GloriaGrahame 1940s

Gloria Grahame Hallward (Nov 28,1923 – Oct 5,1981) EARLY LIFE Grahame was born in Los Angeles, California. Her father, Reginald Michael Bloxam Hallward, was an architect and author; her mother, Jeanne McDougall, who used the stage name Jean Grahame, was a British stage actress and acting teacher. She had an older sister, Joy Hallward (1911–2003), also an actress who married John Mitchum (the younger brother of actor Robert Mitchum). During Gloria's childhood and adolescence, her mother taught her acting. She attended Hollywood High School but dropped out to pursue acting. Grahame was signed to a contract with #MGMStudios after Louis B. Mayer saw her performing on #Broadway. FILM CAREER At 21, Grahame made her film debut in Blonde Fever (1944) cast as Sally, the other woman. She is perhaps best known for playing #VioletBick in #FrankCapra's "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946). As Hollywood entered the post-WWII #FilmNoir period, she was successfully cast as the tough bad girl or a ‪#FemmeFatale character‬. GG co-starred in several #FilmNoir's during the genre's period; including a turn as mob moll Debby Marsh in Fritz Lang's "The Big Heat" (1953) with #GlennFord as the cop and #LeeMarvin as the mobster; now considered a #FilmNoir classic. She was nominated for an #AcademyAward for Best Supporting Actress for ‪Crossfire (1947‬) and despite only appearing for 9 minutes onscreen, she won the #AcademyAward for Best Supporting Actress in #MGM's "The Bad and the Beautiful" (1952) with #KirkDouglas. Her career waned after 1955, but she made 24 films from 1944-55 and mostly forgettable roles in another 15 with the final one in 1981 when she was 58. In the 1960s, she guest starred in a number of TV series and miniseries including #TheOuterLimits and #Mannix. PERSONAL LIFE GG was married 4 times, though 3 didn't last over 4 years. She had a son Timothy by her second to director #NicholasRay. Her 4th and final controversial marriage was to Ray's oldest son Tony which lasted 14 years and resulted in 2 children. They divorced in 1974. LATER LIFE As she aged, GG became increasingly concerned with her physical appearance and underwent a number of cosmetic procedures with sometimes disastrous results. She died of cancer in 1981. LEGACY A motion picture "Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool", based on her ex-partner Peter Turner's account of the final years of her life, was released in the UK and US in late 2017. She is portrayed by Annette Bening. It was critically acclaimed but a box office flop. #FemmeFatale #FilmNoir #ScreenSirens #HollywoodGoldenAge /181222 v5