Claire Luce (October 15, 1903 – August 31, 1989) was an American stage and screen actress, dancer and singer. Among her few films were '' Up the River'' (1930), directed by

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

and starring Spencer Tracy and

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart ( ; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American actor. His performances in classic Hollywood cinema made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Bogart ...

in their feature film debuts (Luce played Bogart's love interest), and '' Under Secret Orders'', the English-language version of G. W. Pabst's French-language feature, '' Salonique, nid d'espions'' (1937).

Early years

Luce was born in Syracuse, New York, but she grew up in Rochester in what an article in ''Silver Screen'' magazine described as "an atmosphere of discord and squalor". Luce's parents were divorced when she was 13. Florence Colebrook Powers, a friend of Luce's mother, adopted her. Powers was in charge of a dance school, and she introduced Luce to dancing. While still 13, Luce took a job as a "sort of utility employee" at a cafe in Rochester. When she was 15, she ran away with a Russian opera troupe that played in Rochester, becoming a ballerina with the group. Before long, she said, "people in Rochester traced me and had me brought back."

Career

Luce starred in many Broadway plays from 1923 until 1952, including costarring with Fred Astaire in the original

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

'' Gay Divorce'' (1932). Of her performance in ''Gay Divorce'', the critic

Brooks Atkinson Justin Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894 – January 14, 1984) was an American theater critic. He worked for ''The New York Times'' from 1922 to 1960. In his obituary, the ''Times'' called him "the theater's most influential reviewer of his ...

wrote, "In the refulgent Claire Luce, Fred Astaire has found a partner who can match him step for step and who flies over the furniture in his company without missing a beat." Unfortunately, during the London run of the play, Luce suffered a serious injury during the "Table Dance" routine—a routine which was reprised in the film—hurting her hip, and this put an end to her stage dancing career. Astaire tried to get Luce for the film version of ''Gay Divorce'', '' The Gay Divorcee'' (1934) but was overruled by the studio, RKO Radio Pictures, which preferred to use their contract player

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

. In his autobiography, Astaire credits Luce as the inspiration for his revolutionary " Night and Day" dance routine in the film:

Claire was a beautiful dancer and it was her style that suggested to me the whole pattern of the "Night and Day" dance. This was something entirely different from anything Adele and I had done together. That was what I wanted, an entirely new dancing approach.

Luce recalls her own experience with the chronically insecure Astaire: "I actually felt more sorry for Fred than I did for myself, despite the horrendous schedules of rehearsals that he kept up. He was a very worried man." She also starred in the Broadway version of ''

Of Mice and Men ''Of Mice and Men'' is a 1937 novella written by American author John Steinbeck. It describes the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant worker, migrant ranch workers, as they move from place to place in California ...

'' (1937), written by John Steinbeck and directed by George S. Kaufman. Luce often appeared on the English stage and, having been seen in ''Of Mice and Men'' in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1939, stayed in the UK throughout the war years. She played a number of Shakespearean roles during that time and in 1945 scored a big success leading the company at the annual Stratford-on-Avon Memorial Theatre's summer Shakespeare Festival, particularly as Cleopatra in '' Antony and Cleopatra''. Her last appearance in London at that time was as Becky Sharp in an adaptation of Thackeray's novel '' Vanity Fair'' at the Comedy Theatre in 1946.

Personal life

Luce married Clifford Warren Smith, first cousin of Dudley Wolfe, in 1928. They were divorced on January 16, 1935. Luce became engaged to John Woodburn Gillan in 1940. He was an RAF pilot who was shot down and killed in 1941."England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W794-6DZM : Wed Dec 13 23:31:08 UTC 2023), Entry for John Woodburn Gillan and David Hedley Gillan, 19 Feb 1943.

Filmography

*'' Matinee Theatre'' (1 episode, 1955) *'' Broadway Television Theatre'' (4 episodes, 1953–1954) *'' Lights Out'' (1 episode, 1952) *'' Cameo Theatre'' (4 episodes, 1951–1952) *'' Tales of Tomorrow'' as Rose (1 episode, 1952) *'' The Philco Television Playhouse'' as Becky Sharp (2 episodes, 1949) *'' Over She Goes'' (1938) as Pamela *'' Under Secret Orders'' (1937) as Gaby, Rene's Girl *'' Let's Make a Night of It'' (1937) as Viola Vanders *'' Lazybones'' (1935) as Kitty McCarthy *'' Vintage Wine'' (1935) as Nina Popinot *'' Up the River'' (1930) as Judy

Stage

*''Much Ado About Nothing'' as Beatrice May 1, 1952 - May 3, 1952 *''The Taming of the Shrew'' as Katharina, Apr 25, 1951 - May 6, 1951 *''With a Silk Thread'' as Rose Raymond, Apr 12, 1950 - Apr 22, 1950 *''Portrait in Black'' as Tanis Talbot, May 14, 1947 - Jul 5, 1947 * ''

Golden Eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...

'' as Mary, Queen of Scots, Jan 29, 1946 - Mar 3, 1946 *''

'' as Curley's Wife, Nov 23, 1937 - May 1938 *''Gay Divorce'' as Mimi Nov 29, 1932 - Jul 1, 1933 *''Society Girl'' as Judy Gelett, Dec 30, 1931 - Jan 1932 *''Scarlet Pages'' as Nora Mason, Sep 9, 1929 - Nov 1929 *''Ziegfeld Follies of 1927'' Aug 16, 1927 - Jan 7, 1928 *''No Foolin'' Jun 24, 1926 - Sep 25, 1926 *''Music Box Revue 924' Dec 1, 1924 - May 1925 *''Dear Sir'' as Clair, Sep 23, 1924 - Oct 4, 1924 *'' Little Jessie James'' as Claire, Aug 15, 1923 - Jul 19, 1924

References

External links

* *
Claire Luce papers, 1925-1987
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts {{DEFAULTSORT:Luce, Claire 1903 births 1989 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses American female dancers Dancers from New York (state) Actresses from New York (state) 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American dancers