Gloria Grahame

I was born Gloria Hallward, on November 28, 1923, in Los Angeles, California. I'm the daughter of Michael Hallward, an architect, and Jean MacDougall, an actress whose stage name was Jean Grahame. I descended from royalty (King Edward III through my father's side) I was bred for acting at an early age. By the time I was a teenager I had little interest in school; I quit Hollywood High School just short of graduation to join a touring show called "Good Night Ladies". Later I appeared in a couple of Broadway plays, where I was spotted by MGM studio chief Louis B. Mayer. He was impressed enough to offer me a contract with MGM at $250 a week. My first role was that of Sally Murfin in "Blonde Fever", but it was a few years later that my role as Violet in "It's a Wonderful Life" set me apart from other actresses. I played the part of the the local temptress who sets her sights on James Stewart (a real sweetheart), and was done for Columbia while I was on loanout from MGM. MGM felt I didn't fit its rigid star pattern and sold my contract to RKO. After appearances in such films as "It Happened in Brooklyn" and "Song of the Thin Man", i finally hit paydirt as Ginny Tremaine in "Crossfire" for RKO. This was the film that would shoot me into superstardom. I was nominated for an Academy Award but lost out to Celeste Holm for "Gentleman's Agreement". After another performance in "The Greatest Show on Earth", I was nominated for yet another Oscar in "The Bad and the Beautiful", in which I played Rosemary Bartlow, the wife of a novelist turned screenwriter, opposite Dick Powell. This time I took home the Oscar. The film itself won four additional awards, making it the year's most honored movie. That same year I starred in "Macao" and "Sudden Fear", both very well received. The 1950s was a wonderful decade for Me, as I go the chance to appear in several more hits, including the epic musical "Oklahoma!". I can't say that it was one of my favorites, knowing perfectly well that I do not have a great singing voice but you do what you have to do. Then my career slowed. I made "Odds Against Tomorrow", my last film until "Ride Beyond Vengeance". I suffered through another paucity of roles until I landed a part in "The Todd Killings". During this period I worked TV. I ultimately made it back to the screen, but the films were not particularly well received (or up to my previous standards). My last two films were "Melvin and Howard" and "The Nesting". I contracted cancer and died in New York City on October 5, 1981, at the age of 57.

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