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Frances Marion

Frances Marion

Known For Writing
Birthday Nov 18, 1888
Died May 12, 1973 (84)
Birthplace San Francisco, California, USA
Popularity 0.2 (history)
Updated Aug 10, 2025
Entry Date Apr 29, 2024
Links TMDb IMDb
Biography

Frances Marion (November 18, 1888 – May 12, 1973) was an American journalist, author, and screenwriter often cited as the most renowned female screenwriter of the 20th century alongside June Mathis and Anita Loos. She was the first writer to win two Academy Awards. Born Marion Benson Owens in San F ... rancisco, California, she worked as a journalist and served overseas as a combat correspondent during World War I. On her return home, she moved to Los Angeles and was hired as a writing assistant, an actress and general assistant by "Lois Weber Productions", a film company owned and operated by pioneer female film director Lois Weber.She has a face as an actor, but she preferred a work that she isn't in the camera. She learned how to write a scenario from Weber. Marion wrote a story for a movie for her, but it burned before it was released. As "Frances Marion", she wrote many scripts for actress/filmmaker Mary Pickford, including Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and The Poor Little Rich Girl, as well as scripts for numerous other successful films of the 1920s and 1930s.Marion went to New York for her job, and her husband decline to live with her and divorced. She became the first female to win an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 1930 for the film The Big House, she received the Academy Award for Best Story for The Champ in 1932, both featuring Wallace Beery, and co-wrote Min and Bill starring her friend Marie Dressler and Beery in 1930. She was credited with writing 300 scripts and over 130 produced films. She directed and occasionally appeared in some of Mary Pickford's early movies. For many years she was under contract to MGM Studios, but, independently wealthy, she left Hollywood in 1946 to devote more time to writing stage plays and novels. Frances Marion published a memoir Off With Their Heads: A Serio-Comic Tale of Hollywood in 1972. Marion died the following year of a ruptured aneurysm in Los Angeles.

Known For

Filmography

A Girl of Yesterday

A Girl of Yesterday

1915

as Rosanna Danford

Dinner at Eight

Dinner at Eight

1989

Writer

The Champ

The Champ

1979

Original Story, Story

The Pirate

The Pirate

1948

Additional Writing

Molly and Me

Molly and Me

1945

Novel

Green Hell

Green Hell

1940

Original Story, Screenplay

Knight Without Armour

Knight Without Armour

1937

Writer, Adaptation

Love from a Stranger

Love from a Stranger

1937

Screenplay, Adaptation

Camille

Camille

1936

Screenplay

Riffraff

Riffraff

1936

Screenplay, Story

Dinner at Eight

Dinner at Eight

1933

Screenplay

Secrets

Secrets

1933

Screenplay, Adaptation

Cynara

Cynara

1932

Screenplay, Adaptation

Emma

Emma

1932

Story

Blondie of the Follies

Blondie of the Follies

1932

Screenplay, Story

The Champ

The Champ

1931

Writer, Story

The Secret Six

The Secret Six

1931

Writer

The Big House

The Big House

1930

Writer, Story, Dialogue

Anna Christie

Anna Christie

1930

Screenplay

Good News

Good News

1930

Scenario Writer, Screenplay

Min and Bill

Min and Bill

1930

Writer

Let Us Be Gay

Let Us Be Gay

1930

Writer, Dialogue

The Rogue Song

The Rogue Song

1930

Writer

Their Own Desire

Their Own Desire

1929

Screenplay

The Wind

The Wind

1928

Screenplay

The Awakening

The Awakening

1928

Story

Love

Love

1927

Writer

Mr. Wu

Mr. Wu

1927

Writer

Madame Pompadour

Madame Pompadour

1927

Writer

The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter

1927

Screenplay, Adaptation

Don Mike

Don Mike

1927

Story

The Red Mill

The Red Mill

1927

Scenario Writer, Adaptation

Partners Again

Partners Again

1926

Screenplay, Adaptation

The Son of the Sheik

The Son of the Sheik

1926

Screenplay, Adaptation

The Two-Gun Man

The Two-Gun Man

1926

Co-Writer

The First Year

The First Year

1926

Writer

Paris at Midnight

Paris at Midnight

1926

Writer

The Tough Guy

The Tough Guy

1926

Story

Lightnin'

Lightnin'

1925

Screenplay, Adaptation

The Lady

The Lady

1925

Writer

Stella Dallas

Stella Dallas

1925

Screenplay, Adaptation

Lazybones

Lazybones

1925

Scenario Writer, Screenplay

Thank You

Thank You

1925

Screenplay

Zander the Great

Zander the Great

1925

Screenplay, Adaptation

A Thief in Paradise

A Thief in Paradise

1925

Screenplay, Adaptation

His Supreme Moment

His Supreme Moment

1925

Screenplay, Adaptation

The Dark Angel

The Dark Angel

1925

Writer

Ridin' the Wind

Ridin' the Wind

1925

Writer

Cytherea

Cytherea

1924

Screenplay, Adaptation

Tarnish

Tarnish

1924

Screenplay

Secrets

Secrets

1924

Screenplay, Adaptation

Sundown

Sundown

1924

Writer

Through the Dark

Through the Dark

1924

Writer

The Toll of the Sea

The Toll of the Sea

1923

Writer, Story

Dulcy

Dulcy

1923

Writer

Within the Law

Within the Law

1923

Screenplay, Adaptation

The Song of Love

The Song of Love

1923

Screenplay, Adaptation

The Voice from the Minaret

The Voice from the Minaret

1923

Screenplay, Adaptation

The Famous Mrs. Fair

The Famous Mrs. Fair

1923

Screenplay

The Love Piker

The Love Piker

1923

Writer

The Nth Commandment

The Nth Commandment

1923

Writer

The French Doll

The French Doll

1923

Writer

Potash and Perlmutter

Potash and Perlmutter

1923

Writer

The Eagle's Talons

The Eagle's Talons

1923

Writer

Sonny

Sonny

1922

Screenplay, Adaptation

Sherlock Brown

Sherlock Brown

1922

Writer

Back Pay

Back Pay

1922

Writer

The Eternal Flame

The Eternal Flame

1922

Writer

The Primitive Lover

The Primitive Lover

1922

Writer

East Is West

East Is West

1922

Writer

The Love Light

The Love Light

1921

Writer

Straight Is the Way

Straight Is the Way

1921

Writer

The Flapper

The Flapper

1920

Screenplay, Story

Pollyanna

Pollyanna

1920

Screenplay, Adaptation

Humoresque

Humoresque

1920

Writer

The Restless Sex

The Restless Sex

1920

Writer

Go and Get It

Go and Get It

1920

Scenario Writer

The World and His Wife

The World and His Wife

1920

Screenplay

Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables

1919

Writer

The Cinema Murder

The Cinema Murder

1919

Scenario Writer, Screenplay

The Dark Star

The Dark Star

1919

Writer

Captain Kidd, Jr.

Captain Kidd, Jr.

1919

Writer

The Misleading Widow

The Misleading Widow

1919

Writer

Johanna Enlists

Johanna Enlists

1918

Writer

M'Liss

M'Liss

1918

Writer

Stella Maris

Stella Maris

1918

Writer

How Could You, Jean?

How Could You, Jean?

1918

Screenplay

He Comes Up Smiling

He Comes Up Smiling

1918

Writer

The City of Dim Faces

The City of Dim Faces

1918

Screenplay

The Temple Of Dusk

The Temple Of Dusk

1918

Writer

The Poor Little Rich Girl

The Poor Little Rich Girl

1917

Scenario Writer, Writer

A Little Princess

A Little Princess

1917

Writer

Forget-Me-Not

Forget-Me-Not

1917

Writer

The Social Leper

The Social Leper

1917

Writer

A Woman Alone

A Woman Alone

1917

Writer

A Girl's Folly

A Girl's Folly

1917

Writer

Tillie Wakes Up

Tillie Wakes Up

1917

Writer

The Web of Desire

The Web of Desire

1917

Writer

A Square Deal

A Square Deal

1917

Writer

On Dangerous Ground

On Dangerous Ground

1917

Writer

The Stolen Paradise

The Stolen Paradise

1917

Writer

The Foundling

The Foundling

1916

Writer

The Rise of Susan

The Rise of Susan

1916

Writer

The Hidden Scar

The Hidden Scar

1916

Writer

A Woman's Way

A Woman's Way

1916

Writer

The Heart of a Hero

The Heart of a Hero

1916

Writer

A Circus Romance

A Circus Romance

1916

Story

The Gilded Cage

The Gilded Cage

1916

Writer

The Crucial Test

The Crucial Test

1916

Writer

Fanchon, the Cricket

Fanchon, the Cricket

1915

Writer

Rags

Rags

1915

Writer

A Sister's Burden

A Sister's Burden

1915

Writer

The New York Hat

The New York Hat

1912

Writer

The Song of Love

The Song of Love

1923

Director

The Love Light

The Love Light

1921

Director

Just Around the Corner

Just Around the Corner

1921

Director

The Nth Commandment

The Nth Commandment

1923

Producer

Organization Category Movie
Television Credits

No data available

No data available

Popularity Metrics

Popularity History


Year Month Avg Max Min
2024 6 2 3 1
2024 7 6 12 1
2024 8 6 14 2
2024 9 4 10 1
2024 10 1 4 1
2024 11 1 1 1
2024 12 2 4 1
2025 1 4 14 1
2025 2 1 2 1
2025 3 1 2 1
2025 5 1 2 1
2025 6 1 1 1
2025 7 0 0 0
2025 8 1 5 0
2025 9 0 0 0
2025 10 0 0 0

Trending Rank


Year Month Avg Rank Max Rank
No trending metrics available.

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