Actress. Most remembered for her supporting roles as a sharp tongued best friend of the leading lady, Southern accent, and peroxide blonde hair, she began her movie career as a stand-in for actress Lillian Gish in the movie "The Wind" (1923), to whom she bore a striking resemblance. After "The Wind" she worked for several years on Broadway, then returned to the movies to do "Command Performance" (1930) and the D.W. Griffith film "Abraham Lincoln" (1930). It was right after "Abraham Lincoln" was made that Hollywood discovered her potential for comic roles. While she mostly played in supporting roles, she gave a notable performance as a chorus girl in "42nd Street" (1933). She is often remembered for her role as a frontier woman, Lily Belle Callahan, in "Destry Rides Again" (1939), in which she engages in a hair-pulling catfight with a saloon gal played by Marlene Dietrich. Her film career began to slide about 1944, and she moved to New York City and worked on the stage for several years. She played in over 90 movies, spanning the era of Silent Films to her last movie, "Spinout" in 1966, and also played many small roles in a number of television shows, from 1952 to 1965, such as "I Spy," "Burke's Law," "The United States Steel Hour," and "Kraft Television Theatre." She won a Tony Award in 1956 for her work in the play "The Ponder Heart" (1956), and was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1962, for her role of Mrs. Winemiller in "Summer and Smoke" (1961).
Actress. Most remembered for her supporting roles as a sharp tongued best friend of the leading lady, Southern accent, and peroxide blonde hair, she began her movie career as a stand-in for actress Lillian Gish in the movie "The Wind" (1923), to whom she bore a striking resemblance. After "The Wind" she worked for several years on Broadway, then returned to the movies to do "Command Performance" (1930) and the D.W. Griffith film "Abraham Lincoln" (1930). It was right after "Abraham Lincoln" was made that Hollywood discovered her potential for comic roles. While she mostly played in supporting roles, she gave a notable performance as a chorus girl in "42nd Street" (1933). She is often remembered for her role as a frontier woman, Lily Belle Callahan, in "Destry Rides Again" (1939), in which she engages in a hair-pulling catfight with a saloon gal played by Marlene Dietrich. Her film career began to slide about 1944, and she moved to New York City and worked on the stage for several years. She played in over 90 movies, spanning the era of Silent Films to her last movie, "Spinout" in 1966, and also played many small roles in a number of television shows, from 1952 to 1965, such as "I Spy," "Burke's Law," "The United States Steel Hour," and "Kraft Television Theatre." She won a Tony Award in 1956 for her work in the play "The Ponder Heart" (1956), and was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1962, for her role of Mrs. Winemiller in "Summer and Smoke" (1961).
Bio by: Kit and Morgan Benson
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