Shirley, Anne (1917–1993)
Shirley, Anne (1917–1993)
American actress. Name variations: Dawn O'Day. Born Dawn Evelyeen Paris, April 17, 1917, in New York, NY; died July 4, 1993, in Los Angeles, CA; m. John Payne (actor), 1937 (div. 1942); m. Adrian Scott (producer), 1945 (div. 1948); m. Charles Lederer (screenwriter), 1949 (died 1976); children: (1st m.) Julie Payne; (3rd m.) 1 son.
As a child, worked as Dawn O'Day in Pola Negri's The Spanish Dancer; was also cast in The Fast Set (1924), Riders of the Purple Sage (1925), Mother Knows Best (1928) and Liliom (1930); played Anastasia in Rasputin and the Empress (1932); after getting breakthrough role of film adaptation of Anne of Green Gables, changed her name to that of the movie's heroine, Anne Shirley; within months, was the juvenile lead on the RKO lot; in addition to the sequel, Anne of Windy Poplars, was featured in Chasing Yesterday (1935), Chatterbox (1936), Mother Carey's Chickens (1938), Career (1939), Saturday's Children (1940), The Powers Girl (1942) and Murder, My Sweet (1944); had another memorable role as Barbara Stanwyck's daughter Laurel in Stella Dallas, which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress (1937); quit acting at 27.
See also Women in World History.