Allyn King

Allyn was obsessed with her weight because of a clause in her contract that said she would be fired if she gained ten pounds. She began starving herself and taking thyroid pills to maintain her boyish figure. In 1923 she made her film debut in The Fighting Blade, and it would be her only movie role. She was romantically involved with Carl Wiedemann, a wealthy brewer from Kentucky. There were rumors they were engaged, but the relationship ended when she refused to give up her career.

By 1927, years of extreme dieting left her thirty pounds underweight and suffering from severe anemia. She entered a sanitarium to recover and remained there for almost two years. After being released, Allyn started studying music and hoped to return to Broadway. Unfortunately, she became very depressed when she gained weight. On March 29, 1930 she jumped out of a five-story apartment window. She survived the fall but died from her injuries on March 31. Allyn had committed suicide at the young age of thirty-one. She left a note saying she was unhappy about her failed career and recent weight gain. Allyn was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in New York City. She was American.