Page "Norma Talmadge" Paragraph 3

According to her birth certificate, Talmadge was born on May 2, 1894 in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Although it has been widely believed she was born in Niagara Falls, New York, after achieving stardom, she admitted that she and her mother provided the more scenic setting of Niagara Falls to fan magazines to be more romantic.

Talmadge was the eldest daughter of Fred Talmadge, a chronic unemployed alcoholic, and Margaret " Peg " Talmadge, a witty and indomitable woman.

Talmadge's childhood was marked by poverty.

One Christmas morning, Fred Talmadge left the house to buy food and never came back, leaving his wife to raise their three little daughters.

Peg took in laundry, sold cosmetics, taught painting classes, and rented out rooms, raising her daughters in Brooklyn, New York.