Dawn Evelyn Paris
Encyclopedia
Dawn Evelyeen Paris known as Anne Shirley, was an American
film actress.
Beginning her career as a child actress under the name Dawn O'Day, Shirley adopted the name of the character she played in Anne of Green Gables
in 1934, and achieved a successful career in supporting roles. Among her films is Stella Dallas
(1937), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
.
She retired from acting in 1944, and remained in Los Angeles, where she died in 1993.
, she began acting under the name of Dawn O'Day. She began acting at the age of five, and had a highly successful child star career in Pre-Code
movies, appearing in such films as the 1930 version of Liliom, Tom Mix
's Riders of the Purple Sage
, So Big
, Three on a Match
and Rasputin and the Empress
.
in Anne of Green Gables
, and took that character's name as her stage name.
After adopting the name Anne Shirley
, she starred in Steamboat 'Round the Bend, Make Way for a Lady and Stella Dallas
, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
.
Later roles were in such movies as Vigil in the Night
, Anne of Windy Poplars
, The Devil and Daniel Webster
and Murder, My Sweet
, her final film. Of her portrayal in Saturday's Children
, The New York Times
commented that she "endows the little wife with heroic integrity and strength of character."
, and their daughter is former actress Julie Payne
. Her second husband was producer Adrian Scott
. When he was blacklisted and decided to move the family to Europe, at the last minute she wrote him a "Dear John" letter saying she'd rather stay behind and divorce him. Her third husband was Charles Lederer
, nephew of Marion Davies
. They had a son named Daniel Lederer.
Shirley died from lung cancer
in Los Angeles
, aged 75 on July 4, 1993. For her contributions to the motion picture industry, she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 7020 Hollywood Blvd.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film actress.
Beginning her career as a child actress under the name Dawn O'Day, Shirley adopted the name of the character she played in Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables (1934 film)
Anne of Green Gables is a 1934 film directed by George Nichols Jr., based upon the novel, Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery...
in 1934, and achieved a successful career in supporting roles. Among her films is Stella Dallas
Stella Dallas (1937 film)
Stella Dallas is a 1937 film based on the Olive Higgins Prouty novel of the same name. It was directed by King Vidor, and stars Barbara Stanwyck, John Boles, and Anne Shirley. Stanwyck was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Shirley for Best Actress in a Supporting Role...
(1937), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
.
She retired from acting in 1944, and remained in Los Angeles, where she died in 1993.
Early life
Born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, she began acting under the name of Dawn O'Day. She began acting at the age of five, and had a highly successful child star career in Pre-Code
Pre-Code
Pre-Code Hollywood refers to the era in the American film industry between the introduction of sound in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines. Although the Code was adopted in 1930, oversight was poor and it did not become rigorously...
movies, appearing in such films as the 1930 version of Liliom, Tom Mix
Tom Mix
Thomas Edwin "Tom" Mix was an American film actor and the star of many early Western movies. He made a reported 336 films between 1910 and 1935, all but nine of which were silent features...
's Riders of the Purple Sage
Riders of the Purple Sage
Riders of the Purple Sage is Zane Grey's best-known novel, originally published in 1912. Most critics agree that it played a significant role in shaping the formula of the popular Western genre.- Plot in a paragraph :...
, So Big
So Big! (1932 film)
So Big! is a 1932 American drama film directed by William A. Wellman. The screenplay by J. Grubb Alexander and Robert Lord is based on the 1924 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same title by Edna Ferber....
, Three on a Match
Three on a Match
Three on a Match is a Warner Bros. drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Joan Blondell, Ann Dvorak and Bette Davis. The film also features Warren William, Lyle Talbot, Humphrey Bogart , Allen Jenkins and Edward Arnold.-Plot:Three friends from childhood, Mary , Ruth , and Vivian , meet...
and Rasputin and the Empress
Rasputin and the Empress
Rasputin and the Empress is a 1932 film about Imperial Russia starring the Barrymore siblings—John , Ethel , and Lionel Barrymore . It is the only film in which all three appeared together...
.
Career
In 1934 she starred as the character of Anne ShirleyAnne Shirley
Anne Shirley is a fictional character introduced in the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Montgomery wrote in her journal that the idea for Anne's story came from relatives who, planning to adopt an orphaned boy, received a girl instead...
in Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables (1934 film)
Anne of Green Gables is a 1934 film directed by George Nichols Jr., based upon the novel, Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery...
, and took that character's name as her stage name.
After adopting the name Anne Shirley
Anne Shirley
Anne Shirley is a fictional character introduced in the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Montgomery wrote in her journal that the idea for Anne's story came from relatives who, planning to adopt an orphaned boy, received a girl instead...
, she starred in Steamboat 'Round the Bend, Make Way for a Lady and Stella Dallas
Stella Dallas (1937 film)
Stella Dallas is a 1937 film based on the Olive Higgins Prouty novel of the same name. It was directed by King Vidor, and stars Barbara Stanwyck, John Boles, and Anne Shirley. Stanwyck was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Shirley for Best Actress in a Supporting Role...
, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
.
Later roles were in such movies as Vigil in the Night
Vigil in the Night
Vigil in the Night is a 1940 film based on the 1939 serialized novel Vigil in the Night, by A. J. Cronin...
, Anne of Windy Poplars
Anne of Windy Poplars
Anne of Windy Poplars, also published as Anne of Windy Willows in the UK, Australia and Japan, is an epistolary novel by L. M. Montgomery. First published in 1936 by McClelland and Stewart, it details Anne Shirley's experiences over three years teaching at a high school in Summerside, Prince Edward...
, The Devil and Daniel Webster
The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941 film)
The Devil and Daniel Webster is a 1941 fantasy film, adapted by Stephen Vincent Benét and Dan Totheroh from Benét's short story, "The Devil and Daniel Webster". The film's title was changed to All That Money Can Buy to avoid confusion with another film released by RKO that year, The Devil and Miss...
and Murder, My Sweet
Murder, My Sweet
Murder, My Sweet is a 1944 American film noir directed by Edward Dmytryk, and starring Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, and Anne Shirley. The film was released in the United Kingdom under the title Farewell, My Lovely, which is the title of the 1940 Raymond Chandler novel it is based on, and also the...
, her final film. Of her portrayal in Saturday's Children
Saturday's Children
Saturday's Children is a 1940 American drama film directed by Vincent Sherman and starring John Garfield, Anne Shirley, and Claude Rains. It is a third-time remake of the original Maxwell Anderson play.-Plot:...
, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
commented that she "endows the little wife with heroic integrity and strength of character."
Personal life
Her first husband was the actor John PayneJohn Payne (actor)
John Payne was an American film actor who is mainly remembered as a singer in 20th Century Fox musical films, and for his leading roles in Miracle on 34th Street and the NBC western television series The Restless Gun.-Background:Payne was born in Roanoke, Virginia...
, and their daughter is former actress Julie Payne
Julie Ann Payne
Julie Payne is an American actress whose career in television and films lasted from 1959 to 1967.-Acting career:A native of Los Angeles, Julie Anne Payne is the daughter of John Payne, film and television leading man of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, and Anne Shirley, who started as a child actress...
. Her second husband was producer Adrian Scott
Adrian Scott
Robert Adrian Scott was an American screenwriter and film producer. He was one of the Hollywood Ten and later blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses.-Biography:...
. When he was blacklisted and decided to move the family to Europe, at the last minute she wrote him a "Dear John" letter saying she'd rather stay behind and divorce him. Her third husband was Charles Lederer
Charles Lederer
Charles Lederer was a prolific and well-connected American film writer and director of the 30s to the 60s, from a prominent theatrical family with close ties to the Hearst dynasty.-Early life:...
, nephew of Marion Davies
Marion Davies
Marion Davies was an American film actress. Davies is best remembered for her relationship with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, as her high-profile social life often obscured her professional career....
. They had a son named Daniel Lederer.
Shirley died from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, aged 75 on July 4, 1993. For her contributions to the motion picture industry, she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 7020 Hollywood Blvd.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1922 | The Hidden Woman | Girl | as Dawn O'Day |
| Moonshine Valley Moonshine Valley Moonshine Valley is a 1922 black-and-white silent American Western film. The working title was The Miracle Child: He Giveth and Taketh. The plot centers around a man named Ned Connors who begins to drink heavily because his wife has left him for the local doctor. The man discovers a lost child and... |
Nancy | as Dawn O'Day | |
| 1923 | The Rustle of Silk | Girl | as Dawn O'Day |
| The Spanish Dancer The Spanish Dancer (1923 film) The Spanish Dancer is a 1923 silent costume epic starring Pola Negri as a gypsy fortune teller, Antonio Moreno as a romantic count, and Wallace Beery as the king of Spain... |
Don Balthazar Carlos | as Dawn O'Day | |
| 1924 | The Man Who Fights Alone | Dorothy | as Dawn O'Day |
| The Fast Set | Little Margaret | as Dawn O'Day | |
| 1925 | Riders of the Purple Sage Riders of the Purple Sage Riders of the Purple Sage is Zane Grey's best-known novel, originally published in 1912. Most critics agree that it played a significant role in shaping the formula of the popular Western genre.- Plot in a paragraph :... |
Fay Larkin | uncredited |
| Alice's Egg Plant | Alice | as Dawn O'Day | |
| 1927 | Night Life Night Life (film) Night Life is a 1989 zombie film starring Scott Grimes, John Astin, and Cheryl Pollak. It centers around a high school nerd named Archie Melville who is harassed from beyond the grave by the zombie corpses of his former high school bullies after they are brought back to life by a freak lightning... |
Daughter of War Profiteer | as Dawn O'Day |
| The Callahans and the Murphys | Mary Callahan | as Dawn O'Day | |
| 1928 | Mother Knows Best | Sally, as a child | as Dawn O'Day |
| 4 Devils 4 Devils 4 Devils was a 1928 American silent drama film directed by German film director F. W. Murnau.-Preservation status:... |
Marion, as a girl | as Dawn O'Day | |
| Sins of the Fathers | Mary, as a child | as Dawn O'Day | |
| 1930 | City Girl City Girl City Girl is an American 1930 silent film directed by F.W. Murnau. Along with Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, 4 Devils and Tabu, these mark Murnau's Hollywood productions. The director wanted the film to be called Our Daily Bread.... |
Marie Tustine | as Dawn O'Day |
| Liliom | Louise | as Dawn O'Day | |
| 1931 | Gun Smoke | Horton's Daughter | as Dawn O'Day |
| Hello Napoleon | The Little Girl | as Dawn O'Day | |
| Howdy Mate | - | as Dawn O'Day | |
| Rich Man's Folly | Anne, as a child | as Dawn O'Day | |
| 1932 | Emma Emma (1932 film) Emma 1932 is a feature film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starring Marie Dressler and directed by Clarence Brown.Inventor Frederick Smith's wife dies during the birth of their fourth baby, Ronnie, leaving the family in the care of their faithful housekeeper Emma... |
Isabelle as a Child | uncredited |
| Young America Young America (1932 film) Young America was a film first adapted for the screen by Maurine Watkins from the play by Fred Ballard . William M. Conselman rewrote the screenplay and Maurine's name no longer appeared on the credits . The film was directed by Frank Borzage.-Cast:* Spencer Tracy ..... |
Girl | as Dawn O'Day | |
| So Big! So Big! (1932 film) So Big! is a 1932 American drama film directed by William A. Wellman. The screenplay by J. Grubb Alexander and Robert Lord is based on the 1924 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same title by Edna Ferber.... |
Selina Peake, as a Child | uncredited | |
| The Purchase Price The Purchase Price The Purchase Price is a Pre-Code American film, which was directed by William Wellman and adapted from Arthur Stringer's novel, The Mud Lark .-Plot:... |
Sarah Tipton, the Daughter | uncredited | |
| Three on a Match Three on a Match Three on a Match is a Warner Bros. drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Joan Blondell, Ann Dvorak and Bette Davis. The film also features Warren William, Lyle Talbot, Humphrey Bogart , Allen Jenkins and Edward Arnold.-Plot:Three friends from childhood, Mary , Ruth , and Vivian , meet... |
Vivian Revere as a Child | as Dawn O'Day | |
| Rasputin and the Empress Rasputin and the Empress Rasputin and the Empress is a 1932 film about Imperial Russia starring the Barrymore siblings—John , Ethel , and Lionel Barrymore . It is the only film in which all three appeared together... |
Princess Anastasia | uncredited | |
| 1933 | The Life of Jimmy Dolan The Life of Jimmy Dolan The Life of Jimmy Dolan is a 1933 starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Loretta Young. It features John Wayne in a small supporting role as a frightened boxer. It was remade in 1939 as They Made Me a Criminal.-Cast:* Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as Jimmy Dolan* Loretta Young as Peggy* Aline MacMahon as... |
Mary Lou | uncredited |
| 1934 | This Side of Heaven | Flower Girl | as Dawn O'Day/Scenes deleted |
| Picture Palace | Dawn | as Dawn O'Day | |
| School for Girls | Catherine Fogarty | ||
| Finishing School Finishing School (film) Finishing School is a 1934 romantic drama film starring Frances Dee as a young woman who gets into trouble after being sent to a finishing school by her neglectful parents.This film was condemned by the Legion of Decency.-Plot:... |
Billie | as Dawn O'Day | |
| Private Lessons | Dawn | as Dawn O'Day | |
| The Key | Flower Girl | as Dawn O'Day | |
| Bachelor Bait | Miriam Ann Johnson, Marriage License Applicant | uncredited | |
| Anne of Green Gables Anne of Green Gables (1934 film) Anne of Green Gables is a 1934 film directed by George Nichols Jr., based upon the novel, Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery... |
Anne Shirley Anne Shirley Anne Shirley is a fictional character introduced in the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Montgomery wrote in her journal that the idea for Anne's story came from relatives who, planning to adopt an orphaned boy, received a girl instead... |
||
| 1935 | Chasing Yesterday | Jeanne Alexandre | |
| Steamboat Round the Bend Steamboat Round the Bend -Plot:A con man enters his steamboat in a winner-take-all race with a rival while attempting to find a witness that will save his nephew, who has been wrongly convicted of murder, from the gallows.-Cast:* Will Rogers - Doctor John Pearly... |
Fleety Belle | ||
| 1936 | Chatterbox | Jenny Yates | |
| M'Liss M'Liss (1936 film) M'Liss is a 1936 drama film starring Anne Shirley. The film was directed by George Nichols Jr. and based upon a Bret Harte novel. It is a remake of the 1918 version starring Mary Pickford in the title role.-Plot:... |
M'liss Smith | ||
| So and Sew | - | ||
| Make Way for a Lady | June Drew | ||
| 1937 | Too Many Wives | Betty Jackson | |
| Meet the Missus | Louise Foster | ||
| Stella Dallas Stella Dallas (1937 film) Stella Dallas is a 1937 film based on the Olive Higgins Prouty novel of the same name. It was directed by King Vidor, and stars Barbara Stanwyck, John Boles, and Anne Shirley. Stanwyck was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Shirley for Best Actress in a Supporting Role... |
Laurel 'Lollie' Dallas | ||
| 1938 | Condemned Women | Millie Anson | |
| Law of the Underworld | Annabelle Porter | ||
| Mother Carey's Chickens Mother Carey's Chickens (film) Mother Carey's Chickens is a 1938 drama film starring Anne Shirley and Ruby Keeler. The film was directed by Rowland V. Lee and based upon a 1917 play by Kate Douglas Wiggin and Rachel Crothers, which in turn was adapted from Wiggins' novel of the same title.Originally Katharine Hepburn was... |
Nancy Carey | ||
| Girls' School Girls' School (film) Girls' School is a 1938 comedy film starring Anne Shirley. The film was directed by John Brahm and based upon a Tess Slesinger story.-Plot:... |
Natalie Freeman | ||
| A Man to Remember A Man to Remember A Man to Remember is a American drama film directed by Garson Kanin, his first film credit as a director. The picture was based on the novel The Failure, written by Katharine Haviland-Taylor, and the screenplay was penned by Dalton Trumbo. The story tells of a saintly small town doctor working... |
Jean Johnson | ||
| 1939 | Boy Slaves Boy Slaves Boy Slaves is a 1939 drama film starring Anne Shirley. The film was directed by P.J. Wolfson and based upon an Albert Bein story. Boy Slaves is an exposé of child labor.-Plot:... |
Annie | |
| Sorority House Sorority House (1939 film) Sorority House is a 1939 drama film starring Anne Shirley. The film was directed by John Farrow and based upon the Mary Coyle Chase play named Chi House.-Plot:... |
Alice Fisher | ||
| Career Career (1939 film) Career is a 1939 drama film directed by Leigh Jason and starring Anne Shirley and Edward Ellis. The film was distributed by RKO Radio Pictures and centers on a rivalry between two men who are in love with the same girl.... |
Sylvia Bartholomew | ||
| 1940 | Vigil in the Night Vigil in the Night Vigil in the Night is a 1940 film based on the 1939 serialized novel Vigil in the Night, by A. J. Cronin... |
Lucy Lee | |
| Saturday's Children Saturday's Children Saturday's Children is a 1940 American drama film directed by Vincent Sherman and starring John Garfield, Anne Shirley, and Claude Rains. It is a third-time remake of the original Maxwell Anderson play.-Plot:... |
Bobby Halevy | ||
| Anne of Windy Poplars | Anne Shirley Anne Shirley Anne Shirley is a fictional character introduced in the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Montgomery wrote in her journal that the idea for Anne's story came from relatives who, planning to adopt an orphaned boy, received a girl instead... |
||
| 1941 | West Point Widow | Nancy Hull | |
| Unexpected Uncle | Kathleen Brown | ||
| The Devil and Daniel Webster The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941 film) The Devil and Daniel Webster is a 1941 fantasy film, adapted by Stephen Vincent Benét and Dan Totheroh from Benét's short story, "The Devil and Daniel Webster". The film's title was changed to All That Money Can Buy to avoid confusion with another film released by RKO that year, The Devil and Miss... |
Mary Stone | ||
| 1942 | Four Jacks and a Jill | Karanina 'Nina' Novak | |
| The Mayor of 44th Street The Mayor of 44th Street The Mayor of 44th Street is a 1942 film directed by Alfred E. Green. It stars George Murphy and Anne Shirley. It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1943.-Cast:*George Murphy as Joe Jonathan*Anne Shirley as Jersey Lee*William Gargan as Tommy Fallon... |
Jessey Lee | ||
| 1943 | Ona zashchishchayet rodinu | Pasha | English voice |
| Lady Bodyguard | A.C. Baker | ||
| The Powers Girl The Powers Girl The Powers Girl, sometimes retitled Hello, Beautiful, is a 1943 musical comedy about women employed by John Robert Powers' modeling agency. Starring George Murphy, Anne Shirley, and Carole Landis, the film was directed by Norman Z... |
Ellen Evans | ||
| Bombardier Bombardier (film) Bombardier is a 1943 film war drama about the training program for bombardiers of the United States Army Air Forces. The film stars Pat O'Brien and Randolph Scott. Bombardier was nominated for an Academy Award in 1944 for the special effects used in the film... |
Burton Hughes | ||
| Government Girl | May Harness Blake | ||
| 1944 | Man from Frisco Man from Frisco Man from Frisco is a United States feature length spy and war film by Republic Pictures directed by Robert Florey and starring Michael O'Shea and Anne Shirley.... |
Diana Kennedy | |
| Music in Manhattan Music in Manhattan Music in Manhattan is a 1944 musical film directed by John H. Auer. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Sound Recording .-Plot:... |
Frankie Foster | ||
| Murder, My Sweet Murder, My Sweet Murder, My Sweet is a 1944 American film noir directed by Edward Dmytryk, and starring Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, and Anne Shirley. The film was released in the United Kingdom under the title Farewell, My Lovely, which is the title of the 1940 Raymond Chandler novel it is based on, and also the... |
Anne Grayle |
External links
- Anne of Green Gables Centenary - This site includes information about the centenary anniversary of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables.