Anne Gwynne (born Marguerite Gwynne Trice; December 10, 1918 – March 31, 2003) was an American actress who was known as one of the first scream queens because of her numerous appearances in horror films. Gwynne was also one of the most popular

pin-ups A pin-up model (known as a pin-up girl for a female and less commonly male pin-up for a male) is a model (person), model whose mass produced, mass-produced pictures see widespread appeal as part of popular culture. Pin-up models were variously ...

of World War II. She is the maternal grandmother of actor

Chris Pine Chris Pine (born August 26, 1980) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' reboot film series (2009–present), Steve Trevor in the DC Extended Universe films ''Wonder Woman'' (2017) and '' Wo ...

Early life

Gwynne was born in

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...

, the daughter of Pearl (née Guinn) and Jefferson Benjamin Trice, an apparel manufacturer. She had a brother Jefferson Jr. (b. 1914). After her family moved to St. Louis, Missouri, she attended Stephens College, where she studied drama.

Career

While accompanying her father to a convention in Los Angeles, Gwynne obtained a job modeling for

Catalina Swimwear Catalina is a brand of women’s swimwear. It was once one of the oldest clothing manufacturers in California. Their history began in 1907, as Bentz Knitting Mills, a small manufacturer of underwear and sweaters. The name was changed to Pacific K ...

. She soon began acting in small theaters and appeared in a newsreel and a charity short. In June 1939, she signed a contract with Universal and was immediately put to work in '' Unexpected Father''. Universal cast her in a variety of genres including film noir and musical comedy. She co-starred with Buster Crabbe and Carol Hughes in ''Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe'', a 12 episode Universal serial (1940). Gwynne made a number of

Westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

at the studio, including two she numbered among her favorite projects; '' Men of Texas'' with

Robert Stack Robert Stack (born Charles Langford Modini Stack; January 13, 1919 – May 14, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his deep voice and commanding presence, he appeared in over forty feature films. He starred in the highly successful ABC tele ...

and Broderick Crawford and '' Ride 'Em Cowboy'' with Abbott and Costello (both 1942). She is remembered by fans of horror for her work in several pictures made in the 1940s. Her first horror film was '' Black Friday'' (1940) in which she played

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film '' Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established ...

's daughter. '' House of Frankenstein'' (1944) was the last horror picture she did at Universal. Gwynne was a television pioneer, appearing in TV's first filmed series, ''

Public Prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal tria ...

'' (1947–48); she was a member of the regular cast, playing Pat Kelly, the district attorney's secretary.

Personal life

Gwynne married Max M. Gilford in 1945. The couple had two children: Gregory, a recording artist on Dunhill Records; and Gwynne, an actress. Gwynne Gilford and her husband, actor

Robert Pine Robert Pine (born Granville Whitelaw Pine, July 10, 1941) is an American actor who is best known as Sgt. Joseph Getraer on the television series ''CHiPs'' (1977–1983). Including ''CHiPs'', Pine has appeared in over 400 episodes of television. ...

, have two children, actress Katherine Pine and actor

. Gwynne was a Democrat and endorsed Adlai Stevenson for president in the 1952 presidential election.

Death

Anne Gwynne died March 31, 2003, of a stroke following surgery at the Motion Picture Country Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. She was cremated, and her ashes were scattered at sea.

Partial filmography

*'' Unexpected Father'' (1939) – Kitty – showgirl *'' Oklahoma Frontier'' (1939) – Janet Rankin *'' Little Accident'' (1939) – Blonde Girl (uncredited) *'' Man from Montreal'' (1939) – Doris Blair *'' The Big Guy'' (1939) – Joan's Friend (uncredited) *''

Charlie McCarthy, Detective ''Charlie McCarthy, Detective'' is a 1939 American comedy film starring Edgar Bergen, Charlie McCarthy (ventriloquist), Charlie McCarthy and Robert Cummings. Plot Scotty Hamilton is a reporter who works for a crooked editor. Bill Banning is ano ...

'' (1939) – Miss Larkin, Charlie's Nurse (uncredited) *'' The Green Hornet'' (1940, Serial) – Josephine Weaver h. 3(uncredited) *'' Honeymoon Deferred'' (1940) – Cecile Blades *'' Framed'' (1940) – Girl (uncredited) *'' Black Friday'' (1940) – Jean Sovac *'' It's a Date'' (1940) – Society Girl (uncredited) *''

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe ''Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe'' is a 1940 American black-and-white science fiction 12-chapter movie serial from Universal Pictures, produced by Henry MacRae and co-directed by Ford Beebe and Ray Taylor. The serial stars Buster Crabbe, Ca ...

'' (1940, Serial) – Sonja

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*'' Sandy Is a Lady'' (1940) – Millie *'' Bad Man from Red Butte'' (1940) – Tibby Mason *'' Spring Parade'' (1940) – Jenny *'' Give Us Wings'' (1940) – Julie Mason *''

Nice Girl? ''Nice Girl?'' is a 1941 American musical film directed by William A. Seiter, and starring Deanna Durbin, Franchot Tone, Walter Brennan, Robert Stack, and Robert Benchley. Based on the play ''Nice Girl?'' by Phyllis Duganne, the film is about a y ...

'' (1941) – Sylvia Dana *'' Washington Melodrama'' (1941) – Mary Morgan *'' The Black Cat'' (1941) – Elaine Winslow *'' Tight Shoes'' (1941) – Ruth *'' Mob Town'' (1941) – Marion Barker *'' Melody Lane'' (1941) – Patricia Reynolds *'' Road Agent'' (1941) – Patricia Leavitt *'' Keeping Fit'' (1942) – Nurse *'' Don't Get Personal'' (1942) – Susan Blair *'' Jail House Blues'' (1942) – Doris Daniels *'' Ride 'Em Cowboy'' (1942) – Anne Shaw *''

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

'' (1942) – Pearl *'' The Strange Case of Doctor Rx'' (1942) – Kit Logan Church *'' You're Telling Me'' (1942) – Kit Bellamy *'' Men of Texas'' (1942) – Jane Baxter Scott *'' Sin Town'' (1942) – Laura Kirby *''

We've Never Been Licked ''We've Never Been Licked'' (or ''Texas Aggies'', ''Texas to Tokyo'', and ''Fighting Command'') is a 1943 World War II propaganda film produced by Walter Wanger and released by Universal Pictures. Released in the UK under the title, ''Texas to To ...

'' (1943) – Nina Lambert *'' Frontier Badmen'' (1943) – Chris Prentice *'' Top Man'' (1943) – Pat Warren *'' Ladies Courageous'' (1944) – Gerry Vail *'' Weird Woman'' (1944) – Paula Reed *'' Moon Over Las Vegas'' (1944) – Marion Corbett *''

South of Dixie ''South of Dixie'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Jean Yarbrough and written by Clyde Bruckman. The film stars Anne Gwynne, David Bruce, Jerome Cowan, Ella Mae Morse, Joe Sawyer and Samuel S. Hinds. The film was released om June 23 ...

'' (1944) – Dixie Holister *'' Babes on Swing Street'' (1944) – Frances Carlyle *'' Murder in the Blue Room'' (1944) – Nan *'' House of Frankenstein'' (1944) – Rita Hussman *'' I Ring Doorbells'' (1946) – Brooke Peters *''

Fear Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear ...

'' (1946) – Eileen Stevens / Cathy Stevens *'' The Glass Alibi'' (1946) – Belle Martin *'' The Ghost Goes Wild'' (1947) – Phyllis Beecher *''

Killer Dill ''Killer Dill'' is a 1947 American film comedy directed by Lewis D. Collins set in 1931 during the Prohibition Era. Plot Lingerie salesman Johnny Dill loses girlfriend Judy Parker to his longtime friend, the charming lawyer William T. Allen. ...

'' (1947) – Judy Parker *''

Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome ''Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome'' (also known as ''Dick Tracy Meets Karloff'' and ''Dick Tracy's Amazing Adventure'' (UK) ) is a 1947 thriller film starring Boris Karloff, Ralph Byrd, and Anne Gwynne. The film is the fourth and final installment of t ...

'' (1947) – Tess Trueheart *'' Panhandle'' (1948) – June O'Carroll *''

The Enchanted Valley ''The Enchanted Valley'' is a 1948 American Cinecolor drama film directed by Robert Emmett Tansey and written by Frances Kavanaugh. The film stars Alan Curtis, Anne Gwynne, Charley Grapewin, Donn Gift, Joseph Crehan, Lash LaRue and Joe Devlin. ...

'' (1948) – Midge Gray *''

Arson, Inc. ''Arson, Inc.'' is a 1949 American film noir directed by William Berke. It is also known as ''Firebug Squad'' and ''Three Alarm Fire''. Plot Joe Martin is a fire fighter in Los Angeles who is assigned by his department chief to the Arson Detai ...

'' (1949) – Jane Jennings *'' The Blazing Sun'' (1950) – Kitty *''

Call of the Klondike ''Call of the Klondike'' is a 1950 American Northern film directed by Frank McDonald and starring Kirby Grant, Anne Gwynne, and Lynne Roberts. The film was the fourth in the series of ten films featuring Kirby Grant as a Canadian Mountie.Dre ...

'' (1950) – Nancy Craig *'' King of the Bullwhip'' (1950) – Jane Kerrigan *'' Breakdown'' (1952) – Candy Allen *'' Teenage Monster'' (1958) – Ruth Cannon *''

Adam at 6 A.M. ''Adam at 6 A.M.'' is a 1970 American drama film directed by Robert Scheerer. It stars Michael Douglas, Lee Purcell, Joe Don Baker, Louise Latham, Charles Aidman, Grayson Hall, Marge Redmond, and Dana Elcar. The film did not receive much attenti ...

'' (1970) – Mrs. Gaines (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gwynne, Anne 1918 births 2003 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Waco, Texas Female models from Texas American film actresses American television actresses California Democrats Texas Democrats Universal Pictures contract players 21st-century American women Pine family