Priscilla Jones Lawson (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Shortridge, March 8, 1914 – August 27, 1958), was an American actress best known for her role as

Princess Aura Princess Aura is a fictional character in the Flash Gordon comic strips and serials. She has been portrayed by various actresses in the many ''Flash Gordon'' adaptations in film and television. Character overview Aura is the daughter of the ser ...

in the original ''

Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established '' Buck Rogers'' adv ...

'' serial (

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

Early years

Born in St. Paul, Indiana, Lawson was the daughter of Elmer Shortridge, a railroad yard foreman and machinist, and his wife, Elizabeth Shortridge née Hess.

Career

Lawson was a professional model by her early twenties and was named Miss Miami Beach in 1935, after which she was employed as an

Earl Carroll Earl Carroll (September 16, 1893 – June 17, 1948) was an American theatrical producer, director, writer, songwriter and composer. Early life Carroll was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1893. He lived as an infant in the Nunnery Hill ( Fine ...

chorus girl at the Miami Casino. This gained her a contract with

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

, which used her in a variety of small roles. However, in 1936 she was cast in the serial ''

'' as the voluptuous daughter of the villain,

Ming the Merciless Ming the Merciless is a fictional character who first appeared in the ''Flash Gordon'' comic strip in 1934. He has since been the main villain of the strip and its related movie serials, television series and film adaptation. Ming is depicted as ...

. Princess Aura's rivalry with

Dale Arden Dale Arden is a fictional character, the fellow adventurer and love interest of Flash Gordon and a prototypic heroine for later female characters, including Princess Leia and Padme Amidala in '' Star Wars''. Flash, Dale and Dr. Hans Zarkov fi ...

for Flash Gordon's affection was one of the centerpieces of the serial and gained Lawson

cult figure A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

status. Roy Kinnard wrote in ''Science Fiction Serials'' that "Lawson's notable physical assets were responsible for incurring the wrath of censors" in the filming of ''Flash Gordon''. Co-star

Jean Rogers Jean Rogers (born Eleanor Dorothy Lovegren, March 25, 1916 – February 24, 1991) was an American actress who starred in serial films in the 1930s and low–budget feature films in the 1940s as a leading lady. She is best remembered for ...

told him that censors ordered retakes of Chapter 1 of the serial with Lawson "wearing slightly less revealing garb." Her screen career ended in 1941. "Priscilla Lawson"
at the AFI Film Catalog

Personal life

Lawson was married to: *Gerald A. Lawson (1906-1933), a furniture salesman, on 8 March 1932; he died the following year of croupous pneumonia. * Alan Curtis (1909-1953), an American movie star, in November 1937. They divorced in 1940.

Later life

After her second marriage ended, Lawson enlisted in the

Women's Army Corps The Women's Army Corps (WAC) was the women's branch of the United States Army. It was created as an auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) on 15 May 1942 and converted to an active duty status in the Army of the United States ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. An unverified rumor claims she lost a leg in an accident while serving in the Army. Another version is that she lost a leg in a 1937 car crash. However, her ''Flash Gordon'' co-star

denied that Lawson had lost a leg, and it was also rejected in a biographical review in an Indianapolis journal. In later life, she managed a stationery shop in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, and worked for two pottery companies as a finisher.

Death

On August 27, 1958, Lawson died at 44 in

Monrovia, California Monrovia is a city in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 37,931 at the 2020 census. Monrovia has been used for filming TV shows, movies and co ...

, due to cirrhosis and upper gastrointestinal bleeding caused by a

duodenal ulcer Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is a break in the inner lining of the stomach, the first part of the small intestine, or sometimes the lower esophagus. An ulcer in the stomach is called a gastric ulcer, while one in the first part of the intestines i ...

. She was interred at Live Oak Memorial Park in Monrovia.

Filmography

References

External links

* *
Priscilla Lawson in a clip from the ''Flash Gordon'' serial from YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawson, Priscilla 1914 births 1958 deaths American film actresses Film serial actresses Actresses from Indianapolis Deaths from ulcers 20th-century American actresses