved in art and archeology in the 1950s. Frequently going on digs and unearthing artifacts caused them to amass quite the collection. According to Leila’s will, almost all of her collection was instructed to be left to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Some form of falling out between her and the museum transpired leading to conditions placed on the deal.
An absolute rarity when it comes to relationships in the entertainment industry, the marriage between Phil Berg and Leila Hyams lasted the rest of her life until her passing in 1977. Leila Hyams died on December 4, 1977, after a “brief illness.”
Leila Hyams Roles You May Recognize:
- Spite Marriage (1929)
- The Idle Rich (1929)
- The Big House (1930)
- Freaks (1932)
- Red-Headed Woman (1932)
If you wish to continue learning about Leila, the following resources are readily available for you to visit…
Articles:
- IMDB Biography
- The New York Times – Leila Hyams
- May 12, 1959 Newspaper Article on Phil and Leila
- Leila Hyams Cinema Card at the National Museum of American History
- The Short Career of Leila Hyams by Kim Luperi
- Silence Is Platinum
Books:
The Leila Hyams Instagram account is run by a friend of this company, Leila Hyams researcher, Gary Sweeney. This biography would not have been possible without the knowledge he has shared with the public through his years of research. Follow that account for rare images, fun facts, and more.
Header image sourced from IMDB.
Dominique Benedict is the founder and owner of Breakfast At Dominique’s. Her favorite topics include classic everything from movies to music to cars and the 90s film, Dazed and Confused.