Cathy O'Donnell (born Ann Steely, July 6, 1923 – April 11, 1970) was an American actor who appeared in ''

The Best Years of Our Lives ''The Best Years of Our Lives'' (also known as ''Glory for Me'' and ''Home Again'') is a 1946 American epic drama film directed by William Wyler, and starring Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo and Harold Rus ...

,'' '' Ben-Hur,'' and

films noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...

such as ''

Detective Story Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as specu ...

'' and '' They Live by Night''.

Early life

O'Donnell was born Ann Steely in Siluria, Alabama. Her father, Grady Steely, was a schoolteacher and owned a local movie theater. Her family moved to

Greensboro, Alabama Greensboro is a city in Hale County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 2,497, down from 2,731 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Hale County, Alabama, which was not organized until 1867. It is part o ...

when she was seven, then to

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

when she was twelve. There she attended Harding Junior High School and Classen High School. She told a ''Boston Globe'' reporter in 1946 that she first became interested in acting at age fourteen after seeing Janet Gaynor in ''A Star Is Born''. After high school she worked in a U.S. Army induction center as a stenographer. She left that job to study acting at

Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, graduate master's degrees and docto ...

, where she played Juliet in a college production of ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

''. She then saved money for a two-week trip to Hollywood, where she hoped to begin a movie career. During her brief trip to Hollywood, an agent of

Samuel Goldwyn Samuel Goldwyn (born Szmuel Gelbfisz; yi, שמואל געלבפֿיש; August 27, 1882 (claimed) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer. He was best known for being the founding contributor an ...

spotted her at a drugstore. Although a screen test revealed her thick Southern accent, Goldwyn was impressed with her appearance and put her under contract. He sent her for acting and diction lessons and had her cast in local plays, including a

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

dramatization of '' Little Women.'' She later changed her name to Cathy, after the female protagonist in ''Wuthering Heights''. She then changed her last name to O'Donnell as recommended by Goldwyn's wife, who claimed that audiences loved actors with Irish last names.

Career

O'Donnell appeared on stage in Boston in ''

Life with Father ''Life with Father'' is a 1939 play by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, adapted from a humorous autobiographical book of stories compiled in 1935 by Clarence Day. The Broadway production ran for 3,224 performances over 401 weeks to become the ...

'' in 1944. She made her film debut as an uncredited extra in ''

Wonder Man Wonder Man (Simon Williams) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in '' The Avengers'' #9 (October 1964). The c ...

'' (1945). Her first major film role was in 1946's ''

'', playing Wilma Cameron, the high-school sweetheart of Navy veteran Homer Parrish. Homer was played by real-life World War II veteran and double amputee

Harold Russell Harold John Avery Russell (January 14, 1914 – January 29, 2002) was an American World War II veteran. After losing his hands during his military service, Russell was cast in the epic drama film ''The Best Years of Our Lives'' (1946), which e ...

O'Donnell was loaned to

RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheu ...

for '' They Live by Night'' (1948).

Farley Granger Farley Earle Granger Jr. (July 1, 1925 – March 27, 2011) was an American actor, best known for his two collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock: ''Rope'' in 1948 and '' Strangers on a Train'' in 1951. Granger was first noticed in a small ...

played her love interest. The film is on ''The Guardian'' list of the top 10 noir films. The two actors appeared together again in ''

Side Street A side road is a minor highway typically leading off a main road.Main road — definition

'' (1950). Later she starred in ''

The Miniver Story ''The Miniver Story'' is a 1950 American drama film that is the sequel to the 1942 film '' Mrs. Miniver''. Like its predecessor, the picture, made by MGM, stars Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon, but it was filmed on-location in England. The film ...

'' (also 1950) as Judy Miniver. She had a large

supporting role A supporting character is a character in a narrative that is not the focus of the primary storyline, but is important to the plot/protagonist, and appears or is mentioned in the story enough to be more than just a minor character or a cameo ap ...

in ''

'' (1951) with Kirk Douglas. She appeared as Barbara Waggoman, the love interest of James Stewart's character in the

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

The Man from Laramie ''The Man from Laramie'' is a 1955 American Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Donald Crisp, and Cathy O'Donnell. Written by Philip Yordan and Frank Burt, the film is about a stranger who defies ...

'' (1955). Her final film role was in '' Ben-Hur'' (1959) playing the part of Tirzah, the sister to

Judah Ben-Hur Judah Ben-Hur, shortened to Ben-Hur, is a fictional character, the title character and protagonist from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel '' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ''. The book covers the character's adventures and struggle against the Roman Empire ...

. In the 1960s she appeared in TV shows such as ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'', '' The Rebel'' and ''

Man Without a Gun ''Man Without a Gun'' is an American western television series produced by 20th Century Fox Television and presented on the NTA Film Network and in first-run syndication in the United States from 1957 to 1959. Set in the town of Yellowstone near Y ...

''. Her last screen appearance was in 1964 in an episode of '' Bonanza''.

Personal life and death

In 1946, while acting in ''

'', O'Donnell met the director

William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), ''The Best Years of ...

's older brother

Robert Wyler Robert Wyler (September 25, 1900 – January 17, 1971) was a Swiss-American film producer and associate producer. He was the older brother of film director William Wyler and a nephew of Universal Studios head Carl Laemmle. Wyler was born in M ...

. On April 11, 1948, at age 24, she married 47-year-old Robert. On April 11, 1970, her 22nd wedding anniversary, she died after a long battle with cancer. She is interred at

Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California. It is the original and current flagship location of Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries, a chain of six cemeteries and four additional mortuaries in Southern Cal ...

, California.

Filmography

Films

Television

References

External links

* * *
Cathy O'Donnell at Reel Classics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odonnell, Cathy 1923 births 1970 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Alabama American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Classen School of Advanced Studies alumni Deaths from cancer in California Oklahoma City University alumni People from Shelby County, Alabama