Ready for Her Astro-Close-Up: Miss Gloria Swanson

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:For_better,_for_worse_-_Gloria_Swanson.jpg; For Better, For Worse; Paramount Pictures (1919)

As we see in the natal horoscope of Gloria Swanson, a Sun Aries-Moon Libra personality blend with its passionate Venus-Mars vibes describes a woman for whom relationships, attraction, and desire were all-important. Her publicity-seeking Moon in lovely Venus-ruled Libra conjoined her Midheaven, the most visible point of aspiration in any horoscope, aka, the Career and Public Status Point. Plus, there's another love indicator for asteroid Cupido (Cupid's 'cousin'!) rises with her Ascendant @20Sag14 and can also represent creativity and The Arts.

Yet nowadays most people only know Gloria Swanson for her "stunning" 1949 comeback at age 50 (and still beautiful!) in the film Sunset Boulevard but for years previously she had been a popular, top-paid actress in the early days of Hollywood, beginning her film career in silent movies at age 14.

Born in Chicago, Illinois on March 27, 1899 @12:20 am CST (RR: A, from memory) as Gloria May Josephine Svensson, Gloria Swanson originally studied opera having a beautiful singing voice but soon became enticed by the burgeoning film industry.

During her lifetime Swanson made and lost wealth and husbands (six!) and was abandoned and decimated by a certain lover (and father of a US president), Joseph P. Kennedy, who stole from her--ruined her, in fact (see video link, below). Then in 1980 she published an autobiography Swanson on Swanson which is still available through Amazon from third-party sellers.

Then on April 4, 1983, Gloria Swanson passed away, age 84, following heart surgery in New York City yet her magnetic image of beauty and glamour jumps from Neptune's Silver Screen as if from another world for those who care to have a look at a genuine Hollywood legend (see The Take video, linked, below). Age 84 suggests that during the year of her death, she experienced only the first of her three-fer Uranus Return/s (to 7Sag56) but didn't make it until the second or third returns which occurred on: 1. January 21, 1983; (her death); 2. May 8, 1983; and 3. November 8, 1983. Curiously, all three Return horoscopes show a YOD planetary pattern which is a health indicator and denotes a crisis or a critical turning point. As you know, Uranus is a planet of separation and detachment and of course, death is the final separation. So if I had to hazard a guess about her health based on this cosmic condition, I'd say that Miss Swanson had been ill for an extended period of time and unfortunately heart surgeries weren't always as successful as they tend to be today.

Curious for more details about the life and loves of Gloria? Check out Smithsonian Channel's 4-min-38-sec segment The Affair That Financially Ruined Gloria Swanson. And if you have 13 minutes or so to spare, don't miss The Take's intriguing feature Sunset Boulevard Explained: The Hollywood Nightmare about the making of this noir film classic.

And now to close this astro-tribute to screen legend Gloria Swanson I sincerely wish to say, May the beautiful and unique lady R.I.P.

Gene Tierney: A Shattered Portrait video excerpt w Astro-Notes

With the birth data and horoscope of Gene Tierney we find that even the date of her birth is in question so a Rodden Rating of XX is all we have to go by. View her horoscope at astro.com where you'll find her natal chart with Sun @27Scorpio and Moon @9Pisces, a double Water Sun-Moon personality blend. If her birth hour of 5:15 pm is correct, her natal Ascendant @10Gemini adds a Mutable Air flavor and sparkle to her way of seeing the world and the world's view of her. However, you've probably heard of Tierney's mental problems such as chronic depression with a first episode in 1954 described as a 'breakdown' and the sign of Gemini implicated.

Yet with one of her two daughters born with mental impairment due to Gene contracting German measles during her pregnancy, it seems to me that few mothers would completely escape some form of difficulty--mental and/or emotional--because of the feeling that they were the cause of their child's condition or at least partially responsible for it. And astrologically there is the famous Gemini Twin dark vs light paradox of Castor and Pollux which for some may mimic a bipolar condition and can include the deep fear that they are losing their minds--or are subject to 'losing it' as we say today. The phrase 'self-fulfilling prophecy' may be suggested for those who persist with this sort of self-persecution which may very well include generational or free-floating anxiety 'picked up' by overly sensitive types.

Add to these potentials her Water-Water Sun-Moon blend which suggests a sensitive emotional and imaginative person. Double Water personalities can go teary-eyed in a moment and tend to 'go with the flow' (good for acting!) Sentimentality may be a strong tendency as well as a love of the past--old friends included. Strong theatrical and poetic talents are obvious and Gene Tierney is certainly a good example of this. However, a lack of objectivity may have been notable in her private life along with the assumption of rationality when she was actually behaving irrationally. The more I type the more I think these watery traits added creative imagination, yes, but also may have provided fertile ground for the mental and emotional problems mentioned above. What we have is an archetype of the super-rational husband with the hysterical wife to act our his emotions for him which resonates all too well with the times and the films that were made during Tierney's era: she was onscreen from 1940 - 1965.

So if her rising sign is Gemini, the worry wart who can overthink things until they are mentally and emotionally exhausted is also part of her personality portrait! Plus, Double Water's tendency to cling to relationships long after they should be ended can also create emotional problems and regrets. My regret is that years ago I owned a copy of her autobiography Self Portrait but lost track of the book during a relocation (drat!)

Now with Sun in brooding Scorpio and Moon in compassionate yet often confused Pisces, we find a warm-hearted yet aloof lady with a love of mystery and a dedication to hard work. Caring, healing, and sympathy are imprinted upon her though being prone to addiction is indicated as well. Idealism, dreaminess, and sensitivity are shown though it seems she could be a real 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' which is supported by the starry dark and light twins, Castor and Pollux, plus, perhaps the other Gemini tendencies. Was she a shrewd and ruthless go-getter? (Scorpio) or an 'angel of mercy' like a woman with an emotional Moon in Pisces? Probably both, alternately, but when both sides (Sun = conscious mind; the adult, Moon = the unconscious; the child) were cooperating, a 'creative middle' can be beneficially utilized.

A prominent influence in her life was her dictatorial father who is represented in her natal chart by Saturn in Virgo, sign of the perfectionist and the critic.

If you wish, check out this chart analysis of Gene Tierney at Libra Rising which lists her natal planets for November 19, 1920 5:15 pm est Brooklyn, New York with her cool beauty spotlighted.

Throughout her life, the astrology chart and planets of Gene Tierney denote one who sometimes reached the heights then plummeted to the depths as many people do. Yet being on the Silver Screen magnified her trials and her joys while enlarging her lovely Venusian image. Possessing a deep understanding of human nature was perfect for her acting roles and her attraction to mystery along with great personal charisma and magnetism helped make her best known film, Laura, a film noir classic suitable for one with Sun in dark Scorpio, the 8th sign of the Zodiac with an interest in death (her character was already a murder victim as the story began!)

However, Gene Tierney's Oscar nomination was actually for Leave Her to Heaven in which Scorpio traits such as romance, jealousy, possessiveness, rivalry, and sin have starring roles. Check out this fair use trailer of Leave Her to Heaven (1945) followed by an excerpt from the documentary Gene Tierney: A Shattered Portrait::

~:~

Natal data used: Gene Tierney November 19, 1920 5:15 pm Brooklyn (Kings County), New York; RR: XX; collector: Holliday (bio and horoscope linked, above.)