Anne Shirley (actress)
Anne Shirley (born Dawn Evelyn Paris; April 17, 1918 – July 4, 1993) was an American actress.
Anne Shirley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Dawn Evelyn Paris April 17, 1918 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | July 4, 1993 (aged 75) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Dawn O'Day |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1922–1944 |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2, including Julie Payne |
Beginning her career as a child actress under the stage name Dawn O'Day, she adopted the stage name of Anne Shirley, after playing the title character in the film adaptation of Anne of Green Gables in 1934,[1] after which she achieved a successful career in supporting roles. Among her films is Stella Dallas (1937), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Although Shirley left the acting profession in 1944, at the age of 26, she remained in Los Angeles, where she died at the age of 75.[2]
Early life
Born in New York City[2] as a baby she began modeling, and made her film debut with a featured role in 1922's Moonshine Valley.[3] Shirley began acting at the age of five as the live action "Alice" in Walt Disney's pre-Mickey Mouse silent animated series "Alice in Cartoonland". She had a highly successful child star career in Pre-Code movies, appearing in films such as Liliom, Tom Mix's Riders of the Purple Sage, So Big, Three on a Match and Rasputin and the Empress.
Career
In 1934, she starred as the character of Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables and took that character's name as her stage name.
After adopting the name Anne Shirley, she starred in Steamboat 'Round the Bend, Make Way for a Lady and Stella Dallas, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Later roles were in Vigil in the Night, Anne of Windy Poplars, The Devil and Daniel Webster and Murder, My Sweet, her final film. Of Shirley's portrayal in Saturday's Children, The New York Times wrote that she "endows the little wife with heroic integrity and strength of character."[4]
Personal life
Shirley married actor John Payne on August 22, 1937, in Montecito, California.[5] They had a daughter, former actress Julie Payne, and divorced in 1943.[6]
Her second husband was film producer and screenwriter Adrian Scott. When he was blacklisted and decided to move the family to Europe, she wrote him a "Dear John" letter, stating she'd rather stay behind and divorce him, which she did in 1949.[7]
Her third husband was Charles Lederer, nephew of Marion Davies. They had a son, Daniel Lederer, before his death in 1976.[6]
Shirley had brief relationships with younger western star Rory Calhoun and with French movie star Jean-Pierre Aumont.
Shirley died from lung cancer in Los Angeles, aged 75, on July 4, 1993, and was cremated.[6] For her contributions to the motion picture industry, she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7020 Hollywood Blvd.
Filmography
.png.webp)
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1922 | The Hidden Woman | Girl | as Dawn O'Day lost film |
| Moonshine Valley | Nancy | as Dawn O'Day lost film | |
| 1923 | The Rustle of Silk | Girl | as Dawn O'Day lost film |
| The Spanish Dancer | Don Balthazar Carlos | as Dawn O'Day | |
| 1924 | The Man Who Fights Alone | Dorothy | as Dawn O'Day lost film |
| The Fast Set | Little Margaret | as Dawn O'Day lost film | |
| 1925 | Riders of the Purple Sage | Fay Larkin | uncredited |
| Alice's Egg Plant | Alice | Short, as Dawn O'Day | |
| 1927 | The Callahans and the Murphys | Mary Callahan | as Dawn O'Day lost film |
| Night Life | Daughter of War Profiteer | as Dawn O'Day | |
| 1928 | Mother Knows Best | Sally, as a child | as Dawn O'Day lost film |
| 4 Devils | Marion, as a girl | as Dawn O'Day lost film | |
| Sins of the Fathers | Mary, as a child | as Dawn O'Day | |
| 1930 | City Girl | Marie Tustine | as Dawn O'Day |
| Liliom | Louise | as Dawn O'Day | |
| 1931 | Gun Smoke | Horton's Daughter | as Dawn O'Day |
| Hello Napoleon | The Little Girl | short, as Dawn O'Day | |
| Howdy Mate | - | short, as Dawn O'Day | |
| Rich Man's Folly | Anne, as a child | as Dawn O'Day | |
| 1932 | Emma | Isabelle as a Child | uncredited |
| Young America | Mabel Saunders | as Dawn O'Day | |
| So Big! | Selina Peake, as a Child | uncredited | |
| The Purchase Price | Sarah Tipton, the Daughter | uncredited | |
| Three on a Match | Vivian Revere as a Child | as Dawn O'Day | |
| Rasputin and the Empress | Princess Anastasia | uncredited | |
| 1933 | The Life of Jimmy Dolan | Mary Lou | uncredited |
| 1934 | This Side of Heaven | Flower Girl | scenes deleted, as Dawn O'Day |
| School for Girls | Catherine Fogarty | ||
| Finishing School | Billie | as Dawn O'Day | |
| The Key | Flower Girl | as Dawn O'Day | |
| Bachelor Bait | Miriam Ann Johnson, Marriage License Applicant | uncredited | |
| Anne of Green Gables | Anne Shirley | ||
| Picture Palace | Dawn | short, as Dawn O'Day | |
| Private Lessons | Dawn | short, as Dawn O'Day | |
| 1935 | Chasing Yesterday | Jeanne Alexandre | |
| Steamboat Round the Bend | Fleety Belle | ||
| 1936 | Chatterbox | Jenny Yates | |
| M'Liss | M'liss Smith | ||
| So and Sew | - | short, uncredited | |
| Make Way for a Lady | June Drew | ||
| 1937 | Too Many Wives | Betty Jackson | |
| Meet the Missus | Louise Foster | ||
| Stella Dallas | Laurel "Lollie" Dallas | nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress | |
| 1938 | Condemned Women | Millie Anson | |
| Law of the Underworld | Annabelle Porter | ||
| Mother Carey's Chickens | Nancy Carey | ||
| Girls' School | Natalie Freeman | ||
| A Man to Remember | Jean Johnson | ||
| 1939 | Boy Slaves | Annie | |
| Sorority House | Alice Fisher | ||
| Career | Sylvia Bartholomew | ||
| 1940 | Vigil in the Night | Lucy Lee | |
| Saturday's Children | Bobby Halevy | ||
| Anne of Windy Poplars | Anne Shirley | ||
| 1941 | West Point Widow | Nancy Hull | |
| Unexpected Uncle | Kathleen Brown | ||
| The Devil and Daniel Webster | Mary Stone | ||
| 1942 | Four Jacks and a Jill | Karanina 'Nina' Novak | |
| The Mayor of 44th Street | Jessey Lee | ||
| 1943 | Lady Bodyguard | A.C. Baker | |
| The Powers Girl | Ellen Evans | ||
| Bombardier | Burton Hughes | ||
| Government Girl | May Harness Blake | ||
| 1944 | Man from Frisco | Diana Kennedy | |
| Music in Manhattan | Frankie Foster | ||
| Murder, My Sweet | Anne Grayle | final film role |
References
- "Anne Shirley At Weller". The Times Recorder. Zanesville, Ohio. July 7, 1940. p. 16. Retrieved July 13, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- Shipman, David (October 22, 2011). "Obituary: Anne Shirley". The Independent. London. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
- "Information Desk". Modern Screen. 11 (2). July 1935. p. 10. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
- Crowther, Bosley (May 4, 1940). "THE SCREEN; John Garfield and Anne Shirley Seen at Strand in 'Saturday's Children'--'Star Dust' at Roxy". The New York Times. para. 4. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
- "Anne Marries". Mansfield News Journal. United Press. August 23, 1937. p. 10. Retrieved July 13, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Anne Shirley". Variety. Associated Press. July 8, 1993. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
- Barzman, Norma (August 18, 2004). The Red and the Blacklist: The Intimate Memoir of a Hollywood Expatriate. Public Affairs. ISBN 978-1560256175.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Anne Shirley. |
- Anne Shirley at IMDb
- Anne Shirley at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Anne Shirley at the Turner Classic Movies database
- Anne Shirley at AllMovie
- Anne Shirley at Find a Grave
- Anne Shirley at Virtual History
