Joan Blondell was born on August 30, 1906 in New York, USA. She was one of the greatest and sexist actresses in her period.
Biography and Career :
She attended classes of the Professional Children's School in New York City. In 1926 she won the Miss Dallas contest and after that she ended on the 4th place at the Miss America in the same year. She worked as a fashion model for a while and then decided to be an actress. In 1930 she signed a contract with Warner Brothers Studios and debuted in cinema. During her career she played along James Cagney in six movies and was one of the best paid in United States of America. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for and she played in more than 150 movies.
She died of leukemia on December 25, 1979.
Quotes :
- "Ther
e's a very fine line between underacting and not acting at all. And not acting is what a lot of actors are guilty of. It amazes me how some of these little numbers with dreamy looks and a dead pan are getting away wit it. I'd hate to see them on stage with a dog act."
- "In the 20s, you were a face. And that was enough. In the 30s, you also had to be a voice. And your voice had to match your face, if you can imagine that. Jimmy Cagney and Eddie Robinson had voices that were as important as the characters they played. You knew what you were getting even before you paid for the ticket."
Trivia :
- She is the older sister of actress Gloria Blondell.
- She is mother of Norman S. Powell from her marriage to George Barnes. He was adopted by Dick Powell in February 1938.
- She made six movies with James Cagney (at Warner Brothers) - more than any other individual actress did together with Cagney!!
- Measurements: 37-21 1/2-36 (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)
- James Cagney said that the only woman he loved other than his wife was Blondell.
- She was nominated for Broadway's 1958 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) for "The Rope Dancers."
- She is mother of Pamela Powell, from her marriage to Dick Powell.
- According to the July 24, 1944 issue of Time Magazine, Blondell divorced Dick Powell on the grounds of cruelty alleging that "when she objected to the incessant coming & going of guests, Powell crooned: 'If you don't like it, you can get the hell out.'"
- Her marriage to theatrical impresario Michael Todd was an emotional and financial disaster. Todd was a heavy spender who lost hundreds of thousands of dollars gambling and went through a controversial bankruptcy during their marriage. While continuing to live the high-life on a huge estate in New York's Westchester County, the irresponsible Todd ran through Blondell's savings, then eventually dumped her for the much younger Elizabeth Taylor.
- She playfully called her friend Bette Davis's four ex-husbands "The Four Skins" as they were all gentiles.
- June Allyson was the adoptive mother of her daughter Pamela Powell after Allyson married Blondell's ex-husband Dick Powell.
Filmography :
- "The Office Wife" (1930)
- "The Public Enemy" (1931)
- "Blonde Crazy" (1931)
- "Union Depot" (1932)
- "Three on a Match" (1932)
- "Gold Diggers of 1933" (1933)
- "Goodbye Again" (1933)
- "Footlight Parade" (1933)
- "Convention City" (1933)
- "Dames" (1934)
- "Colleen" (1936)
- "There's Always a Woman" (1938)
- "Off the Record" (1939)
- "Two Girls on Broadway" (1940)
- "Topper Returns" (1941)
- "Lady for a Night" (1942)
- "Cry Havoc" (1943)
- "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" (1945)
- "The Corpse Came C.O.D." (1947)
- "Nightmare Alley (1947)
- "Christmas Eve" (1947)
- "For Heaven's Sake" (1950)
- "The Blue Veil" (1951)
- "The Opposite Sex" (1956)
- "Lizzie" (1957)
- "Desk Set" (1957)
- "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" (1957)
- "Angel Baby" (1961)
- "Advance to the Rear" (1964)
- "The Cincinnati Kid" (1965)
- "Ride Beyond Vengeance" (1966)
- "Waterhole #3" (1967)
- "Stay Away, Joe" (1968)
- "Big Daddy" (1969)
- "The Phynx" (1970)
- "Support Your Local Gunfighter!" (1971)
- "Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood" (1976)
- "The Baron" (1977)
- "Opening Night" (1977)
- "Grease" (1978)
- "The Champ" (1979)
- "The Woman Inside" (1981).
Joan Blondell Image : classicactresses.com
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