Leslie Brooks
Leslie Brooks (born Virginia Leslie Gettman, July 13, 1922 – July 1, 2011) was an American film actress, model and dancer.
Leslie Brooks | |
|---|---|
 in Blonde Ice (1948) | |
| Born | Virginia Leslie Gettman July 13, 1922 Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Died | July 1, 2011 (aged 88) Sherman Oaks, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) |
| Other names | Lorraine Gettman |
| Occupation | Actress, model, dancer |
| Years active | 1941–1948; 1971 |
| Spouse(s) | Donald Anthony Shay
(m. 1945; div. 1948)Russ Vincent
(m. 1950) |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) | Violet Fern Clark, Paul M. Gettman |
Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, her parents brought her to Southern California at an early age, where around 1940 she started work as a photographic model. At the beginning of her showbiz career she appeared as Lorraine Gettman.[1]
As Leslie Brooks, she began appearing in movie bit roles for Columbia in 1941. Brooks started landing more sizable parts in such movies as Nine Girls (1944), Cover Girl (1944), and the lead in the film noir classic Blonde Ice (1948). She retired from films in 1949, but returned to make one last film in 1971.
Personal life
Brooks was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on July 13 1922, daughter of Paul and Fern Clark Gettman. She spent much of her childhood with her paternal grandparents who ran a hotel in Crofton, and attended high school in Omaha.[2] Brooks was married twice and had four daughters. She wed her first husband, actor Donald Anthony Shay, January 6, 1945, in Beverly Hills, California.[3] They had a daughter, Leslie Victoria (b. 1945), and divorced in 1948.[4] She married Russ Vincent in 1950, and remained married until his death 51 years later. Brooks and Vincent had three daughters together; Dorena Marla (b. 1954), Gina L. (b. 1956) and Darla R. (b. 1960).[4]
Death
Brooks died on July 1, 2011 at the age of 88 in Sherman Oaks, California and was buried at the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.[5]
Selected filmography
- Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) as Chorus Girl in "Little Johnny Jones" (uncredited)
- You Were Never Lovelier (1942) as Cecy Acuña
- Lucky Legs (1942) as Jewel Perkins
- Overland to Deadwood (1942) as Linda Banning
- Underground Agent (1942) as Ann Carter
- Two Señoritas from Chicago (1943) as Lena Worth
- City Without Men (1943) as Gwen
- What's Buzzin', Cousin? (1943) as Josie (1943)
- Nine Girls (1944) as Roberta Holloway
- Cover Girl (1944) as Maurine Martin
- Tonight and Every Night (1945) as Angela
- I Love a Bandleader (1945) as Ann Stuart
- The Secret of the Whistler (1946) as Kay Morrell
- The Man Who Dared (1946) as Lorna Claibourne
- Cigarette Girl (1947) as Ellen WIlcox
- Romance on the High Seas (1948) as Miss Medwick
- Blonde Ice (1948) as Claire Cummings Hanneman
- Hollow Triumph (1948) as Virginia Taylor
- The Cobra Strikes (1948) as Olga Kaminoff
- How's Your Love Life? (1971) as Dr. Maureen John
References
- Todd, John (May 29, 1945). "Behind the Scenes in Hollywood". The Tipton Daily Tribune. Indiana, Tipton. International News Service. p. 2. Retrieved July 25, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Nebraska State Journal, pg D6". Nebraska State Journal. Jan 28, 1945.
- "Actress Leslie Brooks And Donald Shay Wed". Cumberland Evening Times. Maryland, Cumberland. Associated Press. January 8, 1945. p. 2. Retrieved July 25, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Leslie Brooks - The Private Life and Times of Leslie Brooks. Leslie Brooks Pictures". www.glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com.
- Wilson, Scott (19 August 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. ISBN 9781476625997 – via Google Books.
