Welcome to the Louise Brooks F.A.Q. page. Here you’ll find answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about the actress. This website also features a brief biography of the actress, as well as a comprehensive filmography, and information on her work as a dancer & showgirl and writer.
Who was Louise Brooks?
— Louise Brooks was an American actress who worked primarily in silent films. She was born in Cherryvale, Kansas in 1906 and died in Rochester, New York in 1985. Brooks started out as a dancer and show girl before becoming an actress. She appeared in her first film, The Street of Forgotten Men, in 1925. Her last film was a Western, Overland Stage Raiders, in 1938. Today, Brooks is best known for her iconic bobbed hair and for her role as Lulu in the 1929 German silent, Pandora’s Box. Today, her other two best known films are Beggars of Life (1928), and Diary of a Lost Girl (1929). Later in life, Brooks became a writer. In 1982, she gather some of her earlier pieces written for various film magazines into a book of autobiographical essays, Lulu in Hollywood. Today, her one and only book is considered a classic of film literature. In 2023, it was voted one of the 100 best film books of all-time. (Learn more.)
Was Louise Brooks married? Did she have any children?
— Yes, Louise Brooks was married twice. The first time was to director Eddie Sutherland, and the second time to Deering Davis. Both marriages ended in divorce. Brooks had no children.
Who did she know? Who were her friends?
— In the 1920s, Brooks had a brief affair with Charlie Chaplin, and another with William S. Paley, the founder of CBS. Besides the actors and directors she worked with — like W.C. Fields and John Wayne, Brooks was friendly with others in the film community, like Buster Keaton, Marion Davies, and Humphrey Bogart. She was acquainted with members of the Algonquin Roundtable (like Dorothy Parker and Robert Benchley), as well as composer George Gershwin and media tycoon William Randolph Hearst; she once met the novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, saw Anna Pavlova and Isadora Duncan dance, was photographed by Edward Steichen, and admired by the surrealist Man Ray. Later in life, many sought her out, like the writers Christopher Isherwood and Kenneth Tynan.
What is the best online source of information?
— You’ve found it. The Louise Brooks Society website is a comprehensive, information packed website. If you’re looking for less, try the Wikipedia page on Brooks. It is generally reliable, though various errors have crept into it over time. And of course, there are a handful of other websites and web pages devoted to the actress. (Learn more.)
What is the best book about Brooks?
— The one and only biography is Louise Brooks, by Barry Paris. It was published in 1989 and widely praised; it is considered the definitive biography of the actress. The Barry Paris biography is available where ever books are sold, or you may be able to borrow a copy from your local library. It has also been published in translation in French and Spanish.
Is there a documentary or a film about Brooks?
— Yes, and yes. The documentary is called Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu. It first aired on TV in 1998, and was nominated for an Emmy. It was released on DVD in 1999, and included as bonus material on later DVDs & Blu-rays. Used copies can sometimes be found for sale on amazon or eBay, or try to borrow it from a library. It is highly recommended. To date, one film has been has been made with Brooks as a central character. It is called The Chaperone, and it tells the story of Brooks’ early life as a teenage dancer. The Chaperone (2018) stars Elizabeth McGovern in the title role and features White Lotus star Haley Lu Richardson as Louise Brooks, and it too is highly recommended.
Are any of Brooks’ films available to rent, purchase or stream?
— Yes, and no. Sadly, a number of Brooks’ silent films are lost = which means they no longer exist because the film they were made on disintegrated years ago. However, those that do survive are considered to be her best work. The two films Brooks made in Germany, Pandora’s Box (1929) and Diary of a Lost Girl (1929), are considered silent film masterpieces. Also very good are Beggars of Life (1928) and Prix de beaute (1930), an early French sound film. Over the years, each have each been released on VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray. Other of Brooks’ silent films, including It’s the Old Army Game (1926), with W.C. Fields, and Love Em and Leave Em (1926), a flapper comedy, are also available. Brooks’ best sound film is God’s Gift to Women (1931), directed by Michael Curtiz. Her last film, a B-Western titled Overland Stage Raiders (1938), starred a young John Wayne. [It is recommended that you NOT watch these films on YouTube, as that could ruin the experience. YouTube films are often dark, fuzzy, and sometimes incomplete. And, it should be noted, if you want additional films restored and released in the future, it is important to support the efforts of those doing the work today. If you can’t afford to buy a DVD, try and borrow it from your local library. If your local library doesn’t carry what you want, suggest they buy a copy for their collection.]
Did Louise Brooks ever say anything famous?
— Yes. Her best known quotation is a play on words, “I have a gift for enraging people, but if I ever bore you it will be with a knife.” She also said, “Most beautiful dumb girls think they are smart and get away with it, because other people, on the whole, aren’t much smarter.” Also, “A well dressed woman, even though her purse is painfully empty, can conquer the world.”
Despite her fame and success, Brooks had a difficult life. One of the most telling and sad things Brooks ever wrote was taken from a letter to her brother, “I have been taking stock of my 50 years since I left Wichita in 1922 at the age of 15 to become a dancer with Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn. How I have existed fills me with horror. For I have failed in everything — spelling, arithmetic, riding, tennis, golf; dancing, singing, acting; wife, mistress, whore, friend. Even cooking. And I do not excuse myself with the usual escape of ‘not trying.’ I tried with all my heart.” (Read more)
What is the Louise Brooks Society?
— The Louise Brooks Society™ is fan-site and an online archive. It is a place where individuals can learn about the life and times of the silent film star and Jazz Age icon. This pioneering website was established in the summer of 1995. It operates with the consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC), and have its permission to use the name and likeness of Louise Brooks in connection with its activities. (Learn more.)
Is there an official Louise Brooks website?
— No. Despite what other sites may claim, there is no official Louise Brooks website or store. That includes the LBS. The actress died in 1985. She had a will, and bequeathed some of her belongings to the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York; the rights to her name and image belong to her Kansas heirs and estate. The LBS is a fan site. It operates with the written consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC) and have its permission to use the name and likeness of the actress.
Are there other Louise Brooks websites?
— Yes, there are a handful of other websites, webpages, and social media accounts. The best of them can be found listed on Lulu in Cyberspace.