Milestones: Jun. 27, 1983

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DIED. Norma Shearer, 80, regal Hollywood star of the 1920s and '30s whose hard work, determination and matter-of-fact charm, along with her marriage to legendary MGM Production Chief Irving Thalberg, more than compensated for possible deficiencies of beauty or talent and made her one of the glamour era's most popular and successful actresses; of bronchial pneumonia; in Woodland Hills, Calif. Born in Canada, she broke into silent films in New York City, then was noticed in a small film role by Thalberg, who began to guide every step of her career. Under his supervision (which included deft camera work to hide a cast in her eye) she portrayed a series of slightly risqué heroines in films like The Divorcee (1930), for which she won an Academy Award. After that came such sentimental romances and costume epics as Smilin' Through (1932) and Romeo and Juliet, which was completed just before Thalberg's death in 1936. After she turned down two roles that proved to be glittering showcases—Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind and the title character in Mrs. Miniver—her career faded; in 1942 she married Ski Instructor Martin Arrouge and retired for good.