American film actress Loretta Young, a Hollywood megastar, was born on January 6, 1913 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Three years later, the family moved to Los Angeles, and this decided the fate of little Gretchen (as the girl was originally called), she began acting in films. Loretta Young first appeared on the set at the age of four in the movie Sea Sirens. Her older sisters, Elizabeth and Polly Young, also took part in the filming.
First roles and a secret wedding
Loretta studied at a primary school at a convent, and when she graduated, she decided to become a film actress. She played the first notable role in the movie directed by Millard Webb, "Capricious, but Pretty." Her character - the young Beat Part, was an ordinary girl with a completely predictable character and the aspiring actress easily coped with her task. Following this role, Loretta Young was able to sign a contract with Warner Brothers.
When the actress turned seventeen, she secretly married Grant Withers, a twenty-five-year-old Hollywood actor. For this, Loretta Young ran away from home, as her parents were categorically against her daughter's early marriage. A year later, the marriage broke up and was annulled. And the ex-newlyweds starred in a duet in the film with the symbolic title “Too Young for Marriage” by Too Young To Marry, directed by Mervyn Leroy. Loretta played the main female role, Helenn Bumstead, and Withers played the role of the main male character, Bill Clark.
Alliance with a married actor
In 1935, the actress met the then sex symbol of America with Hollywood star Clark Gable. The actor was twelve years older than Loretta and, moreover, at that time was legally married to Maria Langam, his second wife. At first, Loretta Young and Clark Gable met secretly, but in Hollywood, any secrets live for only two or three days, after which they become public. So it happened this time.
However, nothing prevented the development of a stormy romance between the two lovers, resulting in the birth of Judy, the first illegitimate child of Clark Gable. The birth took place in an atmosphere of strictest secrecy, though the truth surfaced after many years, when the need to hide something had already disappeared. Loretta Young and her daughter lived together for a long time, but Judy did not know who her parents were. She was told that she was an adopted child. And only after many years, Young admitted that she is her mother.
First Oscar
A movie career for Loretta developed well, in 1947 the actress starred in two main roles at once, the film "Bishop's wife" directed by Henry Coster, the role of Julia, and in the movie by Codman Potter called "Farmer's Daughter", a character by Katherine Holstrom. Both works of the actress were awarded prizes. For the role of Katherine, she received the Academy Award. Another Oscar, but this time only in the form of a nomination, Loretta was awarded for participating in the film "Come to the Stable", where she played the novice, Margaret's sister.
Best Roles
Of particular note is the movie "Platinum Blonde" directed by Frank Capra, in which Young played a major role. Her character, the journalist Gallagher, is hopelessly in love with her colleague Stu Smith. The subject of her adoration, as it were, does not notice the emotional experiences of the girl. And when she persists, Stu Smith tries to retire. Moreover, he decides to marry the rich heiress Anne Skyler, whom he met while reporting on her family.
The role of Gallagher with a dramatic connotation demanded that Yang be fully committed. The actress tried to use all her talent, artistry and that little experience that she managed to accumulate by the age of eighteen. In general, the young actress coped with her task, she managed to create an interesting, integral image.
Own program
Filming Loretta alternated with performances in his own show, which was called - "The Loretta Young Show". The program was shown on the NBC television channel. The series went on the air for eight years and every time before the start of Loretta Young appeared on the stage in fluttering clothes, as if introducing the public to her show.
Thanks to the series, the actress received three Emmy awards, after which she stopped performing, and in 1963 she finally left show business. In order to somehow entertain herself, Loretta Young went headlong into charity through the Catholic Church.
Loretta Young, filmography
During her career, the actress starred in more than one hundred films. The following is a sample list of films in which Young starred.
- "Platinum Blonde" (1931), character Gallager.
- "The Fortress of Man" (1933), the role of Trina.
- "Midnight Mary" (1933), the character of Mary Martin.
- "House of the Rothschilds" (1934), the role of Julia Rothschild.
- "Born Bad" (1934), the role of Letty Strong.
- Crusades (1935), character of Berenjaria.
- "Cafe" Metropol "(1937), the role of Laura Ridgway.
- “Love is News” (1937), character of Tony Gateson.
- Kentucky (1938), the role of Sally Goodwin.
- "Suez" (1938), the character of Countess Eugenie De Montijo.
- The Four Men (1938), the role of Miss Lynn Cherington.
- "The Marriage of a Doctor" (1940), character June Cameron.
- "Men in Her Life" (1941), the role of Lina Varsavina.
- "Farmer's Daughter" (1947), character Catherine Holstrom.
- "The Bishop's Wife" (1947), the role of Julia.
- "The Accused" (1949), character of Professor Wilma Tuttle.
- "The Key to the City" (1950), the role of Clarissa Standish.
Many films with the participation of Loretta Young were included in the Golden Fund of American Cinema. In her honor, two stars were discovered on the Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. One personal, the other for a significant contribution to American cinema.
One of the most popular movie actresses of the middle of the last century, Loretta Young, died on August 12, 2000 from cancer, at the age of eighty-seven. Buried in Culver City Cemetery.