Ann Dvorak (born Anna McKim; August 2, 1911 – December 10, 1979) was an American stage and film actress. Asked how to pronounce her adopted surname, she told ''

The Literary Digest ''The Literary Digest'' was an American general interest weekly magazine published by Funk & Wagnalls. Founded by Isaac Kaufmann Funk in 1890, it eventually merged with two similar weekly magazines, ''Public Opinion'' and '' Current Opinion''. ...

'' in 1936: "My fake name is properly pronounced ''vor'shack''. The ''D'' remains silent. I have had quite a time with the name, having been called practically everything from Balzac to Bickelsrock."

Early years

Dvorak was the daughter and only child of silent film actress Anna Lehr and director Edwin McKim. While in New York, she attended St. Catherine's Convent. After moving to California, she attended Page School for Girls in Hollywood. She made her film debut when she was five years old in the silent film version of '' Ramona'' (1916), credited as "Baby Anna Lehr." She continued in children's roles in '' The Man Hater'' (1917) and ''Five Dollar Plate'' (1920), but then stopped acting in films. Her parents separated in 1916 and divorced in 1920; she did not see her father again until 13 years later, when she made a public plea to the press to help her find him.

Career

In the late 1920s, Dvorak worked as an assistant choreographer to Sammy Lee at MGM and gradually began to appear on film uncredited usually as a chorus girl or in bit parts. Her friend, actress Karen Morley, introduced her to millionaire movie producer

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was The World's Billionaires, one of the richest and most influential peo ...

, who groomed her as a dramatic actress. She was a success in such

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

films as '' Scarface'' (1932) as Paul Muni's sister; in '' Three on a Match'' (1932) with

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...

and

Joan Blondell Rose Joan Blondell (August 30, 1906 – December 25, 1979) was an American actress who performed in film and television for 50 years. Blondell began her career in vaudeville. After winning a beauty pageant, she embarked on a film career, estab ...

as the doomed, unstable Vivian; in '' The Crowd Roars'' (1932) with

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and maj ...

; and in '' Sky Devils'' (1932) opposite

Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the ...

. Known for her style and elegance, she was a popular leading lady for

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

during the 1930s, and appeared in numerous contemporary romances and melodramas. At age 19, Dvorak eloped with Leslie Fenton, her English co-star from '' The Strange Love of Molly Louvain'' (1932), and they married on March 17, 1932. They left for a year-long honeymoon in spite of her contractual obligations to the studio, which led to a period of litigation and pay disputes during which she discovered she was making the same amount of money as the boy who played her son in ''Three on a Match''. She completed her contract on permanent suspension, then worked as a

freelancer ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

. Although she worked regularly, the quality of her scripts declined sharply. She appeared as secretary Della Street to Donald Woods' Perry Mason in '' The Case of the Stuttering Bishop'' (1937). With her then-husband, Leslie Fenton, Dvorak traveled to England where she supported the war effort by working as an ambulance driver and acted in several British films. She appeared as a saloon singer in '' Abilene Town'' with

Randolph Scott George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor, whose Hollywood career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in dramas, come ...

and

Edgar Buchanan William Edgar Buchanan II (March 20, 1903 – April 4, 1979) was an American actor with a long career in both film and television. He is most familiar today as Uncle Joe Carson from the '' Petticoat Junction'', '' Green Acres'', and '' The Bever ...

, released in 1946. The following year she adeptly handled comedy by giving an assured performance in '' Out of the Blue'' (1947). In 1948, Dvorak gave her only performance on Broadway in '' The Respectful Prostitute''.

Personal life

Dvorak's marriage to Fenton ended in divorce in 1946. In 1947, she married Igor Dega, a Russian dancer who danced with her briefly in '' The Bachelor's Daughters''. The marriage ended two years later. Dvorak retired from the screen in 1952, when she married her final husband, Nicholas Wade, to whom she remained married until his death in 1975. She had no children. In 1959, she and her husband moved to Hawaii, which she had always loved. Several weeks before her death, she suffered severe stomach pains. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She died on December 10, 1979, aged 68, in

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

. She was cremated and her ashes scattered off Waikiki Beach.

Legacy

Dvorak has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

at 6321

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It runs through the Hollywood, East Hollywood, Little Armenia, Thai Town, and Los Feliz districts. Its western terminus is at Sunset Plaza Drive in the Hollyw ...

for her contribution to motion pictures. It was dedicated February 8, 1960.

Filmography

Features

Short subjects

*''The Five Dollar Plate'' (1920) *''The Doll Shop'' (1929) as One of the Dolls (uncredited) *''Manhattan Serenade'' (1929) as Chorus Girl (uncredited) *''The Song Writers' Revue'' (1930) as Member of the Chorus (uncredited) *''The Flower Garden'' (1930) as Member of Chorus *''Pirates'' (1930) as Chorus Girl (uncredited) *''The Snappy Caballero'' (1931) *''A Trip Thru a Hollywood Studio'' (1935) as Herself (uncredited)

References

External links

*
Ann Dvorak – The Underground Goddess Tribute SitePhotographs and literature"Ann Dvorak: Hollywood's Forgotten Rebel"
– ''biography''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dvorak, Ann 1911 births 1979 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from New York City American film actresses American silent film actresses American stage actresses American child actresses Deaths from cancer in Hawaii Warner Bros. contract players Western (genre) film actresses Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players American people of Austrian descent