She made the move to Hollywood before Samuel Goldwyn selected her from 73 actresses for the leading role in Stella Dallas (1925). While she was filming the movie, her son, 16-year-old William Howard Macy, died.
Before settling in Hollywood, she was chosen by Samuel Goldwyn out of 73 actresses to play the lead role in Stella Dallas (1925), a part she took while her 16-year-old son, William Howard Macy, tragically died during filming.