Nancy Gertrude Guild (October 11, 1925 – August 16, 1999) was an American film actress of the 1940s and 1950s. She appeared in '' Somewhere in the Night'' (1946), '' The Brasher Doubloon'' (1947), and the comedy ''

Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man ''Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man'' is a 1951 American science fiction comedy film directed by Charles Lamont and starring the team of Abbott and Costello alongside Nancy Guild. The film depicts the misadventures of Lou Francis and B ...

'' (1951). Although appearing in major films, Guild never achieved as much fame at

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

, the studio that had signed her to a seven-year contract, as she had hoped, and eventually stopped acting.

Early life

Guild was born at Hollywood Hospital on October 11, 1925, the third child and only daughter of Herbert Hamilton Guild and the former Zilpah Hebert.

Career

Guild was a freshman at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

when a photographer from ''

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

'' magazine noticed her. After her picture was published in a spread on campus fashions, Guild received screen tests at five Hollywood studios, and she was signed by

. The studio's publicity writers declared "Guild rhymes with wild!" when hyping her in '' Somewhere in the Night'' (1946), her first film, directed by

Joseph L. Mankiewicz Joseph Leo Mankiewicz (; February 11, 1909 – February 5, 1993) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. A four-time Academy Award winner, he is best known for his witty and literate dialogue and his preference for voice-over ...

Guild and then-husband Charles Russell appeared together in the musical '' Give My Regards to Broadway'' (1948). She played a dual role as

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...

and the hypnotized love interest of

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

in the 1949 adaptation of

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...

’ historical novel about Count

Cagliostro Giuseppe Balsamo (; 2 June 1743 – 26 August 1795), known by the alias Count Alessandro di Cagliostro ( , ), was an Italian occultist and confidence trickster. Cagliostro was an Italian adventurer and self-styled magician. He became a gl ...

and the

Affair of the Diamond Necklace The Affair of the Diamond Necklace (, "Affair of the Queen's Necklace") was an incident from 1784 to 1785 at the court of King Louis XVI of France that involved his wife, Queen Marie Antoinette. The queen's reputation, already tarnished by gossi ...

. After leaving Fox, she appeared in movies as a freelance and as a contract star at

Universal-International Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American film production and distribution company headquartered at the Universal Studios complex in Universal City, ...

, where she appeared in '' Little Egypt'',

picture and the

Francis the Talking Mule Francis the Talking Mule is a fictional mule who first appeared in three short stories written for ''Esquire magazine'' by David Stern, which he later combined into the 1946 novel ''Francis''. This was the basis of a series of seven Universal-I ...

movie ''

Francis Covers the Big Town ''Francis Covers the Big Town'' is a 1953 American black-and-white comedy film from Universal-International, produced by Leonard Goldstein, directed by Arthur Lubin, that stars Donald O'Connor, Yvette Duguay, and Gene Lockhart. The distinctive ...

'' (1953). Guild was a panelist on the DuMont network's ''Where Was I?'', a game show, in 1952-1953. She appeared occasionally on television and briefly returned to the movies in

Otto Preminger Otto Ludwig Preminger ( ; ; 5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian Americans, Austrian-American film and theatre director, film producer, and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the the ...

's ''

Such Good Friends ''Such Good Friends'' is a 1971 American black comedy-drama film directed by Otto Preminger and starring Dyan Cannon, Ken Howard, James Coco, Jennifer O'Neill and Laurence Luckinbill. The screenplay by Elaine May (credited under the pseudonym, Es ...

'' (1971).

Personal life

Guild's first husband was actor Charles Russell, whom she married on April 26, 1947. They divorced in November 1949, eight months after their daughter Elizabeth was born. On August 14, 1951, she married producer Ernest H. Martin. They had two daughters, Cecilia (born 1954) and Polly (1957–2004), and divorced in 1975. On April 5, 1983, Guild married photojournalist John Bryson;"Tipoff"
''The Ledger''. April 8, 1983. they divorced in 1995.

Death

On August 16, 1999, she died of emphysema in East Hampton, New York at the age of 73.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Guild, Nancy 1925 births 1999 deaths 20th Century Studios contract players 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles American film actresses University of Arizona alumni