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Sylvia AshleyEnglish model, actress and socialite
Date of Birth: 01.04.1904
Country:  USA |
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Biography of Sylvia Ashley
Sylvia Ashley, born Edith Louisa Sylvia Hawkes, was an English model, actress, and socialite. She was born on April 1, 1904, in Paddington, London, England. Although Sylvia preferred to use 1906 as her birth year, official documents confirm it to be 1904. Her parents were Arthur Hawkes and Edith Florence Hyde. Sylvia had a sister named Lillian Vera Hawkes, who married British film producer Basil Bleck.
Marriages
Edith Hawkes was married five times. From February 3, 1927, to November 28, 1934, she was married to Anthony Ashley-Cooper, Lord Ashley, an English aristocrat and descendant of the Earls of Shaftesbury. From March 7, 1936, to December 12, 1939, she was married to American actor Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., known for his roles in silent films such as "The Thief of Bagdad," "Robin Hood," and "The Mark of Zorro." From January 18, 1944, to 1948, she was married to Edward John Stanley, the 6th Baron Sheffield. Lastly, in 1954, Hawkes married Prince Dimitri Djordjadze, a racing driver and hotel magnate.
Modeling and Acting Career
Using her second name, Sylvia, the beautiful Englishwoman worked as a model, often appearing in lingerie. She also danced for Sir Charles Blake Cochran, known as "Cochran's Dancers," which was equivalent to being a Ziegfeld Follies girl on Broadway. After participating in musicals, Ashley went through numerous auditions for roles in various West End productions. Eventually, she landed a role and made her debut in the theater project "Midnight Follies" in 1924. Sylvia also performed in the musical "Primrose" and became a member of the cast of "Tell me More" at the Winter Garden Theatre in London and "The Whole Town's Talking."
Philanthropy
On March 1, 1941, Lady Ashley celebrated the opening of the British Distressed Areas Fund, a charitable organization aimed at helping disadvantaged areas. She was involved in the fund alongside her sister, Vera Bleck, as well as Constance Bennett and Virginia Fox Zanuck. These women served as directors of the fund, seeking financial support to provide food, clothing, and medical assistance to refugees from war-torn areas during World War II. The organization was headquartered in Los Angeles.
Legacy
Sylvia Ashley passed away at the age of 73 on June 29, 1977, in Los Angeles, California, due to cancer. She was buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, although her grave is located far from the resting place of her second husband, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.
