Gloria Grahame

Gloria Grahame is one of film noir’s most iconic actresses. Born in 1923 in Los Angeles, California, Gloria’s was destined for Hollywood. Growing up, her mother taught her acting, and she attended Hollywood High School, later dropping out to pursue a career in acting. Gloria began acting in Broadway plays and was spotted by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios. She made her debut on the screen in Blonde Fever (1944). Gloria gained notoriety in 1946 for her role in It’s a Wonderful Life.  Despite her leading role in Its a Wonderful Life, MGM did not believe in Gloria’s future success and sold her contract to RKO Studios.

After working in films like It Happened in Brooklyn and Song of the Thin Man, Gloria received a nomination for an academy award for her work in Crossfire in 1947. In 1948, she married her second husband, Nicholas Ray. Gloria received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952). The Bad and the Beautiful went on to win four additional awards and became the most honored movie of that year. Gloria's success continued as she worked in films like The Big Heat (1953). Gloria was doing great at this time, but she did not get along with her costars too well.

 

Gloria’s second marriage with Ray ended in 1952, and after divorcing her third husband in 1957, she married her previous stepson. Her fourth husband, Anthony Ray was the son of her second husband, Nicholas Ray. Nicholas claims that the relationship between Gloria and his son started when Anthony was 13. This did not sit well with the public, and this along with her reputation with previous costars affected her career greatly. The two divorced in 1974, and she began a relationship with Peter Turner in 1971. Gloria was diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. After a while, she was diagnosed with another cancer. This time she did not wish to receive treatment, and in 1981, Gloria passed away from stomach cancer and Peritonitis. Turner wrote a book about his account of Gloria’s final years titled Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool which was later turned into a movie in 2017.