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: ''For the American activist and former Hadassah leader, see June Walker (Hadassah)''
June Walker (June 14, 1900 – February 3, 1966) was an American stage and film actress.
Walker performed as a member of the chorus of a Globe Theater production of ''
June Walker
at Historic Elitch Theatre 1900 births 1966 deaths American stage actresses American film actresses American television actresses Actresses from Chicago Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers {{US-screen-actor-1900s-stub
Early years
Walker was born in New York City on June 14, 1900, and was orphaned when she was 14. She worked as a millinery clerk before becoming an actress.Stage career
Walker performed as a member of the chorus of a Globe Theater production of ''Hitchy-Koo
''Hitchy-Koo'' is a 1912 American popular song and a series of musical revues, inspired by the song, staged on Broadway each year from 1917 through 1920 and on tour in 1922.
Described by '' Variety'' magazine as a "hit song of 1912", the song wa ...
'' when she was 16 years old.
She appeared on Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
in such plays as '' Green Grow the Lilacs'', '' The Farmer Takes a Wife'', and ''Twelfth Night
''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...
''. She was the first actress to portray the character of Lorelei Lee, in the 1926 Broadway production of '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes''. Her obituary in ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' said the role "was as much her creation as that of Anita Loos who wrote the book that became the comedy ..." The success of the play launched Walker's career, and she had further Broadway successes. She played Linda Loman to Thomas Mitchell's Willy in the 1949 touring company of ''Death of a Salesman
''Death of a Salesman'' is a 1949 stage play written by the American playwright Arthur Miller. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a ...
'' and also toured, performing in the role of Vinnie, in '' Life with Father''.
For four weeks in 1924 Walker appeared as the Leading Lady in the Summer Stock cast at Elitch Theatre. She appeared in: The Changelings, by Lee Wilson Dood; Rolling Home, by John Hunter Booth; The New Poor, by Cosmo Hamilton; and Across the Street, by Richard A. Purdy.
Film career
Walker acted in silent films forEssanay Studios
Essanay Studios, officially the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company, was an early American motion picture studio. The studio was founded in 1907 in Chicago by George Kirke Spoor and Gilbert M. Anderson, originally as the Peerless Film Manufactu ...
and in sound films, including ''A Child Is Waiting'', ''Through Different Eyes'', ''The Unforgiven'', and ''War Nurse''.
Personal life
In 1926, she married British actorGeoffrey Kerr
Geoffrey Kerr (born Geoffrey Kemble Grinham Keen; 26 January 1895 – 1 July 1971) was a British stage and film actor and writer during the middle of the 20th century.
Early life
Geoffrey Kemble Grinham Keen was born on 26 January 1895, in Lon ...
. The couple divorced in 1943; their son was actor John Kerr. She appeared with her son in a 1954 episode of NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
's ''Justice
In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...
''. It was his first acting engagement.
Death
On February 3, 1966, aged 65, Walker died of undisclosed causes at her son's home in Los Angeles. She was interred in theWestwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary is a cemetery and Morgue, mortuary located in the Westwood, Los Angeles, Westwood area of Los Angeles. It includes a crematory for cremation services. Its location is at 1218 Glendon Av ...
in 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, ...
.
Filmography
References
External links
* * *June Walker
at Historic Elitch Theatre 1900 births 1966 deaths American stage actresses American film actresses American television actresses Actresses from Chicago Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers {{US-screen-actor-1900s-stub