She was born Mary Ellen Reynolds on September 1, 1898 in Evansville, Indiana. Her parents divorced when she a child. Marilyn began performing in vaudeville with her family when she was just four years old. In 1914 she was discovered by producer Lee Shubert who cast her in The Passing Show on Broadway. Then the petite blonde became a headliner in the Ziegfeld Follies. It was rumored that she had an affair with producer Flo Ziegfeld. She married Frank Carter, an acrobatic dancer, in 1919. Sadly he was killed in a car accident the following year. Marilyn starred in Ziegfeld's hit Broadway musical Sally. Her performance won raves reviews and she became known for singing "Look For The Silver Lining". On July 30, 1922 she married actor Jack Pickford, the brother of Mary Pickford. He was an alcoholic and cheated on her with actress Clara Kimball Young. They divorced in 1927. Her success on the stage continued with starring roles in the musicals Sunny and Rosalie. By 1928 she was the highest paid woman on Broadway earning more than $3,000 a week.
Unfortunately she suffered from recurring sinus infections and developed a drinking problem. She dated actor Ben Lyon and was engaged to Don Alvarado. Her third marriage, to dancer Jack Donahue, lasted only a few months. In 1929 she made her film debut in the musical Sally. Then she appeared in the films Sunny and Her Majesty Love. Marilyn returned to broadway in 1933 to star in As Thousands Cheer. She told reporters "It may sound strange, but I never want to grow old. I never want to see the day when I cannot sing and dance as I can now". On September 1, 1934 she married Chet O'Brien, a dancer who was ten years younger than her. Their marriage was unhappy and she suffered a miscarriage. Marilyn had a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized in March of 1936. A few weeks later she she developed a serious sinus infection and was given insulin injections. Tragically on April 7, 1936 she died at the young age of thirty-seven. She was buried at with her first husband at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York.
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