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Ann Dvorak

Ann Dvorak

Ann Dvorak (born Anna McKim; August 2, 1911 – December 10, 1979) was an American stage and film actress. Asked how to pronounce her adopted surname, she told The Literary Digest: "My fake name is properly pronounced vor'shack. The D remains silent." Dvorak was the daughter and only child of silent film actress Anna Lehr and director Edwin McKim. While in New York, she attended St. Catherine's Convent. After moving to California, she attended Page School for Girls in Hollywood. She made her film debut when she was five years old in the silent film version of Ramona (1916), credited as "Baby Anna Lehr". She continued in children's roles in The Man Hater (1917) and Five Dollar Plate (1920), but then stopped acting in films. Her parents separated in 1916 and divorced in 1920; she did not see her father again until 13 years later, when she made a public plea to the press to help her find him. In the late 1920s, Dvorak worked as a dance instructor and gradually began to appear on film as a chorus girl. Her friend, actress Karen Morley, introduced her to billionaire movie producer Howard Hughes, who groomed her as a dramatic actress. She was a success in such pre-Code films as Scarface (1932) as Paul Muni's sister; in Three on a Match (1932) with Bette Davis and Joan Blondell as the doomed, unstable Vivian; in The Crowd Roars (1932) with James Cagney; and in Sky Devils (1932) opposite Spencer Tracy. Known for her style and elegance, she was a popular leading lady for Warner Bros. during the 1930s, and appeared in numerous contemporary romances and melodramas. At age 19, Dvorak eloped with Leslie Fenton, her English co-star from The Strange Love of Molly Louvain (1932), and they married on March 17, 1932. They left for a year-long honeymoon in spite of her contractual obligations to the studio, which led to a period of litigation and pay disputes during which she discovered she was making the same amount of money as the boy who played her son in Three on a Match. She completed her contract on permanent suspension, then worked as a freelancer. Although she worked regularly, the quality of her scripts declined sharply. She appeared as secretary Della Street to Donald Woods' Perry Mason in The Case of the Stuttering Bishop (1937). With her then-husband, Leslie Fenton, Dvorak traveled to England where she supported the war effort by working as an ambulance driver and acted in several British films. She appeared as a saloon singer in Abilene Town with Randolph Scott and Edgar Buchanan, released in 1946. The following year she adeptly handled comedy by giving an assured performance in Out of the Blue (1947). In 1948, Dvorak gave her only performance on Broadway in The Respectful Prostitute. Dvorak's marriage to Fenton ended in divorce in 1946. In 1947, she married Igor Dega, a Russian dancer who danced with her briefly in The Bachelor's Daughters. The marriage ended two years later. Dvorak retired from the screen in 1951, when she married her third and last husband, Nicholas Wade, to whom she remained married until his death in 1975. She had no children.

Personal information

Birthday

1911-08-02

Birth Place

New York City, New York, USA

Movies and TV shows :

'G' Men

'G' Men

1935

6.5

Movie
A Life of Her Own

A Life of Her Own

1950

5.2

Movie
A Tailor-Made Man

A Tailor-Made Man

1931

0.0

Movie
A Trip Thru a Hollywood Studio

A Trip Thru a Hollywood Studio

1935

5.2

Movie
Abilene Town

Abilene Town

1946

5.3

Movie
Blind Alley

Blind Alley

1939

5.6

Movie
Bogart: The Untold Story

Bogart: The Untold Story

1997

0.0

Movie
Breakdowns of 1936

Breakdowns of 1936

1936

0.0

Movie
Bright Lights

Bright Lights

1935

4.5

Movie
Cafe Hostess

Cafe Hostess

1940

5.5

Movie
Chasing Rainbows

Chasing Rainbows

1930

4.0

Movie
Children of Pleasure

Children of Pleasure

1930

4.7

Movie
College Coach

College Coach

1933

4.3

Movie
Crooner

Crooner

1932

5.0

Movie
Dance, Fools, Dance

Dance, Fools, Dance

1931

6.4

Movie
Devil-May-Care

Devil-May-Care

1929

5.3

Movie
Dr. Socrates

Dr. Socrates

1935

6.4

Movie
Escape to Danger

Escape to Danger

1943

0.0

Movie
Estrellados

Estrellados

1930

0.0

Movie
Flame of Barbary Coast

Flame of Barbary Coast

1945

5.6

Movie
Free and Easy

Free and Easy

1930

6.1

Movie
Friends of Mr. Sweeney

Friends of Mr. Sweeney

1934

6.0

Movie
Gangs of New York

Gangs of New York

1938

4.8

Movie
Gentlemen Are Born

Gentlemen Are Born

1934

6.5

Movie
Girls of the Road

Girls of the Road

1940

5.0

Movie
Good News

Good News

1930

5.0

Movie
Heat Lightning

Heat Lightning

1934

6.8

Movie
Hello Pop

Hello Pop

1933

9.0

Movie
Housewife

Housewife

1934

7.6

Movie
I Sell Anything

I Sell Anything

1934

4.5

Movie
I Was an American Spy

I Was an American Spy

1951

6.2

Movie
It's a Great Life

It's a Great Life

1929

4.0

Movie
Lord Byron of Broadway

Lord Byron of Broadway

1930

4.7

Movie
Love Is a Racket

Love Is a Racket

1932

5.8

Movie
Madam Satan

Madam Satan

1930

5.8

Movie
Manhattan Merry-Go-Round

Manhattan Merry-Go-Round

1937

5.8

Movie
Manhattan Serenade

Manhattan Serenade

1929

0.0

Movie
Masquerade in Mexico

Masquerade in Mexico

1945

5.4

Movie
Massacre

Massacre

1934

5.8

Movie
Merrily We Live

Merrily We Live

1938

7.1

Movie
Midnight Alibi

Midnight Alibi

1934

6.0

Movie
Midnight Court

Midnight Court

1937

4.8

Movie
Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone

Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone

1950

6.0

Movie
Murder in the Clouds

Murder in the Clouds

1934

4.7

Movie
Our Blushing Brides

Our Blushing Brides

1930

5.9

Movie
Our Very Own

Our Very Own

1950

5.7

Movie
Out of the Blue

Out of the Blue

1947

6.6

Movie
Politics

Politics

1931

6.3

Movie
Racing Lady

Racing Lady

1937

5.3

Movie
Ramona

Ramona

1916

0.0

Movie
Roast-Beef and Movies

Roast-Beef and Movies

1934

3.0

Movie
Scarface

Scarface

1932

7.5

Movie
She's No Lady

She's No Lady

1937

0.0

Movie
Side Streets

Side Streets

1934

5.3

Movie
Sky Devils

Sky Devils

1932

5.5

Movie
So This Is College

So This Is College

1929

4.2

Movie
Son of India

Son of India

1931

5.0

Movie
Squadron Leader X

Squadron Leader X

1943

0.0

Movie
Stranger in Town

Stranger in Town

1931

3.0

Movie
Stronger Than Desire

Stronger Than Desire

1939

5.8

Movie
Sweet Music

Sweet Music

1935

5.7

Movie
Thanks a Million

Thanks a Million

1935

6.0

Movie
The Bachelor's Daughters

The Bachelor's Daughters

1946

6.5

Movie
The Case of the Stuttering Bishop

The Case of the Stuttering Bishop

1937

6.8

Movie
The Crowd Roars

The Crowd Roars

1932

5.9

Movie
The Devil's Cabaret

The Devil's Cabaret

1930

5.2

Movie
The Doll Shop

The Doll Shop

1929

0.0

Movie
The Guardsman

The Guardsman

1931

5.3

Movie
The Hollywood Revue of 1929

The Hollywood Revue of 1929

1929

5.7

Movie
The Long Night

The Long Night

1947

5.8

Movie
The Man Hater

The Man Hater

1917

0.0

Movie
The March of Time

The March of Time

1930

0.0

Movie
The Private Affairs of Bel Ami

The Private Affairs of Bel Ami

1947

6.3

Movie
The Return of Jesse James

The Return of Jesse James

1950

5.0

Movie
The Secret of Convict Lake

The Secret of Convict Lake

1951

6.5

Movie
The Song Writers' Revue

The Song Writers' Revue

1929

1.0

Movie
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain

The Strange Love of Molly Louvain

1932

5.9

Movie
The Walls of Jericho

The Walls of Jericho

1948

5.7

Movie
The Way to Love

The Way to Love

1933

0.0

Movie
The Woman Racket

The Woman Racket

1930

5.5

Movie
This Modern Age

This Modern Age

1931

6.0

Movie
This Was Paris

This Was Paris

1942

5.5

Movie
Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood

Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood

2008

6.4

Movie
Three on a Match

Three on a Match

1932

6.2

Movie
Way Out West

Way Out West

1930

5.9

Movie
We Who Are About to Die

We Who Are About to Die

1937

6.8

Movie