Dolores Jean Moran (January 27, 1926 – February 5, 1982) was an American film actress and model.

Early years

Moran was born named Jaqueline in

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is the most populous city in the county, the List of municipal ...

, the daughter of James G. Moran and his wife, Esther Moran and attended elementary and secondary schools there. She won the Northern California Oratorical Contest and starred in school plays.

Film career

In 1942, aged 16, Moran, was signed by

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 ...

to a seven-year contract, with her parents' permission. Moran's brief career as a film actress began with uncredited roles in such films as ''

Yankee Doodle Dandy ''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' is a 1942 American biographical musical drama film about George M. Cohan, known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway". It stars James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf, and features Irene Manning, Geo ...

'' (1942) as "the Pippirino" (with whom George blows off a date to go out with Mary). By 1943, she had become a

pin-up girl A pin-up model is a model whose mass-produced pictures and photographs have wide appeal within the popular culture of a society. Pin-up models are usually glamour, actresses, or fashion models whose pictures are intended for informal and aesth ...

appearing on the cover of such magazines as ''Yank''. She was given supporting roles in films, such as ''

Old Acquaintance ''Old Acquaintance'' is a 1943 American drama film released by Warner Bros. It was directed by Vincent Sherman and produced by Henry Blanke with Jack L. Warner as executive producer. The screenplay by John Van Druten, Lenore Coffee and Edmu ...

'' (1943) 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 ...

attempted to increase interest in her, promoting her along with

Lauren Bacall Betty Joan Perske (September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014), professionally known as Lauren Bacall ( ), was an American actress. She was named the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the America ...

as a new screen personality when Bacall was cast alongside

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 '' To Have and Have Not'' (1944). The film made a star of Bacall, but Moran languished, and subsequent films did little to further her career. ''

The Horn Blows at Midnight ''The Horn Blows at Midnight'' is a 1945 comedy fantasy film directed by Raoul Walsh, and starring Jack Benny. Following its poor box-office, Benny often exploited the film's failure for laughs over the next 20 years in his radio and television ...

'' (1945) gave her a leading role with

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky; February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success as a violinist on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...

and

Alexis Smith Margaret Alexis Smith (June 8, 1921 – June 9, 1993) was a Canadian-born American actress, pin-up girl and singer. She appeared in several major Hollywood films in the 1940s and had a notable career on Broadway in the 1970s, winning a Tony Aw ...

, but her film appearances after this were sporadic, and she suffered ill health that reduced her ability to work. Her film career ended in 1954 with a featured role in the John Payne and

Lizabeth Scott Lizabeth Virginia Scott (born Emma Virginia Matzo; September 29, 1921 – January 31, 2015) was an American actress, singer, and model for the Walter Thornton Model Agency, known for her "smoky voice" and being "the most beautiful face of film n ...

western film The Western is a film genre defined by the American Film Institute as films which are "set in the American West that mbodythe spirit, the struggle, and the demise of the new frontier." Generally set in the American frontier between the Calif ...

'' Silver Lode''.

Personal life

She married film producer

Benedict Bogeaus Benedict Bogeaus (May 4, 1904, in Chicago – August 23, 1968, in Hollywood), was an independent film producer and former owner of General Service Studios. Biography and filmography Bogeaus' business career started when he was seventeen, worki ...

Salome, Arizona Salome (, Tolkepaya Yavapai: Wiltaika) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in La Paz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,162 at the 2020 census. It was established in 1904 by Dick Wick Hall, Ernes ...

in 1946. They had a son, Brett. The couple divorced in 1962. In 1968, Moran was the recipient of bequest valued at $300,000 (). Anthony Ponce, an apricot grower, bequeathed the bulk of his estate to her because he appreciated her kindness 20 years earlier when she worked as a carhop at a drive-in. Ponce's will directed that $6,000 go to his nephew and five nieces, with the rest to go to Moran. The nieces and nephew contested the will.

Death

In 1982, Dolores Moran died of cancer, aged 56.

Filmography

References

External links

* 1926 births 1982 deaths 20th-century American actresses American film actresses Female models from California People from Stockton, California Warner Bros. contract players People from Woodland Hills, Los Angeles Deaths from lung cancer in California {{US-film-actor-1920s-stub