Dorothy Wellman (born Dorothy Rae Coonan; November 25, 1913 – September 16, 2009) was an American actress and dancer. Wellman was the widow of film director
William Wellman
William Augustus Wellman (February 29, 1896 – December 9, 1975) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and military pilot. He was known for his work in Crime film, crime, Adventure film, adventure, and Action film, a ...
, to whom she was married from 1934 until his death in 1975.
Wellman cast her in several of his films.
Early life
Wellman was born Dorothy Rae Coonan in Minnesota in 1913.
[ She was the fourth child of six children of Florence (]née
The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
Taylor) and Daniel Raymond Coonan, who was a traveling salesman.["United States Census, 1920", digital image of original enumeration page, Dorothy Coonan in entry for family of D. R. and Florence Coonan, ]Oakland
Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...
, Alameda County, California, ED (Enumeration District) 79, January 2, 1920; United States Bureau of the Census, NARA
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...
, Washington, D.C. Retrieved via FamilySearch archives, June 14, 2022. By 1920, she had moved to Oakland, California
Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...
with her family and later that decade relocated with her mother and siblings to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
.
Career
Her career as a dancer began at the age of 14 with Warner Brothers Studios
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 ...
.[ Her early film credits as an on-screen dancer and actress included small, uncredited parts in early sound films such as '']The Broadway Melody
''The Broadway Melody'', also known as ''The Broadway Melody of 1929'', is a 1929 American pre-Code musical film and the first sound film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture. It was one of the early musicals to feature a Technicolor sequen ...
'' (1929), ''Whoopee!
''Whoopee!'' is a 1928 musical comedy play with a book based on Owen Davis's play, ''The Nervous Wreck.'' The musical libretto was written by William Anthony McGuire, with music by Walter Donaldson and lyrics by Gus Kahn. The musical premiered o ...
'' (1930), '' Kiki'' (1931) ''Palmy Days
''Palmy Days'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code musical comedy film written by Eddie Cantor, Morrie Ryskind, and David Freedman, directed by A. Edward Sutherland, and choreographed by Busby Berkeley (who makes a cameo appearance as a fortune tel ...
'' (1931), and ''The Kid from Spain
''The Kid from Spain'' is a 1932 American pre-Code black-and-white musical comedy film directed by Leo McCarey. Harry Ruby and Bert Kalmar composed the songs, and Busby Berkeley is credited with creating and directing the film's musical scenes. ...
'' (1932). Her best-known films were ''42nd Street 42nd Street most commonly refers to:
*42nd Street (Manhattan), a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan
It may also refer to:
*42nd Street (film), ''42nd Street'' (film), a 1933 American Warner Bros. musical film with lyri ...
'' (1933) and ''Gold Diggers of 1933
''Gold Diggers of 1933'' is an American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code musical film directed by Mervyn LeRoy with songs by Harry Warren (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics). The film's numbers were staged and choreographed by Busby Berkeley. It starr ...
''.[ Many of the films in which she appeared were choreographed by ]Busby Berkeley
Berkeley William Enos, (November 29, 1895 – March 14, 1976) known professionally as Busby Berkeley, was an American film director and musical choreographer. Berkeley devised elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geo ...
.[
]
Career highlight
Film director William Wellman cast Coonan as Sally, a "hobo
A hobo is a migrant worker in the United States. Hoboes, tramps, and bums are generally regarded as related, but distinct: a hobo travels and is willing to work; a tramp travels, but avoids work if possible; a bum neither travels nor works.
Et ...
" disguised as a male, in the 1933 Depression-era
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
drama ''Wild Boys of the Road
''Wild Boys of the Road'' is a 1933 pre-Code Depression-era American drama film directed by William Wellman and starring Frankie Darro, Rochelle Hudson, and Grant Mitchell. It tells the story of several teens forced into becoming hobos. The s ...
''.[ This was her only role in which she was credited on screen. She does make a later uncredited appearance in Wellman's '' The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), portraying a ]World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
army nurse nicknamed "Red" who marries a soldier on the battlefield, where he is soon killed.
Personal life and death
Coonan and Wellman were married in Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
in March 1934.[ The couple remained married for over four decades, until William's death on December 9, 1975.][ Their seven children all worked in entertainment to some extent.]
References
External links
*
Dorothy Coonan
– Daily Telegraph obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wellman, Dorothy
1913 births
2009 deaths
American film actresses
American female dancers
Dancers from Minnesota
Actresses from Minneapolis
Actresses from Los Angeles
People from Brentwood, Los Angeles
20th-century American dancers
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American women