Blanche Yurka (1887 - 1974)

Actress. Born in St Paul, Minnesota, she was an opera singer when she made her debut as a character actor on Broadway in 1910. Turning to the screen, she is most remembered for the role as the vicious Madame Defarge in “A Tale of Two Cities” (1935). Among her many film credits were “Song of […]

Mei-Ling Barbara Yung (1959 - 1985)

Actress. Barbara Yung was a big star in Hong Kong prior to her suicide in 1985, and details of her funeral arrangements were widely publicised in the media. She was cremated in Hong Kong and her ashes taken back to Cambridge, England by her mother to be buried in a cemetery not far from where […]

Polly Ann Young (1908 - 1997)

Actress. She was the sister of Loretta Young.  Family links:  Parents:  Gladys Belzer (1888 – 1984)  Spouse:  James Carter Hermann (1905 – 1981)*  Children:  James Carter Hermann (1936 – 2012)*  Siblings:  Polly Ann Young (1908 – 1997)  Sally Blane (1910 – 1997)*  Loretta Young (1913 – 2000)*  Georgiana Young (1923 – 2007)* *Calculated relationship

Clara Kimball Young (1890 - 1960)

Actress. Known today only to silent film enthusiasts, she was a hugely popular star of the World War I era. Born in Chicago into a show business family, she made her vaudeville debut at age three and entered films with the Vitagraph studio in 1909. She was initially cast in one-reel comedies, but under the […]

Emma Yong (1975 - 2012)

Actress, Singer. A star of her country’s stage and screen, she was best known as a member of the popular group The Dim Sum Dollies. Raised in Singapore, she attended the upscale Raffles Girls School and Raffles Junior College where she was active in theatre. Emma gradually began a career on the local scene and […]

Lina Yegros (1913 - 1978)

Actress. She began her career at the age of 17 on stage, but soon moved to cinema, where she was known as “La Dulce Llorona” (“The Sweet Weeper”), because often she played dramatic roles. She become a movie star during Spanish Second Republic. She is best remembered for films such as “La Bien Pagada” (1933), […]

Grace Yearsley (1895 - 1967)

American motion picture actress in the silent era (1910s, 1920s). Later became one of the charter members of local 776 Motion Picture Film Editors. Married to actor Ralph Yearsley. (bio by: A.J. Marik)

Pauline Yates (1929 - 2015)

Actress. She was an English performer, best known for her a role as Elizabeth Perrin on the BBC television series, “The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin” (1976-79). After leaving school, she went straight into acting in stage shows at age 17. In 1957, she was cast in the role of Estelle Waterman for the […]

Rosita Yarza (1922 - 1996)

Noted Spanish Stage and Screen Actress. She began her career in 1939 with the film “El Rey que Rabió.” She also appeared in “Malvaloca” (1942), “Mariona Rebull” (1947), “¿Dónde vas Triste de ti?” (1960), “Las Últimas Horas” (1965) and “La Otra Orilla.” She was married to actor José María Seoane. (bio by: José L Bernabé […]

Isuzu Yamada (1917 - 2012)

Actress. One of her country’s most respected performers, she shall perhaps be best remembered in the West for her portrayal of the Lady Macbeth character in 1957’s “Throne of Blood”. Born Mitsu Yamada to a theatrical family, she received both musical and dance training as a child and at 13 was signed by the Nikkatsu […]

Cleyde Yaconis (1923 - 2013)

Actress. A pretty blonde with a deep voice, she is remembered for a career of more than 60 years that saw her earn her reputation by portraying ladies older than herself. Born Cleyde Becker Yaconis in the Sao Paulo suburb of Pirassununga to an Italian father and a Brazilian mother, she was raised in Santos […]

Margarita Xirgu (1888 - 1969)

Noted Spanish-born stage actress. She was a friend of the poet Federico García Lorca and was forced to exile during Franco’s dictatorship. She developed her career in Spain and America. She is remembered on stage in plays such as “Como tù me Deseas,” “Mariana Pineda,” and “La Casa de Bernarda Alba.” Originally buried at Cementerio […]

Gunn Wållgren (1913 - 1983)

Actress. Renowned Swedish actress who made her theatre debut in 1938. She was concidered one of the finest actresses of her generation by the critics, and made noted roles in plays by Tjechov, Shakespeare, Strindberg, Steinbeck, Goethe and Moliére among others. Her film debut was made in 1941 and one of her most recognoized film […]

Diana Wynyard (1906 - 1964)

Leading British actress of both stage and screen. Born Dorothy Isobel Cox in London, she began her acting career on stage in 1927. In 1932 she made her Hollywood debut in “Rasputin and the Empress” anlongside John, Lionel and Ethel Barrymore. Her film career went on to include the likes of “Cavalcade”(1933), “Reunion in Vienna”(1933), […]

Dana Wynter (1931 - 2011)

Actress. Born Dagmar Spencer-Marcus, daughter of a surgeon, she was raised in London and later Southern Rhodesia before attending Rhodes University where she studied pre-med. She abandoned her pursuit in the medical field after catching the acting bug and began performing in amateur theater productions, prior to making her film debut with an uncredited part […]

Patrice Wymore (1926 - 2014)

Actress. Her mother was a pianist and singer, her father was an executive with a trucking company, Patrice became acquainted with the entertainment industry during her early childhood, as performed in song-and-dance routines on the vaudeville circuit, also at county fairs. As a teenager, she modeled and was a vocalist in nightclubs, in addition to […]

Jane Wyman (1917 - 2007)

Jane Wyman Academy Award-Winning Actress. Born Sarah Jane Mayfield, for many years she gave her birthdate as January 4, 1914 to make herself appear older, enabling her to work full time while still a minor. She launched her professional career in 1930 singing on radio programs under the name “Jane Durrell”,  and after 1932 she […]

Gretchen Wyler (1932 - 2007)

Actress. She appeared on stage, in films and television for over six decades.  After beginning her career during the 1950s as a dancer,  she first won fame for her performances in the Broadway productions of “Silk Stockings” and “Sly Fox”.  Wyler went on to appear in such TV series as “The Phil Silvers Show”, “Toast […]

Margaret Wycherly (1881 - 1956)

Actress. Primarily a stage actress, her fifty year career included forty Broadway plays, twenty-one movies and eleven television appearances. She directed her first Broadway play in 1905 and appeared in “Cashel Byron” on January 9, 1906. She is best remembered for her roles in “The Thirteenth Chair” (1916) and “Tobacco Road” which ran from December […]

Ida Wust (1884 - 1958)

Actress. A longtime star of the German stage and screen, she is remembered for her roles in hundreds of her country’s movies. Though little is recorded of her early days it is known that she began appearing at the City Theater of Colmar around 1900, then moved on to Bromberg, and finally in 1904 settled […]

Martha Wright (1923 - 2016)

Actress, Singer. A coloratura soprano who performed mainly on Broadway, she is best remembered as actress and singer Mary Martin’s replacement in “South Pacific” and “The Sound of Music.” Born Martha Lucile Wiederrecht into a musical family, she was raised on a farm in Duvall Washington. After graduating from Franklin High School in Seattle, Washington, […]

Marbeth Wright (1915 - 1939)

Actress. She was a singer, dancer and Follies Girl in Busby Berkeley movies. Her career took her to France, where she performed with French star Maurice Chevalier in “Folies Bergere” (1935). She appeared in “Stranded” (1935) with Kay Francis and George Brent. She also appeared in “George White’s 1935 Scandals” with Alice Faye. She came […]

J. Madison Wright (1984 - 2006)

Child Actress. Best remembered for her role as ‘True Danziger’ in the short-lived television sci-fi series, “Earth 2” from 1994 to 1995. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, she was born Jessica Madison Wright. The eldest of four children including actress Tori Wright, she began her career as a model at the age of five before […]

Irene Worth (1916 - 2002)

Actress. She was educated at University of California in Los Angeles. She made her Broadway debut in 1943. She was a kindergarten teacher before becoming a professional actress. In 1944, she moved to England to become a professional stage actress performing at the Old Vic and with the Royal Shakespeare Company. She returned to Broadway […]

Joyce Worsley (1912 - 2004)

Actress. Born February 2, 1912, in Toronto, Canada, she began her career as a member of the West of England Theatre Company in the 1940s. Her feature film credits included “Signpost To Murder” (1964), “Tootsie” (1982) and “Grace Quigley” (1984). She also appeared on the television series “Armchair Theatre” and “Cagney and Lacy”. (bio by: […]

Marjorie Woodworth (1919 - 2000)

Actress, Model. A glamorous blonde, she had a brief but significant film career in the 1940s. The only child of a middle class family, she was raised in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood, attended the University of Southern California (USC) where she appeared in amateur theatrical productions, and made her 1938 silver screen bow […]

Katherine Woodville (1938 - 2013)

Actress. After coming to the realization that she wished to pursue an acting career, she acquired training and experience in her native London. Initially under the name Catherine Woodville, she had her breakout role as Helena Landless in the BBC TV mini-series “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” (1960) and frequently landed guest spots on a […]

Georgia Woodthorpe (1859 - 1927)

American stage and silent screen actress.  Mother of actress Georgia Cooper, grandmother of director George Stevens, and aunt of director James W. Horne.  Family links:  Parents:  John W Woodthorpe (1840 – 1908)  Harriet Woodthorpe (1840 – 1909)  Spouse:  Fred A Cooper (1853 – 1912)*  Siblings:  Georgia Woodthorpe (1859 – 1927)  Edith Woodthorpe Dobson (1861 – […]

Lesley Woods (1910 - 2003)

Actress of the Stage, Film, and Television. Woods is best remembered for her many television roles including, ‘Claire Bannister Steele’ on “Young Dr. Malone” (1959-1963), ‘Amanda Ewing’ on “Dallas” (1980), and ‘Betty Wilson’ on “All My Children” (1984), among many others. Some of her films include “Bad Ronald” (1974), Ruby And Oswald” (1978), and “Testament” […]

Ilene Woods (1929 - 2010)

Actress, Singer. A noted Big Band performer, she is remembered for voicing the title role of Walt Disney’s 1950 animated classic “Cinderella”. Born Jacqueline Ruth Woods, she originally wanted to be a teacher but was pushed into show business by an ambitious mother who arranged for her to receive dance and music lessons. At 11 […]