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Vera Ralston

Vera Ralston

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Vera Ralston (born Věra Helena Hrubá) was a Czech figure skater and actress. She later became a naturalized American citizen. She worked as an actress during the 1940s and 1950s. As a figure skater, she represented Czechoslovakia in competition under her birth name Věra Hrubá. She competed at the 1936 European Figure Skating Championships and placed 15th. Later that season, she competed at the 1936 Winter Olympics, where she placed 17th. During the games, she personally met and insulted Adolf Hitler. Hitler asked her if she would like to "skate for the swastika." As she later boasted, "I looked him right in the eye, and said that I'd rather skate on the swastika. The Führer was furious." Hrubá competed at the 1937 European Figure Skating Championships and placed 7th. She emigrated to the United States in 1941 and became a naturalized citizen in 1946. She moved to Hollywood with her mother and signed a contract in 1943 with Republic Pictures. During her career she was known as Vera Hrubá Ralston and later Vera Ralston. She normally played an immigrant girl, because of her limited English skills. Among the 26 films Ralston starred in were: Storm Over Lisbon; Dakota; I, Jane Doe; The Fighting Kentuckian; A Perilous Journey; and Fair Wind to Java. She retired from films in 1958. In 1952, Ralston married Republic studio head Herbert Yates. Yates was nearly 40 years her senior, and had left his wife and children to be with Ralston. Yates used his position to obtain roles for Ralston, and at one point was sued by studio shareholders for using company assets to promote his wife. Yates died in 1966, leaving his $8 million estate to Ralston. She suffered a nervous breakdown shortly thereafter, remarried, and lived quietly in southern California. She died on February 9, 2003, in Santa Barbara, California, after a long battle with cancer. For her work in films, Ralston has a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A registered Republican, she supported Dwight Eisenhower during the 1952 presidential election. Description above from the Wikipedia article Vera Ralston, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Personal information

Birthday

1920-07-12

Birth Place

Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]

Movies and TV shows :

A Perilous Journey

A Perilous Journey

1953

4.0

Movie
A Week in the Quiet House

A Week in the Quiet House

1947

6.3

Movie
Accused of Murder

Accused of Murder

1956

4.5

Movie
Angel on the Amazon

Angel on the Amazon

1948

4.8

Movie
Belle Le Grand

Belle Le Grand

1951

3.0

Movie
Dakota

Dakota

1945

5.1

Movie
Fair Wind to Java

Fair Wind to Java

1953

4.9

Movie
Gunfire at Indian Gap

Gunfire at Indian Gap

1957

5.0

Movie
Hoodlum Empire

Hoodlum Empire

1952

6.1

Movie
I, Jane Doe

I, Jane Doe

1948

5.9

Movie
Ice Capades Revue

Ice Capades Revue

1942

5.7

Movie
Ice-Capades

Ice-Capades

1941

5.0

Movie
Jubilee Trail

Jubilee Trail

1954

4.6

Movie
Lake Placid Serenade

Lake Placid Serenade

1944

0.0

Movie
Murder in the Music Hall

Murder in the Music Hall

1946

4.6

Movie
Spoilers of the Forest

Spoilers of the Forest

1957

0.0

Movie
Storm Over Lisbon

Storm Over Lisbon

1944

4.8

Movie
Surrender

Surrender

1950

4.8

Movie
The Fighting Kentuckian

The Fighting Kentuckian

1949

5.8

Movie
The Flame

The Flame

1947

5.4

Movie
The Lady and the Monster

The Lady and the Monster

1944

5.8

Movie
The Man Who Died Twice

The Man Who Died Twice

1958

5.6

Movie
The Notorious Mr. Monks

The Notorious Mr. Monks

1958

0.0

Movie
The Plainsman and the Lady

The Plainsman and the Lady

1946

3.0

Movie
The Wild Blue Yonder

The Wild Blue Yonder

1951

6.0

Movie
Timberjack

Timberjack

1955

3.2

Movie
Wyoming

Wyoming

1947

6.0

Movie