Edith Norma Shearer (August 10, 1902 – June 12, 1983) was a Canadian-American actress, and a major Hollywood star from 1925 through 1942. Her early films cast her as a spunky ingenue, but in the
Pre-Code film era, she played sexually liberated women. She excelled in drama, in comedy, and in period roles. She gave well-received performances in adaptations of
Noël Coward,
Eugene O'Neill, and
William Shakespeare. She was nominated six times for the
Academy Award for Best Actress and won once, for her performance in the 1930 film
The Divorcee.