Joan Perry (born Elizabeth Rosiland Miller; July 7, 1911 – September 16, 1996), was an American film actress, model, and singer. She was known as Betty Miller during her career as a model.

Early years

Perry attended

Plant High School H.B. Plant High School is a public high school located in the neighborhood of South Tampa in Tampa, Florida, United States. It opened in 1927 between South Himes Avenue on the east and Dale Mabry Highway on the west. The school is named in honor o ...

in Tampa, Florida.

Career

Perry gained early acting experience by participating in class plays in Tampa, Florida. In the early 1930s, Perry worked as a model in New York City. In 1935, she went to Hollywood and was signed under contract to

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

, and during her time there, she co-starred with actors such as

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

Ralph Bellamy Ralph Rexford Bellamy (June 17, 1904 – November 29, 1991) was an American actor whose career spanned 65 years on stage, film, and television. During his career, he played leading roles as well as supporting roles, garnering acclaim and ...

Lew Ayres Lewis Frederick Ayres III (December 28, 1908 – December 30, 1996) was an American actor whose film and television career spanned 65 years. He is best known for starring as German soldier Paul Bäumer in the film ''All Quiet on the Western Fro ...

, and

Melvyn Douglas Melvyn Douglas (born Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg, April 5, 1901 – August 4, 1981) was an American actor. Douglas came to prominence in the 1930s as a suave leading man, perhaps best typified by his performance in the romantic comedy ''Ninotchk ...

. Following her leave from Columbia in the early 1940s, she went to Warner Bros.; her movies included '' International Squadron'' (1941) and ''

Nine Lives Are Not Enough ''Nine Lives Are Not Enough'' is a 1941 Comedy-drama film directed by A. Edward Sutherland and written by Fred Niblo Jr. The film stars Ronald Reagan, Joan Perry, and James Gleason, with Howard Da Silva, Faye Emerson and Edward Brophy. The film ...

'' (1941). When animators Bill Hanna and

Joe Barbera Joseph Roland Barbera ( ; ; March 24, 1911 – December 18, 2006) was an American animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, and cartoon artist who co-founded the animation studio and production company Hanna-Barbera. Born to Italian im ...

planned to transfer their stock to Taft Broadcasting in the mid-1960's, Mrs. Perry came to the fore again and fought them over Harry Cohn's will.

Personal life

Perry was married three times. On September 30, 1941, she wed

mogul

Harry Cohn Harry Cohn (July 23, 1891 – February 27, 1958) was a co-founder, president, and production director of Columbia Pictures Corporation. Life and career Cohn was born to a working-class Jewish family in New York City. His father, Joseph Cohn, w ...

in New York City. They remained married until his death in 1958. She later married Harry Karl in 1959 and then actor

Laurence Harvey Laurence Harvey (born Zvi Mosheh Skikne; 1 October 192825 November 1973) was a Lithuanian-born British actor and film director. He was born to Lithuanian Jewish parents and emigrated to South Africa at an early age, before later settling in th ...

in 1968. She had a home in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by lan ...

Death

Joan Perry died from emphysema in September 1996 at age 85 in Montecito, California. She is buried at

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angel ...

in Hollywood, California, under her original married name of Joan Cohn.

Filmography

* ''

Heir to Trouble ''Heir to Trouble'' is a 1935 American Western film directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and written by Nate Gatzert. The film stars Ken Maynard, Joan Perry, Harry Woods, Martin Faust, Harry Bowen and Wally Wales. The film was released on Decem ...

'' (1935) * '' Case of the Missing Man'' (1935) * '' Gallant Defender'' (1935) * ''Dangerous Intrigue'' (1936) * ''

The Mysterious Avenger ''The Mysterious Avenger'' is a 1936 American Western film directed by David Selman. It features an early appearance by Jon Hall. Cast * Charles Starrett ... Ranny Maitland / Ranny Morgan * Joan Perry ... Alice Lockhart * Wheeler Oakman ... ...

'' (1936) * '' Shakedown'' (1936) * ''

Meet Nero Wolfe ''Meet Nero Wolfe'' is a 1936 mystery film based on the 1934 novel '' Fer-de-Lance'', written by Rex Stout. Set in New York, the story introduced the detective genius Nero Wolfe ( Edward Arnold) and his assistant Archie Goodwin (Lionel Stander). ...

'' (1936) * ''

Blackmailer Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...

'' (1936) * '' Counterfeit Lady'' (1936) * '' The Devil Is Driving'' (1937) * ''

Start Cheering ''Start Cheering'' is a 1938 American musical film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Jimmy Durante, Charles Starrett, Joan Perry, and Walter Connolly. It is best remembered today for guest appearances throughout the film by The Three Stoog ...

'' (1938) * '' Blind Alley'' (1939) * ''

Good Girls Go to Paris ''Good Girls Go to Paris'' is a 1939 American romantic comedy film starring Melvyn Douglas and Joan Blondell. Plot Jenny Swanson is a waitress in a small college town whose dream is to go to Paris by any means necessary. She confides her plan for ...

'' (1939) * ''

The Lone Wolf Strikes ''The Lone Wolf Strikes'' is a 1940 crime drama film directed by Sidney Salkow, which stars Warren William, Joan Perry, and Eric Blore Eric Blore Sr. (23 December 1887 – 2 March 1959) was an English actor and writer. His early stage caree ...

'' (1940) * ''

Maisie Was a Lady ''Maisie Was a Lady'' is a 1941 American comedy-drama film directed by Edwin L. Marin and is the fourth in a series of ten films starring Ann Sothern as good-hearted showgirl Maisie Ravier. Plot When wealthy drunkard Bob Rawlston causes Maisie t ...

'' (1940) * ''

Strange Alibi ''Strange Alibi'' is a 1941 American crime film directed by D. Ross Lederman, written by Kenneth Gamet, Leslie T. White and Fred Niblo Jr., and starring Arthur Kennedy, Joan Perry, Jonathan Hale, John Ridgely, Florence Bates and Charles Trowbri ...

'' (1940) * ''

Bullets for O'Hara ''Bullets for O'Hara'' is a 1941 American drama film directed by William K. Howard, written by Raymond L. Schrock, and starring Joan Perry, Roger Pryor, Anthony Quinn, Maris Wrixon, Dick Purcell and Richard Ainley. It was released by Warne ...

'' (1940) * '' International Squadron'' (1941) * ''

'' (1941)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Joan 1911 births 1996 deaths 20th-century American actresses American female models American film actresses Deaths from emphysema Actresses from Palm Springs, California Musicians from Pensacola, Florida People from Montecito, California Warner Bros. contract players Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery