Dorothy Wilson (November 14, 1909 – January 7, 1998) was an American movie actress of the 1930s.

Early life

Wilson was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, moving to Los Angeles, California after her high school graduation. Ironically, she had no interest in acting and had moved to Los Angeles due to an urge to travel. Note: ''Fraternity House'' is an alternate title of ''The Age of Consent''.

Career

In 1930, she began working as a secretary and applied at several employment agencies. She received a job at

RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...

, and for two years she worked there as a secretary. She often took notes for director

Gregory La Cava Gregory La Cava (March 10, 1892 – March 1, 1952) was an American film director of Italian descent best known for his films of the 1930s, including ''My Man Godfrey'' and ''Stage Door'', which earned him nominations for Academy Award for Best ...

; she was noticed by the executive in charge of casting and offered a screen test for La Cava's upcoming 1932 film '' The Age of Consent''. She won one of the two lead coed roles, opposite

Richard Cromwell Richard Cromwell (4 October 162612 July 1712) was an English statesman who was the second and last Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland and son of the first Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell. On his father's deat ...

. Her performance in the movie received good reviews. The same year, she was selected as one of the

WAMPAS Baby Stars The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the United States Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers, which honored 13 (15 in 1932) young actresses each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. ...

, along with future Hollywood legend

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

and

Gloria Stuart Gloria Frances Stuart (born Gloria Stewart; July 4, 1910 September 26, 2010) was an American actress, visual artist, and activist. She was known for her roles in Pre-Code films, and garnered renewed fame late in life for her portrayal of Rose ...

. She starred opposite some of Hollywood's biggest names, including

Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many silent comedy films.Obituary '' Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influential film c ...

Richard Dix Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...

, Tom Keene,

Preston Foster Preston Stratton Foster (August 24, 1900 – July 14, 1970), was an American actor of stage, film, radio, and television, whose career spanned nearly four decades. He also had a career as a vocalist. Early life Born in Ocean City, New Jersey ...

and

Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahom ...

. She appeared in 20 films between 1932 and 1937. She was asked to test for the part of

Melanie Hamilton Melanie Hamilton Wilkes is a fictional character first appearing in the 1936 novel ''Gone with the Wind (novel), Gone with the Wind'' by Margaret Mitchell. In the Gone with the Wind (film), 1939 film she was portrayed by Olivia de Havilland. Mel ...

in the epic movie '' Gone with the Wind'', which she did, but she did not win the role, its being awarded to

Olivia de Havilland Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British-American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her time. ...

. She starred in only two films after getting married, and then retired from acting to devote time to her family. She returned to acting only once, in an uncredited role in the 1943 film '' Whistling in Brooklyn''.

Personal life and death

In 1936, she had married scriptwriter

Lewis R. Foster Lewis Ransom Foster (August 5, 1898 – June 10, 1974) was an American screenwriter, film/television director, and film/television producer. He directed and wrote over one hundred films and television series between 1926 and 1960. Selected film ...

, whom she had met while filming the 1934 movie '' Eight Girls in a Boat''. Foster won an Oscar for his script for '' Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'', released in 1939 and starring

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality ...

and

Jean Arthur Jean Arthur (born Gladys Georgianna Greene; October 17, 1900 – June 19, 1991) was an American Broadway and film actress whose career began in silent films in the early 1920s and lasted until the early 1950s. Arthur had feature roles in three F ...

, based on Foster's book ''The Gentleman from Montana''. She and Foster remained together and raised a family of two children. Foster died in 1974. Dorothy never remarried and was residing in Lompoc, California at the time of her death on January 7, 1998.

Partial filmography

* '' The Age of Consent'' (1932) - Betty Cameron * ''

Men of America ''Men of America'' is a 1932 American pre-Code Western film directed by Ralph Ince and written by Samuel Ornitz and Jack Jungmeyer. The film stars William Boyd, Charles "Chic" Sale, Dorothy Wilson, Ralph Ince, and Henry Armetta. The film was r ...

'' (1932) - Anne * '' Lucky Devils'' (1933) - Fran Whitley * ''

Scarlet River ''Scarlet River'' is a 1933 American pre-Code Western film directed by Otto Brower, written by Harold Shumate, and starring Tom Keene, Dorothy Wilson, Roscoe Ates, Lon Chaney Jr. and Edgar Kennedy. It was released on March 10, 1933, by RKO Pi ...

'' (1933) - Judy Blake * '' Before Dawn'' (1933) - Patricia * ''Above the Clouds'' (1933) - Connie * '' Eight Girls in a Boat'' (1934) - Christa Storm * ''

His Greatest Gamble ''His Greatest Gamble'' is a 1934 American drama film directed by John Robertson from a screenplay by Sidney Buchman and Harry Hervey, based on a story by Salisbury Field. The film stars Richard Dix, Dorothy Wilson, Bruce Cabot, and Erin O'Br ...

'' (1934) - Alice Stebbins * ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt ...

'' (1934) - Maxim Girl (uncredited) * '' The White Parade'' (1934) - Zita Scofield * '' When a Man's a Man'' (1935) - Kitty Baldwin * '' One in a Million'' (1935) - Dorothy 'Babe' Brooks * ''Circus Shadows'' (1935) - Elaine Cavanaugh * '' The Last Days of Pompeii'' (1935) - Clodia * '' Bad Boy'' (1935) - Sally Larkin * '' In Old Kentucky'' (1935) - Nancy Martingale * '' The Milky Way'' (1936) - Polly Pringle * ''

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywoo ...

'' (1936) - Minor Role (scenes deleted) * ''

Craig's Wife ''Craig's Wife'' is a 1925 play written by American playwright George Kelly. It won the 1926 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and has been adapted for three feature films. Production ''Craig's Wife'' premiered on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre on O ...

'' (1936) - Ethel Landreth * ''Speed to Spare'' (1937) - Eileen Hart * '' Whistling in Brooklyn'' (1943) - Radio Quartette Member (uncredited) (final film role)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Dorothy American film actresses Actresses from Minneapolis 1909 births 1998 deaths Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American actresses WAMPAS Baby Stars