Bette Davis was born on April 5, 1908 in Lowell, Massachusetts as Ruth Elizabeth Davis. Her parents were Harlow Morrell and Ruth Augusta (Favor) Davis. Bette’s sister Barbara was born a year later. Bette’s parents separated in 1915, and although Bette’s mother had difficulty affording it, she placed both girls in boarding school in the Berkshires. The family moved to New York City in 1921 and Bette’s mother worked there as a photographer. Bette’s dream of becoming an actress took hold after seeing Rudolph Valentino perform in the movie “The Four Horsemen” and Mary Pickford in “Little Lord Fauntleroy” in 1921. Bette’s mother had once possessed the same dream, so she encouraged her daughter in her pursuit.

Bette’s desire to become an actress became more urgent after seeing Henrik Ibsen’s “The Wild Duck” on stage in 1926. According to Bette, “Before that performance I wanted to be an actress. When it ended, I had to be an actress…”. She auditioned to be admitted to Eva LeGallienne’s Manhattan Civic Repertory and was turned down but was accepted into the John Murray Anderson School of Theatre. There she studied dance with the pioneer of modern dance, Martha Graham.

Bette’s first paying job was playing a chorus girl in a play called “Broadway”. She made her Broadway debut in 1929 in “Broken Dishes”. She was performing in her next show, “Solid South” when a Hollywood scout invited her to do a screen test for Universal Studios. She did not pass the screen test on December 13, 1930, but was put under contract and used as a stand-in to test other potential actors. She appeared in small roles in six unsuccessful movies and Universal decided not to renew her contract. Bette’s looks and talent went unnoticed and underappreciated up to this point in her career.

In 1932 Bette received a phone call from Warner Brothers. The filmmaker George Arliss had selected Bette for the female lead for the 1932 movie, “The Man Who Played God”. The movie was a great success and throughout her life, Bette gave credit to George Arliss for launching her career. Warner Brothers signed a five-year contract with Bette. She received great critical acclaim for her role in the 1934 movie, “Of Human Bondage”, acclaim that included a statement by Life Magazine that they believed she had given “probably the best performance ever recorded on the screen by a U.S. actress”. Her performance in 1935 in “Dangerous” resulted in an Academy Award for Best Actress, the first for a Warner Brothers actress.

But in spite of Bette’s successes, the studio continued to give her unsatisfactory roles. She became worried these mediocre parts would hurt her acting career and in 1936 she was offered more challenging roles in England. Bette accepted the parts, despite her existing contract with Warner Brothers. When studio head, Jack Warner, heard what she was doing he sued her for breach of contract and won. Bette was forced to return to Warner Brothers, but did receive a new contract and better acting parts.

Bette was awarded her second Oscar for her performance in the 1938 movie, “Jezebel”. She continued to receive nominations every year for the next five years. Her first movie filmed in color was “The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex” in which she portrayed Elizabeth I of England and starred with Errol Flynn.

In 1941 Bette was elected the first female president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences but was soon forced to resign because members objected to her abrasive manner. Her male successor, actor Jean Hersholt, was able to bring about the changes that Bette had proposed while she had been president.

During WWII Bette devoted her time to selling war bonds and entertaining the troops. She claimed one of her proudest achievements was opening the Hollywood Canteen. It was an old nightclub she fixed up with the help of Jack Warner, Cary Grant and Jule Styne. There, Hollywood stars volunteered to entertain members of the U.S. Armed Forces that were visiting the L.A. area. In 1980 she received the U.S. Department of Defenses highest civilian award, the Distinguished Service Medal, in acknowledgment of this contribution to the war effort.

Bette continued to appear in successful films throughout the war. In 1943 her second husband died suddenly and the shock resulted in both demanding and erratic behavior during the filming of the 1944 release, “Mr. Skeffington”. Despite the difficulty experienced during filming, Bette won another Oscar nomination. Her next few films received mixed reviews and her 1946 film “Deception”, was her first film to actually lose money. She passed up the lead in “African Queen” because it was to be filmed in Africa, rather than on the lot. She proposed a couple of films to Jack Warner, “Ethan Frome” and a Mary Todd Lincoln bio, both of which were turned down. Her career continued to falter as Bette performed in disappointing roles with actors she considered to be difficult. In spite of the poor reception of some of her films, Bette negotiated a contract that succeeded in making her the highest paid woman in all of the U.S. (an estimated $10,285 per week).

Bette experienced a comeback and won her eighth Oscar nomination in 1950 for her starring role in “All About Eve”. In 1962 Bette was seen in her haunting performance in the successful “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” for which she received both an Oscar nomination and a BAFTA Award. More successful films followed, including “Dead Ringer” and “Hush..Hush, Sweet Charlotte” in 1964, “The Anniversary” in 1968 and “Connecting Rooms” in 1970. She continued to act through the 1970s in both films and television roles. In 1981 she appeared with her grandson, J. Ashley Hyman, in “Family Reunion”.

Bette was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1983. Shortly after surgery she had a series of strokes, resulting in partial paralysis and slurred speech. Bette appeared in her final film in 1989 in the title role in “Wicked Stepmother”. She died on October 6, 1989, shortly after learning that her cancer had returned.

Bette Davis had appeared in over 100 films, been married four times, widowed once and divorced three times.  She had been a mother to her daughter as well as two adopted children. In her career, Bette was nominated for an Academy Award 10 times and had won twice. She was the first female actress to be awarded the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award. She was a larger than life actress who, according to her own words, “Did it the hard way”.

John Wayne was born on May 26, 1907 in Winterset, Iowa to parents Clyde Leonard Morrison and Mary Alberta (Brown) Morrison. He was named Marion Robert Morrison at birth, but became known by the nickname “Duke” as a child, a name that stuck with him throughout his life. John had an Airedale Terrier, named Duke and the two were constant companions so neighbors referred to them as “Big Duke” and “Little Duke”. John’s father, the son of a Civil War Veteran, ran his own pharmacy. When John was six years old, his father developed lung problems, making it necessary for them to move to a drier climate. They moved to Lancaster in southern California where his father tried farming. When the farm failed, they move to Glendale, California where his father opened up another pharmacy. In Glendale, John went to school, played football and delivered newspapers as well as making deliveries for his father’s pharmacy. John also went several times a week to the movies and often saw movies being filmed in an outdoor lot of the nearby Triangle Studios. In 1926 his parents divorced.

John attended USC (from 1925 to 1927) on a football scholarship, after narrowly missing out on admission to the US Naval Academy at Annapolis. While at USC John majored in pre-law, but lost his scholarship after being injured while surfing and becoming unable to play football. Without the scholarship he had to leave school. John got a summer job at the prop department at a movie studio (in exchange for football tickets) from the silent western movie star Tom Mix. While at the summer job, John became good friends with the movie director, John Ford. This lead to bit parts, like the one in “Brown of Harvard” in 1926 playing football with his former USC teammates. He acted in “Words and Music” in 1929 and was listed in the credits as “Duke Morrison”. John continued doing bits parts while working for Fox Film Corporation and received $75 a week for his small acting roles. In 1933 John married Josephine Saenz whom he had known for seven years. She was the daughter of a Panamanian diplomat that was herself born in Texas. They had four children together before they were divorced in 1945.

John was credited as “John Wayne” in the 1930 feature film, “The Big Trail” and his pay was increased to $105 a week. Over the next several years, John appeared in more than 70 low-budget western and adventure movies. His breakthrough occurred in 1939 when John’s friend and director, John Ford, cast him in “Stagecoach”. The movie was a huge success, both critically and financially, and served to launch John Wayne into stardom. He starred in more than 20 John Ford films, including “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” and “The Sands of Iwo Jima” in 1949, “The Quiet Man” in 1952, “The Searchers” in 1956 and “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” in 1962.

In 1946 John married the actress Esperanza Ceballos. Their marriage was not a happy one and they were separated in 1952. Divorce ended their rocky marriage in 1954. The same year John married the daughter of a Peruvian senator, Pilar Pallete, although John was 29 years older than her. John had met her in Peru in 1953 while scouting locations to film “The Alamo”. They had three children together and were separated in 1973, although they were never divorced.

In addition to his height (6′4″), trademark walk and distinct way of speaking, John Wayne had a reputation for acting in roles that reflected his conservative values and his profound integrity. He turned down the leading role of a corrupt politician in the 1949 drama “All the King’s Men” after expressing his belief that the movie was unpatriotic. His views were evident in his participation in “The Alamo” released in 1960. He produced, directed and starred in this classic film. His patriotism was reflected once again in “The Green Berets” (1968) which he co-directed and starred in. He was a member of the USO and entertained the US Armed Forces from WWII through the Vietnam War.

In 1969 John Wayne won his first Best Actor Award for his role in the film “True Grit”. While experiencing many career successes, John Wayne was confronted with many health setbacks, including having a lung and several ribs removed in 1964 while fighting lung cancer and being diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1978. His last film was “The Shootist” (1976) appearing with James Stewart and Lauren Bacall. Ironically John played an aging gunfighter losing his battle with cancer.

In 1976 John Wayne was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal from the US Congress as acknowledgment of his stature as an outstanding example of integrity and American values. In 1980 he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. These medals are the two highest awards that can be awarded to a civilian by the American government.

John Wayne died on June 11, 1979 in Los Angeles, California at the age of 72. He had been married three times and was survived by seven children. In total, John Wayne appeared in over 250 movies in a career lasting more than 50 years. He is known today as one of the greatest stars of the Hollywood genre known as the Western as well as being an enduring example of American values and ideals.

Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born in Hartford, Connecticut on May 12, 1907 to parents Dr. Thomas Hepburn and Katharine Martha Houghton. She was one of six children, all of whom were given their mother’s maiden name as a middle name. Her father was a successful urologist and her mother was a suffragette and outspoken proponent of women’s rights. Katharine and her two sisters were encouraged by their parents to exercise their minds and bodies, as well as to speak their minds. All the girls participated in golf, swimming, riding and tennis.

Katharine experienced a terrible tragedy at the age of 14 when she found her older brother, Tom, dead after what appeared to be an accidental hanging. Katharine became depressed and withdrawn and was home-schooled as a result. For many decades she used her brother’s birth date of November 8th as her own.

She attended Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania where she studied History and Philosophy. While attending Bryn Mawr, she decided she wanted to be an actress and acted in many of the school’s productions. Katharine was a free spirit, getting suspended for smoking (considered unladylike at the time) and breaking curfew. Later in life she admitted to swimming naked in the college fountain. She graduated in 1928, the same year she appeared in “Night Hostess” on Broadway.

1928 was also the year Katharine married 29-year-old Ludlow “Luddy” Ogden Smith, a wealthy Pennsylvania socialite and businessman. Katharine was unable settle down to married life in Pennsylvania and did not want children. Within two-week’s time she returned to her job as an understudy on Broadway. In 1934 she and Smith were divorced, although they remained very good friends until his death in 1979.

Katharine’s performances on stage began to get her noticed. The part she played in the stage production of “A Warrior’s Husband” in 1932 earned her outstanding reviews. She was offered a film role in “A Bill of Divorcement”, released in 1932 and starring opposite John Barrymore. The film was successful, leading to Katharine signing a contract with the RKO Pictures movie studio. In 1933, her role in “Morning Glory” earned her an Academy Award. Next was her very famous role in “Little Women” (1933).

Stories began to circulate about Katharine’s nonconformist behavior off-screen. She refused to wear makeup or anything but slacks on her own time, refusing to play the Hollywood “game”. Ironically, the attitude that makes her so popular today resulted in turning audiences against her at the time. After several flops, she was considered “box office poison”. She revived her career after returning to Broadway to star in “The Philadelphia Story”. It was a huge success, and with the help of her friend Howard Hughes, bought the movie rights and, in turn, sold them to MGM. She received an Oscar nomination for her performance in the film that was one of the most successful movies of 1940.

In 1942, Katharine starred opposite Spencer Tracy in “Woman of the Year”. She received her fourth Oscar nomination for that performance. During the filming of the movie, Katharine and Spencer Tracy began a love affair that lasted until Tracy’s death in 1967. They appeared in a total of nine films together over a period of 25 years.

There was a fifth Oscar nomination for Katharine’s 1951 role as the middle-aged spinster, Rose Sayer, in “The African Queen” opposite Humphrey Bogart. More Oscar nominations followed with her performances in “Summertime” in 1955, “The Rainmaker” in 1956, “Suddenly Last Summer” in 1959 and “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” in 1962. Her role in the unforgettable “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” with Spencer Tracy and Sidney Poitier won her a second Oscar for Best Actress. Katharine Houghton, who played Hepburn’s daughter in the movie, is actually her niece, or her sister Marion’s daughter. This was Spencer Tracy’s final film, as he passed away shortly after filming ended. Katharine was nominated for a tenth time and received her second Oscar Award. Her eleventh Oscar nomination and win was for her performance as Eleanor of Aquitaine in “The Lion in Winter” (1968) with Peter O’Toole.

Beginning in the 1970’s, Katharine made a series of television movies, such as “The Glass Menagerie” in 1973 and “Love Among the Ruins” in 1975 with Lawrence Olivier. She did the movie “On Golden Pond” in 1981 with Henry and Jane Fonda and received her twelfth Oscar nomination and fourth win. Over the course of her career, Katharine was nominated 12 times for an Oscar, and won 4 times. She is the only actress to the present to have won 4 Oscars.

Katharine Hepburn wrote her autobiography, “Me” in 1991. Shortly thereafter she retired from public life. She died at the age of 96 on June 29, 2003. In 1999 she was named the “greatest female star” in the history of American moviemaking by the American film Institute. She will always be an example of a strong, outspoken woman and an incredibly talented actress.

Marlon Brando was such an incredible actor that he set the standard by which all other actors would be measured. He was one of the first actors to perform in the newly introduced acting style called “The Method”. This technique involved utilizing one’s own repressed memories and emotions to portray a character, resulting in a more emotional and realistic performance. And Brando had a lot of material to draw from.

Brando was born on April 3, 1924 in Omaha, Nebraska to Marlon Brando, Sr. and Dorothy Julia Pennebaker Brando. Marlon Sr. was a salesman and Brando’s mother worked at a local theater as an administrator and actress when she could. His father was distant and abusive when he was home, which wasn’t that often. Both parents were alcoholics and fought whenever they were together. Brando had two older sisters, Jocelyn the eldest, had hopes of becoming an actress and Frances, the younger, wanted to pursue a career in art.

Brando’s first experiences play-acting were for his mother, in an attempt to entertain her and gain her affection. She was a smart, talented woman, but unconventional for her time; she smoked, wore slacks and drove an automobile. She got Brando interested in the acting profession through her work as both an actress and administrator at the Omaha Community Playhouse. While working at the theater she was mentor to a young, and as yet, undiscovered Henry Fonda.

Always rebellious, Brando was expelled from high school for riding his motorcycle in one of the buildings. At sixteen his father got him into his former school, the Shattuck Military Academy in Minnesota. Brando did well in sports and very well in theater there, although his grades were appalling and he still struggled with authority figures. After talking back to an officer he was put on probation and not allowed to leave campus. After violating the probation, he was expelled, but on review was invited back. Brando decided not to return while he considered his options for the next six months while he worked digging ditches. A knee injury sustained while playing football at the Military Academy exempted him from serving in WWII. Shortly after his sisters left for NYC to start their careers, Brando followed them in 1943 to pursue his dream of becoming an actor.

Brando enrolled in the American Theatre Wing Professional School, the New Dramatic Workshop and the Actors’ Studio. He worked doing summer stock on Long Island and was invited to perform in “I Remember Mama” on Broadway in 1944. His first Broadway performance was a great success. He received offers from talent scouts to do a screen test, but he refused, because he didn’t want to be held to the standard seven-year studio contract. Although his 1944 stage performance in “Truckline Café” was a commercial failure, critics voted him “Broadway’s Most Promising Actor”. He became a star after his stage performance in Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” in 1947. The audience found him magnetic, unable to take their eyes off him. His part was rewritten to give him more time on stage. His role as Stanley Kowalski resulted in a screen test with Warner Brothers who were considering him for the lead role in “Rebel Without a Cause”, which he made later in 1955.

Brando’s first screen role was playing a paralyzed veteran in “The Men” in 1950. In order to prepare for the role, he laid in bed for a month at a veteran’s hospital. In 1951 the screen version of “A Streetcar Named Desire” was released and Brando was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He was nominated for Best Actor for the next three Awards ceremonies for his lead parts in “Viva Zapata!” in 1952, playing Mark Antony in Julius Caesar in 1953 and for his role in “On the Waterfront” in 1954.

Brando’s star continued to soar steadily upward through the late 1950s. But his career stalled in the 1960s as he developed a reputation for being difficult and causing films to run over budget. Many felt the roles he did throughout the 1960s were beneath his dynamic talent.

The 1972 blockbuster movie, “The Godfather”, in which he played Vito Corleone proved the turning point for Brando’s career. He was cast after Francis Ford Coppola went to bat for him with reluctant studio execs. Author Mario Puzo had Brando in mind for the part from the start. Brando won the Academy Award for Best Actor, and the movie lives on, not only as one of the best movies ever made, but as part of out popular culture. Lines spoken by the characters are frequently repeated on TV sitcoms and in everyday conversation.

Brando followed his Godfather performance with another win for Best Actor for his role in the controversial “Last Tango in Paris” in 1973. He was reportedly paid $1 million a week for his role in “Apocalypse Now”, a role he was poorly prepared to play, not having read the book as he was instructed to by Coppola. Brando got an amazing $3.7 million for two weeks of work in the 1978 “Superman” movie. Again he demanded not have to memorize anything and spent very little time on set. He continued to do small roles late in his career, including poor reviews for his role in “The Island of Dr. Moreau”. He was also in “A Dry White Season” in 1980, “the Freshman” in 1990 and “Don Juan DeMarco” opposite Johnny Depp in 1995.

Brando’s continuing weight gain caused the onset of diabetes. And on July 1, 2004 Brando died from complications brought on by the diabetes, excessive weight and liver cancer. He was 80 years old, had been married 3 times and had fathered 8 children, both in and out of wedlock. He spent much of his life fighting for racial equality and was an outspoken advocate of American Indian rights. He was determined to leave the world a better place than he found it. Marlon Brando will continue to live on through his films and in the legacy of acting he left for anyone pursuing the career today. He is considered by many to be the world’s greatest actor. Anthony Quinn was quoted as saying of Brando, “I admire Marlon’s talent, but I don’t envy the pain that created it.”

Jean Harlow was born on March 3, 1911 as Harlean Harlow Carpenter, the only child of Mont Clair Carpenter and Jean Harlow Carpenter. Her father was a successful dentist in Kansas City, Missouri. Harlean’s father came from a working-class family, while her mother was the daughter of a wealthy real estate broker and his wife. Jean Carpenter’s marriage had been arranged by her father, which eventually resulted in strong feelings of resentment from Jean. The Carpenter family lived in a very large home that was owned by Harlean’s affluent grandfather.

The Carpenter’s daughter was the only grandchild and was given the nickname “The Baby”. This name stayed with Harlean throughout her life. She was a very pampered child and was very close to her mother. She only learned her real name was not “Baby” after beginning school at the age of five. Her education took place in private boarding schools. In 1922, her mother filed for a divorce (a rare and scandalous occurrence at that time) and was granted custody of Harlean. Her mother’s dreams of becoming an actress led to a move to Hollywood in 1923. Unfortunately, Harlean’s mother was unable to get any work as an actress and in less than two years they moved back to Kansas City.

During the summer of 1925 Harlean was sent by her grandfather to a summer camp in Michigan. She caught scarlet fever while she was there. She had already had meningitis as a child of five. These illnesses may have contributed to the more serious health issues leading to her early death.

At the age of 15 Harlean was attending a private school in Illinois when she was introduced to Charles McGrew, the nineteen-year-old heir of a family fortune. They fell in love and were married in 1927, releasing Harlean from her mother’s control.  The next year McGrew received part of his inheritance, allowing the couple to move from Chicago to Beverly Hills, California. Harlean had not only escaped her controlling mother, but had also become part of the wealthy social circle.

One day while driving a friend to an appointment at Fox Studios, Harlean was spotted by Fox studio executives who were impressed enough by her to give her letters of introduction that would get her in to see members of the Central Casting bureau. Spurred on by a dare from her friend and her mother’s encouragement, Harlean went to see them, signing in using her mother’s maiden name, Jean Harlow.

At first Jean turned down the roles she was offered since her goal was to be a wife and mother. In order to placate her mother, who had moved to California, she accepted her first job as an extra in “Honor Bound”. She performed in other small parts including a bit part in the silent films “Why Is A Plumber?” in 1927, “Moran of the Marines” in 1928 and “The Love Parade” in 1929. The larger role in the Laurel and Hardy short called “Double Whoopee” got Jean noticed when a car door closed on her skirt, tearing part of it off. (Her grandfather reportedly threatened to disinherit her for the sensation it caused.) Jean’s newfound fame resulted in tension in her marriage and in 1929 she and her husband divorced.

Jean’s big break came in 1930 when Howard Hughes cast her in a “talkie” remake of “Hell’s Angels”. She was signed to a five-year contract and acted in movies such as “The Public Enemy” with James Cagney and “The Secret Six” with Wallace Beery and Clark Gable in 1930. In 1931 she appeared in “Platinum Blonde” with Loretta Young. The critics were not impressed with Jean’s performances, calling them “plain awful”, but the public reception was another story. Jean packed theaters when Hughes sent her on a public appearance tour on the East Coast and he even extended her tour into 1932. Women began to bleach their hair to resemble Jean’s “platinum blonde”.  Hughes, ever the entrepreneur, decided to capitalize on this hair craze and offered $10,000 to the beautician that was able to match the exact shade of Jean’s hair.

Jean had been dating the MGM executive Paul Bern, and in 1932 he convinced MGM head Louis B. Mayer to buy her contract from Hughes, despite Mayer’s distaste for Jean’s “floozy” image. Bern made the announcement to Jean on her 21st birthday that her contract had been sold to MGM. In July of the same year, Jean and Paul Bern were married. Later that year, on September 5th, Bern was found dead and despite suspicious circumstances, his death was ruled a suicide. Later inquiries point to a former flame that killed herself within days of Bern’s death.

Despite the scandal surrounding her husband’s death, Jean became more popular than ever and it was at MGM that Jean achieved real stardom. She was featured as a beauty, but also cast in comedies, which turned out to be her strength. MGM restyled Jean from a brassy blonde to Mayer’s preferred all-American type starlet. Jean’s name on a billboard had the power to enable other rising stars in the MGM stables, including Rod Taylor and Franchot Tone. Jean co-starred in a total of six movies with Clark Gable.

In 1933 Jean began an affair with the professional boxer, Max Baer. His wife, Dorothy Dunbar, threatened a very public divorce. To avoid further scandal, MGM execs convinced Jean to marry the cinematographer Harold Rosson. Jean went along with the ruse, since she and Rosson were friends, and they quietly divorced seven months later. She met and fell in love with William Powell and they reportedly were engaged for two years but were unable to marry because of varying opinions about children and the disapproval of studio boss, Louis B. Mayer.

It was on May 29, 1937 while working on the film “Saratoga” with Clark Gable that Jean became ill with uremic poisoning. Care for kidney disease at that time was limited, and on June 7 she died at 26 years of age.

Jean Harlow was MGM’s feature star in the mid-1930s and would surely have continued to be for many more years if not for her untimely death. She appeared in 36 movies in just ten years time. The studio enjoyed enormous profits from her movies well into the Great Depression, which is probably the reason the studio was able to survive the hard economic times. She left an indelible mark and has been the model “Blonde Bombshell” so many others, including Marilyn Monroe, have tried to imitate.

James Dean’s acting career lasted only four years before his untimely death. But he succeeded in making an indelible impression on moviegoers in roles portraying a rebellious and misunderstood youth. He was nominated for two Oscar Awards and was the first person to receive the award for Best Actor posthumously.

James Dean appeared in a total of just seven Hollywood movies. He played credited roles in only three movies; “East of Eden”, “Rebel Without a Cause” and “Giant”. He acted in two Broadway shows and appeared in many television productions.

He was born James Byron Dean on February 8, 1931 to Winton and Mildred Dean in Marion, Indiana. Formerly a farmer, his father worked as a dental technician. When James was 5 years old, his father moved the family to Santa Monica, California. James’ mother died of cancer when he was nine years old, and his father sent him back to Fairmount, Indiana to live with his aunt and uncle on their farm. When James graduated high school he returned to California and enrolled in the Santa Monica Junior College where he studied pre-law. He transferred to UCLA to study drama, evidently against the wishes of his father. He dropped out of college in January of 1951 to pursue an acting career.

James did a Pepsi-Cola commercial and made appearances in several episodes of television shows, such as “General Electric Theater” and “Robert Montgomery Presents”. His 1954 appearance on stage in “The Immoralist” got him a screen test for a part in “East of Eden” with Warner Brothers. A lot of James’ acting in this role was improvised and unscripted. This role won him a posthumous Best Actor award at the 1955 Academy Awards held on March 21, 1956.

Shortly after completing the shooting for “East of Eden”, James was given the role he is probably best remembered for; Jim Stark in “Rebel Without a Cause” opposite Natalie Wood. James did the shooting for his final movie, “Giant” in 1955. He played in a supporting role with Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson for which he received his second Oscar for Best Actor posthumously at the 1956 Academy Awards.

James Dean’s fondness for racing and fast cars led him to a premature death.  After he had been signed on to do “East of Eden” he bought himself an MG. He fixed it up and participated in several California road races. He traded the modified MG in for a Porsche 550 Spyder that he had customized and was named “Little Bastard”. His “Giant” contract didn’t allow him to race, but the racing resumed once filming was completed.

On September 23, 1955 James was driving “Little Bastard” with his mechanic, Rolf Wutherich to a race at Salinas, California. Another motorist making a turn in front of him cut him off and they hit nearly head-on. James died before he reached the hospital at 24 years of age. But he lives on through his films as a true movie star with an ability to connect with young movie audiences. He had performed his three starring movie roles in just a years’ time but it was enough to make him a Hollywood legend.

Spencer Tracy once referred to Clark Gable as “The King of Hollywood” and at the height of his career, he was. But it was a long, sometimes lonely road for Gable on the way to the remarkable success and movie star status that he attained. His journey started when he was born on February 1, 1901 in Cadiz, Ohio and was named William Clark Gable. His father was an oil well driller named William H. Gable and his mother was the former Adeline Hershelman. Never fully recovering from the birth, Gable’s mother died when he was only ten months old. Gable’s father left him with his grandparents until Clark was two, when William was remarried to Jennie Dunlap. The three of them moved in with Jennie’s family in Hopedale, Ohio until 1910 when William built a new home in town.

Clark Gable became very close to his stepmother, who raised him as if he were her own. She taught him to play the piano and how to stay well-groomed and dress well. Clark was tall, shy and loved to recite the works of Shakespeare. He was also able to tear down and rebuild a car which he enjoyed doing with his father. In an eighth grade play he made his acting debut. In high school he continued acting and participated in band, track and baseball.

In 1917 William Gable lost a considerable sum of money in an oil-drilling scheme and moved the family to a farm in Ravenna, Ohio. Clark didn’t adjust well to living in on the farm and in 1918 he returned to Hopedale to live with his stepmother’s family. Shortly after, he decided to quit school and took on a series of odd jobs. The following year he moved to Akron with his friend, Andy Means, where they found work in a tire factory. It was in Akron that Clark Gable fell in love with the acting profession after watching a locally produced play titled “Bird of Paradise”. He wanted to be a part of the theater badly enough that he took an unpaid job as a callboy (the one who calls actors when it’s time to go onstage) while still working at the factory. While in Akron, Clark got news that his stepmother was very ill. He rushed home to be at her side, and a few days later she died. At 19, Clark was devastated, having lost his best friend and the one person who encouraged him to pursue his dreams.

William Gable sold the farm and moved to Oklahoma to work in the oil fields. He insisted Clark work with him and forget the notion of become an actor. Clark did join his father, but he hated the work. When he was 21 he received a small inheritance from his grandfather and he decided to head west to pursue an acting career. This resulted in a ten-year estrangement between William and Clark Gable. Working his way across the country, Clark ended up in Portland Oregon. At first he took a job as a tie salesman and worked in a lumberyard. He also fell in love with an aspiring actress, Franz Dorfler. They met while they were both performing as part of the Astoria Stock Company. He proposed marriage and she accepted, but because he was so poor she thought they should wait. To jumpstart his career, Franz suggested that Clark contact the Broadway actress and acting instructor, Josephine Dillon. He did, and when she left to start a school in Hollywood, Clark followed her.

Josephine Dillon was fourteen years older than Clark. She saw something in him that no one else had. She helped him with his speaking voice and acting and greatly improved his looks, giving him a more polished appearance. Up to this point in his life, Clark Gable had been called “Billy Gable”. Dillon also had him change his name to “Clark”. She had transformed a coarse Billy into a refined Clark. They were married in 1924.

While in Hollywood, Clark worked as an extra in silent films like “Forbidden Paradise” (1925) and “The Pacemakers” (1925). Disappointed at not being offered a major role, Clark returned to the stage where he met and became very good friends with Lionel Barrymore. From 1927 to 1928 Clark acted as part of the Laskin Brothers Stock Company in Houston, Texas. Next he moved to New York where, at the request of Josephine Dillon, he was cast in shows on Broadway and got good reviews. During the years of 1929 and 1930 the Depression made it difficult to get work on Broadway.

In 1930 Clark and Josephine Dillon were divorced. Within days he married the Texas socialite Ria Langham. Again Clark had married a woman many years his senior. Ria continued the work started by Josephine, refining Clark’s looks and manners and introducing him to influential members of society.

In 1930 Clark was offered a contract with MGM and appeared in his first role in a “talkie” (sound movie). It was a western called “The Painted Desert” that was released in 1931. The studio took note of how movie audiences loved Clark’s powerful voice and appearance. In 1931 he made a total of twelve films with actresses like Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo. Clark’s career took off after the release of “Red Dust” with Jean Harlow in 1932. He became MGM’s principal star and they continued to pair him successfully with Jean Harlow, making a total of six movies together. Harlow died during the filming of “Saratoga” in 1937.
In 1934, MGM did not have a script available for Clark, and since they paid him a salary of $2000 a week, they loaned him out to Columbia Pictures for $2500 a week, thereby making a $500 a week profit. With Columbia Pictures, Clark starred in “It Happened One Night” costarring Claudette Colbert and directed by Frank Capra. Clark won the Academy Award for Best Actor in this film and Colbert won the Best Actress Award. With an Academy Award under his belt, Clark became an even bigger star.

Clark won a nomination for his role as Fletcher Christian in “Mutiny On the Bounty” (1935). This was supposedly his favorite role. In the same year, Clark and Ria separated and Clark began an affair with Loretta Young while filming “Call of the Wild”. Young had a daughter as a result of the affair. She went abroad to hide her condition and later claimed she had adopted the baby. Clark continued to act in very successful movies and was hailed the “King of Hollywood” by Spencer Tracy in 1938. Fortunately, unlike many ‘stars’ today, Clark didn’t believe his own hype. In 1939 Clark and Ria divorced.

Clark Gable is best known for his next role as Rhett Butler, in “Gone with the Wind” (1939). Ironically, at first he didn’t want the role but had been introduced to the book by Carole Lombard. They worked together previously in “No Man of Her Own” in 1932 while Carole was married to William Powell. She had wanted to be cast as Scarlett but wasn’t offered the role. Clark was borrowed again from MGM to star in David O. Selznick’s movie that went on to become one of the most successful and popular movies of all time. It won a record-breaking 10 Academy Awards.

Clark Gable and Carole Lombard married on March 29, 1939 during the filming of “Gone with the Wind”. By all accounts, Carole was the love of Clark Gable’s life. They bought a ranch in Encino and lived simply, away from the glare of Hollywood. She raised chickens and he hunted and fished.

Carole Lombard Gable died in a plane crash on January 16, 1942. She had recently completed her 57th film and was returning from a very successful trip selling war bonds. Her mother was also onboard the plane. Clark Gable was inconsolable. A month after Carole’s death he returned to Hollywood to film “Somewhere I’ll Find You” with Lana Turner. Clark was drinking heavily and having difficulty being professional while on the movie set. As a tribute to Carole’s deep patriotism, Clark enlisted in August of 1942 as a gunner. After completing his training, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and eventually was promoted to major. He flew five missions as an “observer-gunner” in B-17s, earning the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

After D-Day Clark was granted a discharge and he retreated back to his ranch. His first movie after the war was “Adventure”, released in 1945 and costarring Greer Garson. The film did badly and Clark Gable was no longer considered one of Hollywood’s top movie stars although he continued to make successful movies like “The Hucksters” in 1947. In 1949 he married Sylvia Ashley, the widow of Douglas Fairbanks. This was not a successful marriage and in 1952 they divorced. Clark became unhappy with his contract at MGM and when it came up for renewal in 1953, Clark insisted on being released. His first independently made films were “Soldier of Fortune” and “The Tall Men”. They were both moderately successful.

In 1955 Clark married Kay Spreckels (his fifth wife). She was a former model and actress that had been married to Adolph Spreckels, Jr., heir to a fortune made in sugar-refining. Also in 1955 Clark formed a production company with Jane Russell and her husband. Clark’s single production with the company was “The King and Four Queens” in which he also acted. Clark found doing both the producing and acting to be too much for him. His health wasn’t great and occasionally he would experience tremors. He did a handful of other movies with mixed reviews. By 57, Clark realized he had to slow down. He had become very overweight, and to prepare for what turned out to be his final film, “The Misfits”, he went on a crash diet and took diet drugs that put a tremendous strain on his health. He had been a very heavy smoker for over thirty years; smoking 3 packs of unfiltered cigarettes a day in addition to cigars and a pipe. He died on November 16, 1960 from a heart attack shortly after filming of “The Misfits” was completed. Clark’s fifth wife, Kay was pregnant at the time Clark passed, and his son, John Clark Gable was born four months later.

Clark Gable has become known as one of the greatest male movie stars in all Hollywood history. Most of us remember him as Rhett Butler, but he was so much more. He was in a total of 67 films in his thirty-year career. He was and still is the King of Hollywood.

Did you know:
•    It’s rumored that undershirt sales in the US took a dive after Clark Gable took off his shirt in “It Happened One Night”, revealing the fact that he wasn’t wearing one.
•    Actor Robert Montgomery was originally offered the role Gable played in “It Happened One Night”, but turned it down, saying the script was poorly written. The movie went on to win all 5 major categories at the Academy Awards (Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay).
•    During WWII Adolf Hitler offered a large reward to anyone who could capture Clark Gable and return him to Germany. Gable was Hitler’s favorite actor.

We are introducing a new blog series this week, entitled Movie Stars of Old Hollywood. Our goal is to feature one of the Hollywood greats by highlighting their accomplishments, and perhaps something you didn’t already know about them. We’re also interested in the impact they may have had on society and how they live on in our hearts today. When you think of old Hollywood Stars, Elvis Presley may not be the first that comes to mind, but he is an individual that starred in 33 movies and had a huge influence, not only on American music, but also movies and fashion. Many have attempted to emulate the King by sporting his trademark sideburns and gold-rimmed sunglasses. And who hasn’t heard someone trying to imitate his southern drawl when saying, “Thank-you. Thank-you very much.” He has many imitators, but Elvis was truly an original.Elvis Aron Presley was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi in a two-room house built by his father. An identical twin brother, Jesse Garon, was stillborn. Elvis Aron’s parents were Vernon Elvis Presley and Gladys (Love Smith) Presley. Vernon worked low-paying jobs that included driving a truck and working as a sharecropper. His mother worked at the Tupelo Garment Co. as a sewing machine operator. In 1948 when Elvis was 13, the family moved to Memphis to escape the law. Vernon had been supporting his family by transporting bootleg liquor across the border. Unfortunately, the move did not help the family financially, as they had hoped. Gladys began work as a nurse’s aid to earn additional income.

Elvis attended Humes High School where he was an average student. His favorite subjects were workshop and English. While there, he made lifelong friends with Red West, the school bully. After graduating in 1953, Elvis found work as a truck driver for Crown Electric. He had hopes of becoming an electrician.

Elvis’ career was on its way after he recorded two tracks at the Memphis Recording Service, a do-it-yourself recording studio. The $14 recordings were for his mother. He sang, “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin” and “My Happiness” while playing guitar. Although Elvis’ father did not see a future in music making for his son, the manager at the recording studio did. They invited Elvis back and he made a recording accompanied by two other guitarists. The single was released, but was only popular in Memphis. Two years later, in 1955, a deal was signed with RCA and “Heartbreak Hotel” put Elvis not only on the charts, but at #1.

Elvis became a huge sensation and had a successful career that lasted three decades. But he was a maverick. To critics, Elvis’ music sounded like music that had only been performed by African Americans up to that point. It was referred to as “race music” at a time when whites and blacks were still segregated. Elvis danced in a way that was considered inappropriate by many and he was referred to as “Elvis the Pelvis”.  Still, Elvis had a lot to do with creating the sound and promoting the popularity of early rock n’ roll, in addition to introducing America’s white teens to the blues sound.

Elvis’ first movie was “Love Me Tender” in 1956. Although his movies were not popular with critics, they did well at the box office. In total, his movies earned over $150 million.
On December 20, 1957 Elvis received his draft notice from the US Army.  He was inducted on March 24, 1958 as a private and after completing basic training, was posted to Friedberg, Germany. While in service, he strove to be seen as an ordinary soldier. Elvis was granted emergency leave in August 1958 when his mother became very ill from hepatitis, after years of heavy drinking. She died two days after his return at age forty-six. Elvis was grief-stricken at the loss of the one person he had always been closest to.Elvis returned from service on March 2, 1960. While in the army Elvis had been introduced to two things that would have a major impact on the reminder of his life: amphetamines and karate. He also had met Priscilla Beaulieu, a 14-year-old girl while he was in Germany. They continued to stay in touch, with her visiting Elvis and eventually moving to the US until they were married On May 1, 1967 at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. Their only child, Lisa Marie was born on February 1, 1968.

Another strong influence in Elvis’ life was “Colonel” Tom Parker. He had started as a music promoter in the late 1940s working with country music stars like Minnie Pearl and Eddy Arnold. He became Elvis manager in 1955. Parker maintained very tight control over Elvis’ career, deciding what path it would take and what projects he would and would not do. He is responsible for refusing to let Elvis accept leading roles in movies including “West Side Story” and “Midnight Cowboy” because Elvis would not be paid what Parker required or have top billing. Barbra Streisand had personally offered Elvis the lead in her remake of “A Star is Born”, in which Kris Kristofferson later starred, but Parker turned the role down. Parker had total control, according to Priscilla Presley, since “Elvis detested the business side of his career. He would sign a contract without even reading it”. (Presley, “Elvis and Me”)

Elvis moved to Hollywood and focused on his movie career throughout the 1960s. In 1970 Elvis made a comeback to the concert scene by appearing in Las Vegas at over more than 57 sold-out live performances.In addition to Tom Parker, Elvis was surrounded by his Memphis Mafia. This entourage was made up of “yes-men” that served as bodyguards that benefitted from gifts of cars, houses and bonuses, in addition to being paid salaries. In return, these men protected Elvis from rowdy crowds and supplied cars, drugs, women and anything else he might desire. They also served as the buffer that protected Elvis’ image. They also protected Elvis from the reality of what he was doing to himself, which was getting increasingly dependent on drugs and putting on an alarming amount of weight. Eventually the abuse Elvis was doing to himself lead to his death.
Elvis and Priscilla were separated on February 23, 1972. There divorce was finalized on October 9, 1973. They are reported to have remained friends up to Elvis’ death.
Elvis died on August 16, 1977 at his Graceland mansion. He was 42 years old. His home has become a place of pilgrimage for his millions of fans from all over the world. He is truly an icon that will live on in people’s hearts and minds for a long time to come.

Did you know:
•    Elvis’s mother gave him his first guitar when he was 11, although what he had been hoping for at the time was a .22 rifle.
• Liberace was responsible for recommending to Elvis that he add some flash to his concert outfits. After the success of this idea, Elvis reserved a seat for Liberace at many of his concerts.
•    Elvis has more albums to have gone multi-platinum than any other performer.
•    More Elvis albums have sold worldwide (over 1,300,000,000) than even the Beatles.
•    First movie was “Love Me Tender” in 1956.
•    Was a black belt in karate.
•    In 1973, Elvis met with two members of Led Zeppelin out of a desire to see who was outselling his concerts that year. Robert Plant and John Paul Jones both saw Elvis as their idol, and the three men quickly became friends. Members of Led Zeppelin were seen attending some of Elvis’ concerts, having been granted front row seating by Elvis himself.
•    The Beatles were great admirers of Elvis, although he felt they were a bad influence on the young people of America.
•    Elvis wrote a 6-page letter to President Nixon requesting that he be made a “Federal Agent-at-Large” for the Bureau of Narcotics. This prompted their meeting at the White House on December 21, 1970.
•    Elvis’ favorite actors were Marlon Brando and James Dean.
•    In 1955 Elvis tried out for Arthur Godfrey’s “Talent Scouts” and was turned down.

Elvis quotes:
“The image is one thing and the human being is another, it’s very hard to live up to an image.”
“I don’t know anything about music. In my line you don’t have to.”

One of the most handsome and sophisticated leading men in Hollywood in the 1930s and 40s, and even into the 50s was Cary Grant. Although we’ve come to know him by his stage name of Cary Grant, he was actually born Archibald Alexander Leach on January 18, 1904 in Bristol, England. His parents were Elsie Maria Kingdom and Elias Leach. His father pressed trousers for a living and the family was quite poor. Grant was an only child. His parents argued frequently, so he escaped every Saturday afternoon to the matinee, enjoying the new phenomenon of motion pictures.

Being an only child, Grant was very close to his mother. When he was 9, his father had her admitted to a mental institution for a nervous breakdown. She remained there for twenty years. His father told him that she had gone off to a seaside resort. Grant wasn’t told of her real whereabouts until he was in his thirties. Many believe the repercussions of this tragic separation may have resulted in his failed marriages later in his life. Grant visited his mother in the mental hospital and later at the home he bought for her. They continued to be close until her death in 1973.

When it came time for Grant to attend secondary school, a scholarship was awarded to him for Bristol’s Fairfield Academy. While there he worked backstage on the school’s theater productions. A field trip to the Bristol Hippodrome vaudeville theater helped Grant decide that he wanted to be an actor.

He was also influenced by time spent volunteering one summer as a junior air raid warden during WWI. He saw soldiers leaving Southampton to travel abroad and decided that he would like the opportunity to see some of the world. His dual passions of acting and travel led to his running away from home to join the Bob Pender Troupe, a group of comedians and acrobats. It was discovered that he had lied about his age (he was only 13) and he was forced to return home. At 14 he was old enough to obtain a work permit and proceeded to get himself expelled from school so that his father would allow him to join back up with the Troupe again. The Troupe travelled throughout England, performing in small towns and villages. Grant learned gymnastics and comedy with the group. In 1920, when he was 16, he followed them to the US where they toured successfully for 2-years. When the tour was up, he decided to stay behind in New York City to try pursuing an acting career.

He made a determined effort to lose his English accent and developed his “mid-Atlantic” style of speaking. The result was an American accent but with the British pronunciation for certain words. Orson Welles was also known to speak with a mid-Atlantic accent, as well as members of the American upper class, like FDR. Grant’s new accent helped him develop his new suave demeanor. He was becoming the antithesis of his cockney, lower class upbringing. And yet, he often drew on his earlier days for some of the roles he played.

Grant worked successfully in Broadway musicals until 1931 when he went to Hollywood in the hope of becoming a movie actor. He changed his name to Cary Lockwood. And after auditioning for Paramount Pictures in 1932, they signed him to a 5-year contract. Hollywood was looking for fresh, new talent that could be groomed into a movie star. With his good looks, Grant was what they were looking for in a leading man. But the studio wanted his name changed and after some debate, the studio and the actor settled on Cary Grant. His first movie role was as a supporting cast member in “This Is the Night”, which was released in 1932. He was also in “Blonde Venus” with Marlene Dietrich. After seeing these performances, Mae West chose him to star as her leading man in “I’m No Angel” (1933) and “She Done Him Wrong” (1933). Since West was a star in her own right and had a lot of clout with Paramount, these roles were a huge boost to Grant’s career. In addition, “I’m No Angel” was very successful financially and “She Done Him Wrong” was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.

When Grant’s contract with Paramount expired in 1937, he decided he didn’t want to belong to any studio, and went freelance so he could chose his own films and scripts. He was one of the first stars to negotiate for the rights to his films, eventually making him a very wealthy man. He fined-tuned his skills in the movies with a lot of physical comedy, starring in “screw-ball comedies” that were designed to cheer up audiences during the Great Depression. In addition to the occasional pratfall, these movies featured a lot of witty banter and innuendo. Grant’s comedic timing had been honed at an early age from his time working with the Bob Pender Troupe. From the start of his acting career, he exuded a polished, sophisticated demeanor, which was the complete reverse of his humble beginnings. He often expressed an awareness of these two opposing aspects of his personality.

Grant had two hits following his independence from Paramount, “Topper” and “The Awful Truth”, both released in 1937. The latter made him a star and he continued to appear in hits for the next three years. Some of these features were “Bringing Up Baby” (1938), “Holiday” (1938) and “The Philadelphia Story” (1940) with Katherine Hepburn, “His Girl Friday” (1940) with Rosalind Russell, “Only Angels Have Wings” (1939) with Jean Arthur and “My Favorite Wife” (1940) with Irene Dunne. Grant did not only play roles opposite Hollywood actresses. In the 1939 movie “Gunga Din”, he played opposite Victor McLaglen and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

Grant starred in several movies directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Among these was “Suspicion” (1941), in which Grant played his first role as a villain. Additional Hitchcock movies were “Notorious” (1946), “To Catch a Thief” (1955) and “North by Northwest” (1959). Hitchcock had a reputation for not liking actors, but he said Grant was “the only actor I ever loved in my life”.

In 1944 Grant starred in one of my personal favorites, “Arsenic and Old Lace”. He played Mortimer Brewster, who visits his elderly aunts to inform them that he has gotten married, despite his diatribes against marriage. In the course of trying to tell them, he discovers that the two spinster women have been poisoning elderly men and burying them in the basement. Also starring Peter Lorre, this movie is hilarious and a bit macabre, but a lot of fun.

Speaking of marriage, Grant was married a total of 5 times and divorced four times. Later in life he commented, “It seems that each new marriage is more difficult to survive than the last one. I’m rather a fool for punishment. I keep going back for more, don’t ask me why”. He married the actress Virginia Cherrill on February 10, 1934 and she divorced him on March 26, 1935. Next, he married the heiress Barbara Hutton in July of 1942, and they divorced in August of 1945. Despite the rumors, he never took a penny from her, including in the divorce settlement. He married actress Betsy Drake in December 1949 and they were divorced in August 1962. He married Dyan Cannon who was 33 years younger than him in July 1965. Grant’s only child, Jennifer, was born on February 26, 1966 when he was 62. He and Cannon were divorced in March of 1968. His final marriage was to 31-year-old Barbara Harris in April 1981 when Grant was 77. They remained married to his death.
Grant was a naturalized US citizen, having immigrated to the US in 1942. At the 42nd Academy Awards in 1964, Frank Sinatra presented a special award to Grant for his “unique mastery of the art of screen acting with the respect and affection of his colleagues”. After 34 years of starring in a long list of successful films, Grant retired from filmmaking when he was still at the top of his game. He was 62 and the year was 1966. Hollywood was moving away from elegant, sophisticated leading men. The new crop of actors was made up of rebels, unshaven and very unlike the debonair figure of Cary Grant.

Grant went on to accept a position on the board at Fabergé, a role in which he was more than a figurehead. He attended regular meetings and appeared at product launches. In his final years, he toured around the US in a one-man show called “A Conversation with Cary Grant”. It was while preparing for one of these question and answer sessions that he had a stroke. He died that evening at the age of 82.

Did you know:
•    John Cleese’s character in “A Fish Called Wanda” was named Archie Leach, as a tribute to Cary Grant.
•    Grant tanned year-round so he wouldn’t have to wear stage makeup.
•    Grant fell in love with his costar, Sophia Loren while filming “The Pride and the Passion” in1957.
•    Grant was nominated for two Oscars, but never won. He was nominated for his serious roles in “Penny Serenade” and “None But the Lonely Heart”.