Tweet Notorious Hollywood "stage parents"

I thought a thread on this might be a bit of fun. I've read of some, like Virgina Lee Corbin's mother among others. The meddling, the spatting, and the mismanaging are all welcome here.


So, any nominations?

Edith Shearer, though I wouldn't call her notorious...merely determined. She even appeared in at least one of Norma's early pictures. Lillian Roth's mother seemed more extreme in I'll Cry, but I've read nothing about her.

Peggy Talmadge was the first to come to mind, known for taking a very strong hand in her daughters' film careers as well as their love lives.

In his book The Grouchophile, Mr. Marx reminisces about working with young Ann Miller in Room Service (1938) and how he had the hots for her, "but her mother was watching her so closely you couldn't get a word in edgeways — among other things."

Ah, the "mother hen". I would include that, as it's often not healthy. Then again, I do wonder how often the hovering mother could be a convenience to a young actress in getting rid of a man she had no interest in. I guess it depends on the degree of manipulation. Most of the negative examples I've come across are mother/daughter imbroglios where the two would disagree, sometimes violently so.

Let's not forget Gypsy Rose Lee and Baby June Havoc's mom Rose from GYPSY fame as well as Mary Miles Minter's mom both mom's are part of Hollywood History for good or bad.