Dawn Bender is an American film, stage, and radio actress, most famous for the role of Margaret on the

radio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...

One Man's Family ''One Man's Family'' is an American radio soap opera, heard for almost three decades, from 1932 to 1959. Created by Carlton E. Morse, it was the longest-running uninterrupted dramatic serial in the history of American radio. Television versions ...

'' and Betty Morgan in ''

Teenagers from Outer Space Teenagers from Outer Space may refer to: * Teenagers from Outer Space (film), ''Teenagers from Outer Space'' (film), a 1959 science fiction film * Teenagers from Outer Space (role-playing game), ''Teenagers from Outer Space'' (role-playing game), a ...

''.

Early life

Bender was born in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

. She attended Vista Colina School in

Eagle Rock, Los Angeles Eagle Rock is a neighborhood of Northeast Los Angeles, abutting the San Rafael Hills in Los Angeles County, California. Eagle Rock is named after Eagle Rock, a large boulder whose shadow resembles an eagle.http://www.eaglerockcouncil.org/index.p ...

Film

Bender landed her first role as an infant playing the role of baby Lisa in Joe May's 1937 film ''

Confession A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of persons – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep hidden. The term presumes that the speaker is providing information th ...

'', in which she was featured alongside such greats as

Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was a South African-born English actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume ...

, Ian Hunter and "box-office poison"

Kay Francis Kay Francis (born Katharine Edwina Gibbs; January 13, 1905 – August 26, 1968) was an American stage and film actress. After a brief period on Broadway in the late 1920s, she moved to film and achieved her greatest success between 1930 an ...

. She was featured in a number of films, including ''Till We Meet Again'' (1944), ''

A Song to Remember ''A Song to Remember'' is a 1945 American biographical film which tells a fictionalised life story of Polish pianist and composer Frédéric Chopin. Directed by Charles Vidor and starring Paul Muni, Merle Oberon, and Cornel Wilde. Plot Fr ...

'' (1945),

George Sanders George Henry Sanders (3 July 1906 – 25 April 1972) was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth, bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous chara ...

caper ''

The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry ''The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry'' is a 1945 American film noir drama film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring George Sanders as an aging bachelor who looks after his two sisters, one of whom tries to sabotage his romance with his co-worker ...

'' (1945), ''

Suspense Suspense is a state of mental uncertainty, anxiety, being undecided, or being doubtful. In a dramatic work, suspense is the anticipation of the outcome of a plot or of the solution to an uncertainty, puzzle, or mystery, particularly as it aff ...

'' (1946), and

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

drama '' Island in the Sky'' (1953).

Radio

She was a member of the "500 Club", composed of child actors who had appeared in at least 500 radio shows. At age 7, Bender was cast as little Margaret Herbert in the popular

''One Man's Family''. The role made her a household name, and she continued as Margaret for 17 years, through the series' conclusion in 1959. Her other roles on radio programs included Susan Fitz on ''His Honor the Barber'', Susan Sample on ''Cousin Willie'', and Maggie Truitt on ''The Trouble with the Truitts''.Terrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 84-85, 151-152, 339-340. She was also a regular on ''

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', sometimes called ''The Burns and Allen Show'', was a half-hour television situation comedy broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS. It starred George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of the most enduring acts in ...

'' and on the soap opera ''Bob and Victoria''. Bender also appeared on ''Errand of Mercy'' and ''

Screen Directors Playhouse ''Screen Directors Playhouse'' (sometimes written as ''Screen Directors' Playhouse'') is an American radio and television anthology series which brought leading Hollywood actors to the NBC microphones beginning in 1949. The radio program broadcas ...

''.

Stage

Bender appeared in a number of stage plays throughout the Los Angeles area.

Personal life

On June 26, 1953, Bender married fellow

Pasadena City College Pasadena City College (PCC) is a Public college, public community college in Pasadena, California. History Pasadena, California, Pasadena City College was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. From 1928 to 1953, it operated as a four- ...

student and future ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...

'' actor

Warren Vanders Warren Vanders (born Warren John Vanderschuit; May 23, 1930 – November 27, 2009) was an American character actor on television and in films. Biography He was born in San Fernando, California, as Warren John Vanderschuit. Under the name Warr ...

(né VanderSchuit). In 1955, Dawn married fellow Pepperdine drama student, Jerry Anderson, with whom she had two children.

Later career

In 1953, Bender had a supporting role in

Ruth Gordon Ruth Gordon Jones (October 30, 1896 – August 28, 1985) was an American actress, screenwriter, and playwright. She began her career performing on Broadway at age 19. Known for her nasal voice and distinctive personality, Gordon gained internati ...

's semi-autobiographical film ''

The Actress ''The Actress'' is a 1953 American comedy-drama film based on Ruth Gordon's autobiographical play ''Years Ago''. Gordon herself wrote the screenplay. The film was directed by George Cukor and stars Jean Simmons, Spencer Tracy, and Teresa Wrigh ...

'', based on her novel ''Years Ago''. The film was directed by

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor (; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO when David O. Selznick, the studio's Head of ...

, and starred

Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two cons ...

Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons, (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Great Britain during and afte ...

, and

Anthony Perkins Anthony Perkins (April 4, 1932 – September 12, 1992) was an American actor, director, and singer. Perkins is best remembered for his role as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's suspense thriller '' Psycho'', which made him an influential ...

. Despite her career's upswing and her status as an up-and-coming ingenue, Bender was tiring of the demands of acting, and prepared to retire to married life. In 1956, she was recruited by a friend of a friend to act in

Tom Graeff Thomas Lockyear Graeff (September 12, 1929 – December 19, 1970) was an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, film editor and cinematographer. He is best known for writing, directing, producing and starring in the 1959 B-movi ...

's second feature ''Teenagers from Outer Space''. Finally cast in a leading role, Dawn would play Betty Morgan, a girl who helps a rebel alien save earth from imminent destruction. She is credited in the film under the name "Dawn Anderson", using her married name to avoid strict

SAG SAG, SAg, or sag may refer to: Land formations * Sag (geology), or ''trough'', a depressed, persistent, low area * Sag pond, a body of water collected in the lowest parts of a depression People * Ivan Sag (1949–2013), American linguist ...

rules. (Another actor on ''Teenagers'',

King Moody Robert "King" Moody (December 6, 1929 – February 7, 2001) was an American actor, best known for playing Shtarker in the television series ''Get Smart'' and for his portrayal as Ronald McDonald in the McDonald's commercials from 1969 to 1985. ...

, did not fare so well — in 1962 he and four other SAG actors were fined by the Guild for working below pay scale.) The film debuted in 1959 but by then, Bender's career was winding down. She starred in her last play,

André Gide André Paul Guillaume Gide (; 22 November 1869 – 19 February 1951) was a French author and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature (in 1947). Gide's career ranged from its beginnings in the Symbolism (arts), symbolist movement, to the advent o ...

's ''

The Immoralist ''The Immoralist'' (french: L'Immoraliste) is a novel by André Gide, published in France in 1902. Plot ''The Immoralist'' is a recollection of events that Michel narrates to his three visiting friends. One of those friends solicits job search ...

'' in 1962, and retired shortly after. She earned a teaching degree from

Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. It is located on the west side of the city near Playa Vista. LMU is the parent school to Loyola Law School, which is located ...

in the 1970s, and eventually went on to become a schoolteacher in Los Angeles county, where she taught for almost 40 years. She has since retired and still lives in the Los Angeles area. Her third husband of many decades, retired Loyola professor Emmett Jacobs, passed away January 11, 2015.

Filmography

* ''

'' (Uncredited, 1937) * ''Till We Meet Again'' (Uncredited, 1944) * ''

'' (Uncredited, 1945) * ''

'' (1945) * ''

'' (Uncredited, 1946) * '' Island in the Sky'' (Uncredited, 1953) * ''

'' (1953) * ''

'' (1959)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bender, Dawn Living people Actresses from Glendale, California American film actresses American radio actresses American stage actresses American child actresses Actresses from California 21st-century American women Year of birth missing (living people)