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 influential 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 ...

'' 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 Samuel Edwin McKim (October 31, 1868 – March 31, 1942) was an actor and director of American silent films. He had directed films for Lubin Manufacturing Company, among other companies. McKim was the father of actress Ann Dvorak, born during his m ...

. 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 a dance instructor and gradually began to appear on film as a chorus girl. Her friend, actress

Karen Morley Karen Morley (born Mildred Linton; December 12, 1909 – March 8, 2003) was an American film actress. Life and career Born Mildred Linton in Ottumwa, Iowa, Morley lived there until she was 13 years old. When she moved to Hollywood, she attend ...

, introduced her to billionaire movie producer

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in t ...

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

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

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 with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her p ...

and

Joan Blondell Joan Blondell (born Rose Joan Bluestein; 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 ...

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, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...

; 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 Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two conse ...

. Known for her style and elegance, she was a popular leading lady for Warner Bros. 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. Although she worked regularly, the quality of her scripts declined sharply. She appeared as secretary Della Street to

Donald Woods Donald James Woods (15 December 1933 – 19 August 2001) was a South African journalist and anti-apartheid activist. As editor of the ''Daily Dispatch'', he was known for befriending fellow activist Steve Biko, who was killed by police after ...

' 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 career spanned the years from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of ...

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 ...

, released in 1946. The following year she adeptly handled comedy by giving an assured performance in ''

Out of the Blue Out of the Blue may refer to: Film and television Film * ''Out of the Blue'' (1931 film), a British musical by Gene Gerrard * ''Out of the Blue'' (1947 film), an American comedy directed by Leigh Jason *'' Out of the Blue: Live at Wembley'', a ...

'' (1947). In 1948, Dvorak gave her only performance on Broadway in ''

The Respectful Prostitute ''The Respectful Prostitute'' (french: La Putain respectueuse) is a French play by Jean-Paul Sartre, written in 1946, which observes a woman, a prostitute, caught up in a racially tense period of American history. The audience understands that t ...

''.

Later years and death

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 1951, when she married her third and last 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 cancer that had

metastasized Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, then, ...

beyond cure. She died on December 10, 1979, aged 68, in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the islan ...

. She was cremated and her ashes scattered off

Waikiki Beach Waikiki (; haw, Waikīkī; ; also known as Waikiki Beach) is a neighborhood of Honolulu on the south shore of the island of Oahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Waikiki is most famous for Waikiki Beach, which is one of six beaches in the district ...

Legacy

Dvorak has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

at 6321

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, Hollywo ...

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