Vera Ralston
Encyclopedia
Vera Ralston was a Czech figure skater and actress. She later became a naturalized American
citizen. She worked as an actress during the 1940s and 1950s.
, Czechoslovakia
. Her age was uncertain; Ralston at various times gave 1919, 1920, 1921, and 1923 as her year of birth.
She competed at the 1936 European Figure Skating Championships
and placed 15th. Later that season, she competed at the 1936 Winter Olympics
, where she placed 17th. During the games, she personally met and insulted Adolf Hitler
. Hitler asked her if she would like to "skate for the swastika." As she later recalled, "I looked him right in the eye, and said that I'd rather skate on the swastika. The Führer was furious."
Hrubá competed at the 1937 European Figure Skating Championships
and placed 7th. She emigrated to the United States in the early 1940s and became a naturalized citizen in 1946.
. During her career she was known as Vera Hrubá Ralston and later Vera Ralston. She normally played an immigrant girl, because of her limited English skills. Among the 26 films Ralston starred in were Storm over Lisbon with Erich von Stroheim
(1944), Dakota
(1945), I, Jane Doe (1948) with Ruth Hussey
and John Carrol, The Fighting Kentuckian
with John Wayne
(1949), A Perilous Journey with David Brian
(1953), and Fair Wind to Java
with Fred MacMurray
(1953). She retired from films in 1958.
In 1952 Ralston married the head of the studio Herbert Yates
. Yates was nearly 40 years her senior, and had left his wife and children to be with Ralston. Yates used his position to obtain roles for Ralston, and at one point was sued by studio shareholders for using company assets to promote his wife. Yates died in 1966, leaving his $10 million estate to Ralston. She suffered a nervous breakdown
shortly thereafter, then remarried and lived quietly in southern California.
She died on February 9, 2003, in Santa Barbara, California
, after a long battle with cancer. For her work in films, Ralston has a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The authors of the book The Golden Turkey Awards
nominated her for the dubious honor of "The Worst Actress of All Time," along with Candice Bergen
and Mamie Van Doren
. They all lost to Raquel Welch
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
citizen. She worked as an actress during the 1940s and 1950s.
Early life
Ralston was born Věra Helena Hrubá to a wealthy jeweler in PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. Her age was uncertain; Ralston at various times gave 1919, 1920, 1921, and 1923 as her year of birth.
Skating career
As a figure skater, she represented Czechoslovakia in competition under her birth name Vera Hrubá.She competed at the 1936 European Figure Skating Championships
European Figure Skating Championships
The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion...
and placed 15th. Later that season, she competed at the 1936 Winter Olympics
1936 Winter Olympics
The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. Germany also hosted the Summer Olympics the same year in Berlin...
, where she placed 17th. During the games, she personally met and insulted Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. Hitler asked her if she would like to "skate for the swastika." As she later recalled, "I looked him right in the eye, and said that I'd rather skate on the swastika. The Führer was furious."
Hrubá competed at the 1937 European Figure Skating Championships
1937 European Figure Skating Championships
The 1937 European Figure Skating Championships were the European Figure Skating Championships of the 1936-1937 season. Elite senior-level figure skaters from European ISU Member Nations competed for the title of European Champion...
and placed 7th. She emigrated to the United States in the early 1940s and became a naturalized citizen in 1946.
Acting career
She moved to Hollywood with her mother and signed a contract in 1943 with Republic PicturesRepublic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
. During her career she was known as Vera Hrubá Ralston and later Vera Ralston. She normally played an immigrant girl, because of her limited English skills. Among the 26 films Ralston starred in were Storm over Lisbon with Erich von Stroheim
Erich von Stroheim
Erich von Stroheim was an Austrian-born film star of the silent era, subsequently noted as an auteur for his directorial work.-Background:...
(1944), Dakota
Dakota (film)
Dakota is a 1945 Western film directed by Joseph Kane and starring John Wayne.-Cast:* John Wayne - John Devlin* Vera Ralston - Sandy Poli * Walter Brennan - Capt. Bounce of the Riverbird* Ward Bond - Jim Bender* Mike Mazurki - Bigtree Collins...
(1945), I, Jane Doe (1948) with Ruth Hussey
Ruth Hussey
Ruth Carol Hussey was an American actress best known for her Academy Award-nominated role as photographer Elizabeth Imbrie in The Philadelphia Story.-Early life:...
and John Carrol, The Fighting Kentuckian
The Fighting Kentuckian
The Fighting Kentuckian American comedy action film starring John Wayne and Oliver Hardy. The movie was written and directed by George Waggner and made by Republic Pictures...
with John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
(1949), A Perilous Journey with David Brian
David Brian
David Brian was an American actor and dancer.-Career:Brian was signed by Warner Bros. in 1949 and appeared in such films as The Damned Don't Cry! and Flamingo Road with Joan Crawford, and Beyond the Forest with Bette Davis...
(1953), and Fair Wind to Java
Fair Wind to Java
Fair Wind to Java is a 1953 American adventure film directed by Joseph Kane and starring Fred MacMurray, Vera Ralston, Robert Douglas and Victor McLaglen. An American sailor voyages to search for diamonds on a volcanic island but has to contend with mysteries, pirates and an exploding volcano....
with Fred MacMurray
Fred MacMurray
Frederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s....
(1953). She retired from films in 1958.
In 1952 Ralston married the head of the studio Herbert Yates
Herbert Yates
Herbert John Yates was the founder and president of Republic Pictures, famous for being the home of John Wayne, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers...
. Yates was nearly 40 years her senior, and had left his wife and children to be with Ralston. Yates used his position to obtain roles for Ralston, and at one point was sued by studio shareholders for using company assets to promote his wife. Yates died in 1966, leaving his $10 million estate to Ralston. She suffered a nervous breakdown
Nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
shortly thereafter, then remarried and lived quietly in southern California.
She died on February 9, 2003, in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, after a long battle with cancer. For her work in films, Ralston has a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The authors of the book The Golden Turkey Awards
The Golden Turkey Awards
The Golden Turkey Awards is a 1980 book by film critic Michael Medved and his brother Harry Medved.The book awards the fictional "Golden Turkey Awards" to films judged by the authors as poor in quality, and to directors and actors judged to have created a chronically inept body of work...
nominated her for the dubious honor of "The Worst Actress of All Time," along with Candice Bergen
Candice Bergen
Candice Patricia Bergen is an American actress and former fashion model.She is known for starring in two TV series, as the title character on the situation comedy Murphy Brown , for which she won five Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards; and as Shirley Schmidt on the comedy-drama Boston Legal...
and Mamie Van Doren
Mamie Van Doren
Mamie Van Doren is an American actress and singer; who rose to popularity as Universal Pictures's version of 20th Century Fox's Marilyn Monroe....
. They all lost to Raquel Welch
Raquel Welch
Jo Raquel Tejada , better known as Raquel Welch, is an American actress, author and sex symbol. Welch came to attention as a "new-star" on the 20th Century-Fox lot in the mid-1960s. She posed iconically in a animal skin bikini for the British-release One Million Years B.C. , for which she may be...
.