Coleman was born in Mason, Ohio to Pierce Coleman and Grace Coleman. Her father was a former Major League Baseball pitcher from Mason. The name "Majel" means "wood dove". Sometime prior to age 17, Majel and her parents were living in Cincinnati, where she attended Hughes Center High School.
Film actress
Majel, who was a beauty contest winner in her hometown, went to Hollywood in 1921 after high school. Coleman wanted to work for Cecil B. De Mille in particular. When she could not find a way to get his attention, she lost interest in working for other movie studios. Then a chance happening changed Coleman's future. De Mille noticed Coleman when a small stray dog followed her home and became intimidated by her police dog. The little dog jumped off her porch and broke its leg on the cement below. It continued on across the street with Coleman pursuing. A car driven by the film producer almost ran over the red haired beauty. Together Demille and Coleman took the puppy to the hospital. De Mille then signed Coleman to a movie contract in March 1925. He made tests and arranged for her to act in small parts in his next films. Coleman's hands became an ideal of perfection, beginning with film screen tests which revealed their beauty, and she was often a hand double in movies. She was listed among the 14 most beautiful women in the world in 1926 along with Sally Rand, Etta Lee, Eugenia Gilbert, Jocelyn Lee, Sally Long, Clara Morris, Olive Borden, Christina Montt, Adalyn Mayer, Thais Valdemar, Yola D'Avril, and Dorothy Seastrom. Her early motion picture efforts include roles in Bluebeard's Eighth Wife and several Harry Carey westerns, Soft Shoes and West of Broadway. In Corporal Kate Coleman stars with Vera Reynolds and Julia Faye. The setting is Rivecourt, France, a town almost totally destroyed by the German offensive of August–September 1918, during World War I. The American 7th Machine Gun Battalion fought there. In 1927, Coleman played Procula, the wife of Pontius Pilate, in Demille's production of King of Kings. Her last films include roles in The Girl In The Glass Cage and Romance of the Rio Grande.
Advertising model
Coleman made many promotional appearances at automobile shows and other events. She was once photographed demonstrating a Velvetone eliminator. The little black box was invented by Harry Houdini and did away with the need for B batteries in radio reception.
Personal life
Majel Coleman was married to Academy Award-winning feature film and television set decorator Victor Gangelin and they lived in Los Angeles. Coleman died at age 77 in 1980 in Paramount, California.
