Lane, Lola (1909–1981)

American actress. Born Dorothy Mullican on May 21, 1909, in Macy, Indiana; died at her home in Santa Barbara, California, on June 22, 1981, after a long illness with inflammation of the arteries; eldest of five daughters of a dentist; older sister of Priscilla Lane (1917–1995), Rosemary Lane (1914–1974), and Leota Lane; married Lew Ayres (an actor); married Alexander Hall (a director); married Henry Dunham; married Roland West (a director); married Robert Hanlon (a lawyer); no children.

Selected filmography:

Speakeasy (1929); Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 (1929); The Girl From Havana (1929); Let's Go Places (1930); The Big Fight (1930); Good News (1930); Hell Bound (1931); Public Stenographer (1933); Burn 'Em Up Barnes (1934); Murder on a Honeymoon (1935); Alias Mary Dow (1935); Marked Woman (1937); Hollywood Hotel (1938); Four Daughters (1938); Daughters Courageous (1939); Four Wives (1939); Convicted Woman (1940); Zanzibar (1940); Gangs of Chicago (1940); Girls of the Road (1940); Four Mothers (1941); Mystery Ship (1941); Miss V from Moscow (1942); Why Girls Leave Home (1945); They Made Me a Killer (1946); Deadline at Dawn (1946).

The older sister of Priscilla and Rosemary Lane , Lola Lane began playing the piano for silent films at the age of 12. She later joined yet another Lane sister, Leota , in New York, where they appeared together in Gus Edwards' vaudeville revue and made their Broadway debut in Greenwich Village Follies. Lola then landed a leading role in War Song (1928), with George Jessell, which led to a contract at Fox. She played mostly small roles at Fox and on loan until the 1930s, when she joined Warner Bros. and co-starred in the "Four Daughters" series with her sisters. Lola retired from the screen in 1946 and went into real estate. The actress' five husbands included actor Lew Ayres and directors Alexander Hall and Roland West.

sources:

Katz, Ephriam. The Film Encyclopedia. NY: Harper-Collins, 1994.

Lamparski, Richard. Whatever Became of … ? 4th Series. NY: Crown.