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In 1931, Constance Bennett signed a $300,000 two-film contract with Warner Brothers, making her the highest-paid film player up to that time. She worked steadily in talkies from 1929, with Common Clay 1930 as a success, then moved into sophisticated comedies: Topper 1937 and Merrily We Live 1938. Bennett turned down the lead in It Happened One Night 1934 after Columbia refused her production control; Claudette Colbert took the role and won an Oscar. By the 1940s she made fewer films, so she coordinated shows for troops during the Berlin Airlift 1948-49, earning military honors.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Constance Bennett — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Constance Bennett by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Constance Bennett — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
New York City, October 22, 1904 — Constance Bennett was born to actors Richard Bennett and Adrienne Morrison. She attended the Chapin School, a private school in Manhattan. Younger sisters Joan and Barbara also became actresses, forming a notable show business family.
Bennett appeared in silent films and after a chance meeting with Samuel Goldwyn, she starred in Cytherea 1924. She married Philip Plant in 1925 and left acting, but returned with the arrival of talkies in 1929. Common Clay 1930 established her in roles as loose ladies and unwed mothers. She found her best work in sophisticated comedies: The Affairs of Cellini 1934, Topper 1937, and Merrily We Live 1938. Bennett signed a $300,000 two-film contract with Warner Brothers in 1931, making her the highest-paid actor of the era. She turned down the lead in It Happened One Night 1934 when Columbia refused her production control. Film roles dwindled in the 1940s, so she moved into radio and theatre and launched businesses in women’s wear and cosmetics.
Bennett married five times. Her first marriage to Chester Hirst Moorehead lasted from 1921 to 1923. She then married Philip Morgan Plant in 1925 divorced 1929, Henri de la Falaise in 1931 divorced 1940, Gilbert Roland in 1941 divorced 1946, and finally Brigadier General John Theron Coulter in 1946 until her death. With Gilbert Roland she had two daughters: Lorinda and Christina Gyl Consuelo. She also adopted a son, Peter Bennett Plant, born in 1929. She played poker with skill, feuded with the press, and engaged in lawsuits.
A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6250 Hollywood Boulevard marks Constance Bennett’s film career. She was among the highest-paid actors in the early sound era. Her fashion sense made an impact on Hollywood. Her sophisticated comedies, particularly Topper 1937, remain her best-known work. During the Berlin Airlift 1948-49, she coordinated shows for troops, earning military honors and burial at Arlington National Cemetery. Her image appears on the cover of the 2011 music CD Electro Swing IV.
The complete filmography of Constance Bennett — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Constance Bennett — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
A wall of memorable lines from Constance Bennett — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
I’m a Lot More Sartorial Than Thespian. They Come to See Me and Go Out Humming the Costumes.
Little-known facts about Constance Bennett — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
Constance Bennett had two sisters, both actresses: Barbara Bennett and Joan Bennett.
Bennett used her own singing voice in films, on stage, and in a nightclub act from 1956 to 1962 where she parodied early rock-n-roll.
She died of a cerebral hemorrhage at Walston Army Hospital in Fort Dix, New Jersey.
Bennett is interred at Arlington National Cemetery beside her husband, Brigadier General John Theron Coulter, in Section 3, Lot 2231-A, Grid P-13, in recognition of her Berlin Airlift work.
Many sources incorrectly list Bennett’s birth year as 1905; her sister Joan corrected it to 1904 in her autobiography, making her age at death 60.
Bennett had two daughters, Lorinda Roland and Gyl Roland, with her fourth husband Gilbert Roland, and adopted a son Peter Bennett Plant in 1930.
Bennett accepted the role of Ellie Andrews in It Happened One Night 1934 but turned it down when Columbia refused her production control; Claudette Colbert took the role and won an Oscar.
Bennett was a skilled poker player.
In 1931, Bennett signed a $300,000 two-film contract with Warner Brothers, making her the highest-paid film player at that time and reportedly inspiring tax legislation targeting the film industry.
Bennett married the Marquis de la Falaise de la Coudray, who had been previously married to her Pathe Studios rival Gloria Swanson.
Bennett ranked among the best-dressed women in Hollywood. A 1941 magazine claimed she spent $250,000 on wardrobe that year, which she vehemently denied.
Bennett’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6250 Hollywood Boulevard is near her sister Joan Bennett’s star.
Bennett’s image adorns the cover of the 2011 music CD Electro Swing IV.
Portrait artist Willy Pogany sued Bennett for his fee after she complained he made her waist and thighs look thicker in her portrait.
Bennett was the daughter of actors Richard Bennett and Adrienne Morrison.
Bennett’s grandfather Morris W. Morris stage name Lewis Morrison had English and wealthy Spanish ancestry, as detailed in her sister Joan’s 1970 autobiography.
Bennett was the granddaughter of Rose Wood and stage actor Lewis Morrison born Morris W. Morris, 1845-1906.
Bennett was the aunt of Morton Downey Jr. and Melinda Markey.
Bennett was mother-in-law to Dan Barton and sister-in-law to Morton Downey.
Bennett made her stage debut in Noël Coward’s Easy Virtue in 1940.
Bennett was a prominent member of the Hollywood Democratic Committee, supporting liberal causes like the United Nations and candidates such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Henry Wallace, Adlai Stevenson, and John F. Kennedy.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Constance Bennett.
Celebrities similar to Constance Bennett — same craft, ranked by reach.
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