Actress. Her career spanned five decades during which she appeared in over 70 films. The daughter of silent film actress Anna Lehr and actor/director Edwin McKim, she made her film debut at age four in "Ramona" (1916) followed by a few other children's roles. In the late 1920s she worked as a dance instructor and began appearing in films again as a chorus girl. After meeting filmmaker Howard Hughes, he began to instruct her on the skills to become a serious actress and she soon became a success, starring in the 1932 films "Scarface" (with Paul Muni), "Three on a Match" (with Joan Blondell and Bette Davis), "Love is a Racket" (with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.), "The Strange Love of Molly Louvain" (with Lee Tracy), and "Sky Devils" (with Spencer Tracy). In 1932 she married British actor Leslie Fenton (divorced in 1946) and continued to star in films up to the early 1950s. Her other notable films include "G-Men" (1935, with James Cagney), "Flame of the Barbary Coast" (1945, with John Wayne), and "Abilene Town" (1946, with Randolph Scott). During World War II she went to England with her husband and worked as an ambulance driver while continuing her film career. Her final film appearance was in "The Secret of Convict Lake" (1951, with Glenn Ford), after which she retired from the silver screen but continued to make television appearances for another year. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to films.
Actress. Her career spanned five decades during which she appeared in over 70 films. The daughter of silent film actress Anna Lehr and actor/director Edwin McKim, she made her film debut at age four in "Ramona" (1916) followed by a few other children's roles. In the late 1920s she worked as a dance instructor and began appearing in films again as a chorus girl. After meeting filmmaker Howard Hughes, he began to instruct her on the skills to become a serious actress and she soon became a success, starring in the 1932 films "Scarface" (with Paul Muni), "Three on a Match" (with Joan Blondell and Bette Davis), "Love is a Racket" (with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.), "The Strange Love of Molly Louvain" (with Lee Tracy), and "Sky Devils" (with Spencer Tracy). In 1932 she married British actor Leslie Fenton (divorced in 1946) and continued to star in films up to the early 1950s. Her other notable films include "G-Men" (1935, with James Cagney), "Flame of the Barbary Coast" (1945, with John Wayne), and "Abilene Town" (1946, with Randolph Scott). During World War II she went to England with her husband and worked as an ambulance driver while continuing her film career. Her final film appearance was in "The Secret of Convict Lake" (1951, with Glenn Ford), after which she retired from the silver screen but continued to make television appearances for another year. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to films.
Bio by: William Bjornstad
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Dvorak memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
