Monica Bannister (September 8, 1910 – June 17, 2002) was a Canadian-born American actress, best known for her role in ''

Mystery of the Wax Museum ''Mystery of the Wax Museum'' is a 1933 American pre-Code mystery- horror film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Glenda Farrell, and Frank McHugh. It was produced and released by Warner Bros. and filmed in two- ...

'' (1933).

Early life and education

Bannister was born in

Forward, Saskatchewan Forward is a hamlet in Norton Rural Municipality No. 69, Saskatchewan, Canada. It previously held the status of a village until December 31, 1947. Demographics Prior to December 31, 1947, Forward was incorporated as a village, and was restruc ...

, and raised in the Pacific Northwest, the daughter of Harry Frederick Bannister and Josephine Mathilda Hagen Bannister. Her father was a candy maker. She graduated from

Tillamook High School Tillamook High School is a four-year public high school located in Tillamook, Oregon, United States, as part of the Tillamook School District. The school has served the area for over 100 years. Its mascot is the Cheesemaker and its colors are re ...

in Oregon, in 1928.

Career

Bannister was an actress, signed to a contract at the Warner First National studio in 1932. She played "Joan Gale" in

Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz (; born Manó Kaminer; from 1905 Mihály Kertész; ; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed classic films from the silen ...

's ''Mystery of the Wax Museum'' (1933), and "Maybelle" and '' The Cowboy and the Blonde'' (1941). She also made many smaller appearances in films of the 1930s and 1940s, including ''

Hypnotized Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychological ...

'' (1932), '' Jimmy the Gent'' (1934), ''

The Great Ziegfeld ''The Great Ziegfeld'' is a 1936 American musical film, musical drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and produced by Hunt Stromberg. It stars William Powell as the theatrical impresario Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., Florenz "Flo" Ziegfeld Jr., Lui ...

'' (1936), ''

Broadway Melody of 1938 ''Broadway Melody of 1938'' is a 1937 American musical film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and directed by Roy Del Ruth. The film is essentially a backstage musical revue, featuring high-budget sets and cinematography in the MGM musical traditi ...

'' (1937), ''Flowing Gold'' (1940), ''

Accent on Love ''Accent on Love'' is a 1941 American drama film directed and filmed by Ray McCarey and written by John Larkin (screenwriter), John Larkin. The film stars George Montgomery (actor), George Montgomery, Osa Massen, J. Carrol Naish, Cobina Wright, ...

'' (1941), and ''

Quiet Please, Murder ''Quiet Please, Murder'' is a 1942 drama film directed by John Larkin and starring George Sanders, Gail Patrick and Richard Denning. Based on the short story ''Death Walks in Marble Halls'' by Lawrence G. Blochman that appeared in the September ...

'' (1942). In addition to her film work, Bannister was considered a stylish beauty, and was often photographed in swimsuits or gowns. She worked as a showgirl in the Hollywood Restaurant and Cabaret, a popular New York supper club in the 1930s. In 1932, Bannister was named Queen of the Los Angeles Dahlia Show, and photographs of her wearing a dress made entirely from

dahlias ''Dahlia'' ( , ) is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. Dahlias are members of the Asteraceae (synonym name: Compositae) family of dicotyledonous plants, its relatives include the sun ...

appeared in newspapers. Her beauty hints were also featured in newspapers in the 1930s. She was said to enjoy

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

for fitness.

Personal life

Bannister married several times. Her first husband was Eugene Willbanks; they divorced in 1935. She married again in 1937, to actor and writer Eddie Cherkose. They divorced in 1939, reconciled, and divorced again in 1940. Her third husband was Max Nolan Lanier; they divorced in the 1940s. In 1952 she married machinist Johan Hendrik Van Munster. He died in 2001, and she died in 2002, in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, at the age of 91. "She was a Zigfield girl, and worked on the first

space shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable launch system, reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. ...

," said her obituary.

References

External links

*
"Monica Bannister"
''Those Obscure Objects of Desire'' (October 31, 2013); a blog post about Bannister, with several photographs of her {{DEFAULTSORT:Bannister, Monica 1910 births 2002 deaths American film actresses Actresses from Saskatchewan