Dorothy Wilson (actress)

Dorothy Wilson
Wilson in Bad Boy (1935)
Born(1909-11-14)November 14, 1909
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedJanuary 7, 1998(1998-01-07) (aged 88)
Lompoc, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1932–1943
Spouse
Lewis R. Foster
​
​
(m. 1936; died 1974)​
Children2

Dorothy Wilson (November 14, 1909 – January 7, 1998) was an American movie actress of the 1930s.[1]

Early life

Wilson was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, moving to Los Angeles, California, after her high school graduation.[2] Ironically, she had no interest in acting and had moved to Los Angeles due to an urge to travel.[3]

Career

In 1930, she began working as a secretary and applied at several employment agencies. She received a job at RKO Pictures, and for two years she worked there as a secretary.[3][4] She often took notes for director Gregory La Cava; she was noticed by the executive in charge of casting and offered a screen test for La Cava's upcoming 1932 film The Age of Consent.[3] She won one of the two lead coed roles, opposite Richard Cromwell. Her performance in the movie received good reviews.[citation needed]

The same year, she was selected as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars, along with future Hollywood legend Ginger Rogers and Gloria Stuart.[5] She starred opposite some of Hollywood's biggest names, including Harold Lloyd, Richard Dix, Tom Keene, Preston Foster and Will Rogers. She appeared in 20 films between 1932 and 1937.

Dorothy Wilson, Harold Lloyd, and Helen Mack in a poster for The Milky Way (1936)

She was asked to test for the part of Melanie Hamilton in the epic movie Gone with the Wind, which she did,[citation needed] but she did not win the role, its being awarded to Olivia de Havilland. She starred in only two films after getting married, and then retired from acting to devote time to her family. She returned to acting only once, in an uncredited role in the 1943 film Whistling in Brooklyn.

Personal life and death

In 1936, she married scriptwriter Lewis R. Foster, whom she had met while filming the 1934 movie Eight Girls in a Boat.[6] Foster won an Oscar for his script for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, released in 1939 and starring James Stewart and Jean Arthur, based on Foster's book The Gentleman from Montana. She and Foster remained together and raised a family of two children. Foster died in 1974. Dorothy never remarried and was residing in Lompoc, California, at the time of her death on January 7, 1998.

Partial filmography

References

  1. ^ Lamparski, Richard (1989). "Dorothy Wilson". Whatever became of...? 11: All new eleventh series: 100 profiles of the most-asked-about movie, TV, and media personalities ; Hundreds of never-before-published facts, dates, etc., on celebrities ; 227 then-and-now photographs. New York: Crown Publishers. pp. 190–191. ISBN 978-0-517-57151-4.
  2. ^ Sharon, Mary (October 1932). ""Luck Wilson": No More Typewriting for Dorothy Wilson!". Silver Screen. 2 (12): 20, 59–60. ISSN 0037-5365 – via archive.org.
  3. ^ a b c "Typist Surprised to Find She Is Cast In Lead Role". The San Bernardino Sun. Associated Press. June 19, 1932 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon Note: Fraternity House is an alternate title of The Age of Consent.
  4. ^ Louella Parsons (December 28, 1933). "Robinson Gets Coveted Role of Little Corporal". The Fresno Bee – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ "Here They Are Together - Hollywood's Baby Stars". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Associated Press. December 24, 1932 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ Townsend, Leo (December 1936). "A Tour of Today's Talkies". Modern Screen. 14 (1): 49. ISSN 0026-8429 – via archive.org.
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