Dixie Wanda Hendrix (November 3, 1928 – February 1, 1981) was an American film and television actress.

Early life

Hendrix's father was a logging foreman, and she was born in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

. She was performing in a school play in Jacksonville when she was seen by a talent agent who took her to Warner Bros. Her parents moved with her to California, buying a ranch there. She graduated from University High School.

Career and marriages

She made her first film, '' Confidential Agent'', in 1945 at the age of 16, and for the first few years of her career was consistently cast in "B" pictures. By the late 1940s, she was being included in more prestigious films, such as '' Ride the Pink Horse'' (1947) and ''

Miss Tatlock's Millions ''Miss Tatlock's Millions'' is an American screwball comedy film directed by Richard Haydn in 1948. Plot Movie stuntman Tim Burke is offered $1000 for a couple of days of work by Denno Noonan. Noonan was the "social secretary" for the mentally in ...

'' (1948). She starred with

Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include ''Jesse James'', ' ...

in ''

Prince of Foxes ''Prince of Foxes'' is a 1947 historical novel by Samuel Shellabarger, following the adventures of the fictional Andrea Orsini, a captain in the service of Cesare Borgia during his conquest of the Romagna. Plot introduction Andrea Zoppo, an Ita ...

'' (1949). In 1946,

Audie Murphy Audie Leon Murphy (20 June 1925 – 28 May 1971) was an American soldier, actor and songwriter. He was one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II. He received every military combat award for valor available from t ...

saw Hendrix on the cover of ''Coronet'' magazine and arranged to meet her. They were married on February 8, 1949, and made the film ''Sierra'' (1950) together, but the marriage was short-lived; they divorced on April 14, 1950. Hendrix later said that Murphy wanted her to give up her career; but more significantly, he was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder from his service in

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and during "flashback" episodes would turn on her, once holding her at gunpoint. In her later years, Hendrix spoke sympathetically of Murphy's condition. Hendrix resumed her career but found it difficult to obtain good roles. On June 26, 1954, she married wealthy sportsman James Langford Stack, Jr., the brother of actor

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 essentially retired from films, though she worked in live television dramatic anthology shows such as '' Pulitzer Prize Playhouse'', ''

Robert Montgomery Presents ''Robert Montgomery Presents'' is an American dramatic television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950, until June 24, 1957. The live show had several sponsors during its eight-year run, and the title was altered to feature the ...

'', ''The Plymouth Playhouse'', ''The Ford Television Theatre'', ''The Revlon Mirror Theater'', and ''

Schlitz Playhouse ''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'' is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both Television comedy, comedies and Dramatic programming, drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The ti ...

'', and occasionally appeared in later series such as ''

Bat Masterson Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was born to ...

'', ''

My Three Sons ''My Three Sons'' is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seasons. ''My Three Sons'' chroni ...

'', ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

'' and '' Bewitched''. She and Stack divorced on November 3, 1958. She married Italian financier and oil company executive Steven LaMonte (born 14 August 1942) on June 7, 1969; they divorced on November 17, 1980.

Death

Hendrix died on February 11, 1981, in Burbank, California from double pneumonia, aged 52, and was interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Partial filmography

*'' Confidential Agent'' (1945) as Else *'' Nora Prentiss'' (1947) as Bonita Talbot *''

Welcome Stranger The Welcome Stranger is the biggest alluvial gold nugget that has ever been found, which had a calculated refined weight of .Potter, Terry F. (1999) ''The Welcome Stranger: a definitive account of the worlds largest alluvial gold nugget''. I ...

'' (1947) as Emily Walters *''Hollywood Wonderland'' (1947 short) as Tour Guide (uncredited) *'' Variety Girl'' (1947) (uncredited) *'' Ride the Pink Horse'' (1947) as Pila *'' My Own True Love'' (1948) as Sheila Heath *''

'' (1948) as Nan Tatlock *'' Song of Surrender'' (1949) as Abigail Hunt *''

'' (1949) as Camilla *'' Captain Carey, U.S.A.'' (1950) as Giulia e Crescide Greffi *'' Sierra'' (1950) as Riley Martin *''

The Admiral Was a Lady ''The Admiral Was a Lady'' is a 1950 American comedy film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Edmond O'Brien and Wanda Hendrix. The working title of the film was ''Once Over Lightly'', taken from one of the film's songs. Plot After the ...

'' (1950) as Jean Madison *'' Saddle Tramp'' (1950) as Della *'' The Highwayman'' (1951) as Bess Forsythe *'' My Outlaw Brother'' (1951) as Señorita Carmelita Alvarado *''

Montana Territory The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana. Original boundaries ...

'' (1952) as Clair Enoch *'' South of Algiers'' (1953) as Anne Burnet *'' The Last Posse'' (1953) as Deborah Morley *'' Sea of Lost Ships'' (1953) as Pat Kirby *''

Highway Dragnet ''Highway Dragnet'' is a 1954 American film noir B film crime film directed by Nathan Juran from a story by U.S. Andersen and Roger Corman. The film stars Richard Conte, Joan Bennett and Wanda Hendrix. It was the first feature film on which Rog ...

'' (1954) as Susan *'' The Black Dakotas'' (1954) as Ruth Lawrence *'' The Boy Who Caught a Crook'' (1961) as Laura *'' Johnny Cool'' (1963) as Miss Connolly *'' Stage to Thunder Rock'' (1964) as Mrs. Swope * ''The Oval Portrait'' (1972) as Lisa Buckingham

References

External links

* *
Wanda Hendrix at Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hendrix, Wanda American film actresses American television actresses Actresses from Jacksonville, Florida Deaths from pneumonia in California 1928 births 1981 deaths Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) 20th-century American actresses