In 1928, she appeared in a First National Pictures part-talkie, The Barker. Her performance as manipulative carnival girl Carrie garnered her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress, although she lost to Mary Pickford in Coquette. In Court-Martial, a 1928 silent film, she became the first actress to portray Old West outlaw Belle Starr on film. In the same year, she appeared in the acclaimed Josef von Sternberg film The Docks of New York in a sympathetic portrayal of a suicidal prostitute.
In 1928, she appeared in a First National Pictures part-talkie, The Barker Her performance as manipulative carnival girl Carrie garnered her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress, although she lost to Mary Pickford in Coquette. In Court-Martial, a 1928 silent film, she became the first actress to portray Old West outlaw Belle Starr on film. In the same year, she appeared in. the acclaimed Josef von Sternberg film The Docks of New York .in a sympathetic portrayal of a suicidal prostitute