Hedda Hopper: how a raging socialite ruined the careers of Charlie Chaplin and many other Hollywood stars (6 photos)

She aspired to fame and fame. And morality and some principles were an empty phrase for her.





Her real name is Elda Ferry. She was born in Pennsylvania and was the sixth child in the family of a butcher shop owner. As a child, she she showed power and ambition - her home state was clearly her size. AND Immediately after graduation, Elda went to New York.

In York, she got a job as a chorus girl in one of the Broadway shows. Yes, she was “third from the right in the fifth row”, but then for her it was achievement. In parallel with the new job, she went to all possible auditions, and eventually landed a job on another show. Understudy the main character, but was happy about this. A couple of months later, Elda already went on a tour of the United States with the play “Village boy".



Elda Ferry - Hedda Hopper's real name

Gradually, the young “star” realized that talent is Wonderful. But if you do not find an influential man who will be her advance, no ability will help. She'll be roaming around country with second-rate plays.

She was puzzled by this question and soon agreed with the producer, his name was DeWolf Hopper. After a short cohabitation, impatient Elda persuaded him to marry. For Hopper, this was already the fifth marriage, but the actress was not at all embarrassed. Before marriage, she went to numerologist and chose a new name for herself - so she wanted to please beloved and choose a new pseudonym under which he recognizes her whole country.

And she became Heda Hopper.



A couple of years later, the couple had a son. And a year later an influential hubby pushed her into a big movie. After the painting "Battle hearts ”critics and spectators started talking about Hedda, and Hollywood bigwigs paid attention to her. Reporters began to curl around the young lady and fans, but Hopper did not like this very much. He was jealous quarreled, and they soon divorced. Eo was at the beginning of the 20th century - a whole eternity ago.

Then a serious diagnosis was added - Hedda was found tuberculosis. As she lay in her hospital bed, she thought all the time - what to do next? She was smart and understood that the ex-husband closed all roads to Hollywood in front of her.

Then she entered there from the “back door”.

Hedda began to give paid interviews and tell naughty stories about the life of actors. Then there was no such “icteric” press and the stars observed the unspoken law of silence: everyone knew perfectly well about preferences and life of each other, but kept quiet. And Hedda broke out a stream of revelations and instantly became famous.



After her recovery, she was immediately offered to write a Hollywood Hedda Hopper column, and the outgoing lady happily agreed.

She worked from the heart: she turned out all the dirty laundry artists, gargled topics about their divorce and sexual preferences. Not I was embarrassed to talk about problems with alcohol and substances. Eventually she intimidated everyone - and she only had to ask for a conversation, like actors immediately agreed, if only she would not write something bad about them.



Charles Spencer Chaplin in character. Detractors dismissed rumors that his real name is Israel Thornstein. But this is a myth.

Some of them hurt a lot. For example, Charlie Chaplin. He once remarked that leftist views are good and progressive, and the journalist attacked him, and the next day released a devastating article in which she exposed Chaplin as an evil communist, enemy and Satan. As a result, the actor had to leave the country.

Well, Hedda continued to frolic, although she sometimes fell. Once she wrote about the affair of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy and the enraged actor met with the "lioness" and gave her a delicious kick in the ass But these were exceptions - everyone else was afraid wits Hopper.



She continued to write and tyrannize Hollywood stars - until his death at a respectable 80 years. And her name became in Hollywood common noun, about the same as the “paparazzi” in Italy.