Actor / Director Profile

Leila Hyams was one of the top leading ladies of the early talkie pre-code years. She was a likable, pleasing actress with a charming presence. She had much spark, personality and charisma, she had a touch of down to earthiness and naturalness that won movie fans, they could relate to her. A versatile, excellent actress she was, able to conform to any role and maintain that special heart-felt sincerity she always displayed in her role. "Freaks" was Leila's most known movie, starring as Venus, where she gave a compassionate performance. Her image on screen was beautiful but not conceited, not high and mighty like Joan Crawford, attainable unlike Garbo, tough but sweet unlike Bette Davis, and Leila had sex appeal but always a lady who still maintained innocence unlike Jean Harlow. Those were the qualities that carried her to fame and set her apart from the other leading ladies of early Hollywood.