Agnes Ayres was an American actress who rose to fame during the silent film era. Born Agnes Eyre Henkel on April 4, 1892, in Carbondale, Illinois, she was the daughter of Solon and Emma Slack Henkel. She had an older brother named Solon William Henkel, born in 1888.
Agnes began her career in 1914, when she was noticed by an Essanay Studios staff director and cast as an extra in a crowd scene. After moving to New York City with her mother to pursue a career in acting, she was spotted by actress Alice Joyce, who noticed their physical resemblance and cast her in Richard the Brazen (1917) as Joyce's character's sister.
Ayres' career gained momentum when Paramount Pictures founder Jesse Lasky took an interest in her. Lasky gave her a starring role in the Civil War drama Held by the Enemy (1920) and lobbied for parts for her in several Cecil B. DeMille productions. She married Captain Frank P. Schuker, an army officer, during World War I, and quickly divorced him.
In 1921, Ayres shot to stardom when she was cast as Lady Diana Mayo, an English heiress opposite Rudolph Valentino in The Sheik. She later reprised her role as Lady Diana in the 1926 sequel Son of the Sheik. Following the release of The Sheik, she went on to have major roles in many other films, including The Affairs of Anatol (1921) starring Wallace Reid, Forbidden Fruit (1921),and Cecil B. DeMille's epic The Ten Commandments (1923).
By 1923, Ayres' career began to wane following the end of her relationship with Jesse Lasky. She married Mexican diplomat S. Manuel Reachi in 1924, and the couple had a daughter before divorcing in 1927. In 1929, Ayres lost her fortune and real estate holdings in the Crash of '29.
In 1929, Ayres appeared in her last major role in The Donovan Affair, starring Jack Holt. To earn money, she left acting and played the vaudeville circuit. She returned to acting in 1936, confident that she could make a comeback, but was unable to secure starring roles and appeared in mostly uncredited bit parts. She finally retired from acting for good in 1937.
After her retirement, Ayres became despondent and was eventually committed to a sanatorium. She also lost custody of her daughter to Reachi in 1939. She died from a cerebral hemorrhage on December 25, 1940, at her home at the age of 42.
