Vicki Lester (born Dorothy Gertrude Day; April 7, 1915 – May 7, 2001) was an American actress. She is best known for appearing in ''

Sky Giant ''Sky Giant'', also known as ''Ground Crew'' and ''Northern Flight'', is a 1938 drama film directed by Lew Landers. The film stars Richard Dix, Chester Morris and Joan Fontaine. The plot revolves around a love triangle with two pilots in love with ...

'' (1938), ''

The Mad Miss Manton ''The Mad Miss Manton'' is a 1938 American screwball comedy-mystery film directed by Leigh Jason and starring Barbara Stanwyck as fun-loving socialite Melsa Manton and Henry Fonda as newspaper editor Peter Ames. Melsa and her debutante friends hu ...

'' (1938) and ''

The Lone Rider and the Bandit ''The Lone Rider and the Bandit'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by Sam Robins. The film stars George F. Houston as the Lone Rider, Al St. John as his sidekick "Fuzzy" Jones and Dennis Moore as Sheriff Smok ...

'' (1942).

Biography

Born Dorothy Day, Lester took her stage name from

Janet Gaynor Janet Gaynor (born Laura Augusta Gainor; October 6, 1906 – September 14, 1984) was an American film, stage, and television actress. Gaynor began her career as an extra in shorts and silent films. After signing with Fox Film Corporation (later ...

's character in '' A Star Is Born'' (1937). The name change was suggested by

Mervyn LeRoy Mervyn LeRoy (; October 15, 1900 – September 13, 1987) was an American film director and producer. In his youth he played juvenile roles in vaudeville and silent film comedies. During the 1930s, LeRoy was one of the two great practitioners of ...

and approved by

David Selznick David O. Selznick (May 10, 1902June 22, 1965) was an American film producer, screenwriter and film studio executive who produced ''Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and ''Rebecca'' (1940), both of which earned him an Academy Award for Best Picture. E ...

. Alas, she never made the grade as a 'star' in her own right. Lester attended schools in Manhattan and originally planned to design clothes for a career. She was a student of music and art, and she gained notability as a pianist. She became a model for artists and photographers, leading to her being named one of the "Twelve Most Photographed Girls in America". She was "seen in hundreds of advertisements and on scores of magazine covers". Lester died in May 2001 in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. B ...

at the age of 86.

Filmography

Film

References

Bibliography

* Stella Star
''Vicki Lester''
May 31, 2016

External links

* * *
Rotten Tomatoes profile
1915 births 2001 deaths People from New York City Actresses from New York City American film actresses 20th-century American actresses {{US-screen-actor-1910s-stub