Evelyn Venable (October 18, 1913 – November 15, 1993) was an American actress perhaps best known for her role as Grazia in the 1934 film ''

Death Takes a Holiday ''Death Takes a Holiday'' is a 1934 American pre-Code romantic drama starring Fredric March, Evelyn Venable and Guy Standing. It is based on the 1924 Italian play ''La morte in vacanza'' by Alberto Casella (1891–1957), as adapted in English ...

''. In addition to acting in around two dozen films during the 1930s and 1940s, she was also the voice and model for the

Blue Fairy The Fairy with Turquoise Hair ( it, La Fata dai Capelli Turchini; often simply referred to as The Blue Fairy, ''La Fata Turchina'') is a fictional character in the 1883 Italian book ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' by Carlo Collodi, repeatedly appea ...

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

's ''

Pinocchio Pinocchio ( , ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a Tuscan vil ...

'' (1940). She is one of a number of women who have been suggested to have served as the model for the personification of Columbia in the

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 ...

logo that was used from 1936 to 1976. For her work in films, Venable has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

at 1500 Vine Street.

Life and career

Evelyn Venable was born on October 18, 1913 in Cincinnati, Ohio, the only child of Emerson and Dolores Venable. She graduated from

Walnut Hills High School , streetaddress = 3250 Victory Parkway , city = Cincinnati , state = Ohio , zipcode = 45207 , country = United States , coordinates = , type ...

(class of 1930), where her father and grandfather

William Henry Venable William Henry Venable (April 29, 1836 – 1920) was an American author and educator. Biography He was born in Warren County, Ohio. He began to teach at seventeen years of age, and during his vacations attended teachers' institutes in Oxford, O ...

taught English. She performed in several plays at Walnut Hills, such as Juliet in ''

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 ...

'', the Dream Child in ''Dear Brutus'' and Rosalind in ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

''. She attended Vassar College for a short time, then returned to the University of Cincinnati. She performed in

Walter Hampden Walter Hampden Dougherty (June 30, 1879 in Brooklyn – June 11, 1955 in Los Angeles), known professionally as Walter Hampden, was an American actor and theatre manager. He was a major stage star on Broadway in New York who also made numerous ...

's touring productions, including Roxane in ''

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th cen ...

'' and Ophelia in ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

''. During a performance in Los Angeles, she was recognized and offered several film contracts. After initially turning down the offers, she signed a contract with

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

in 1932. Her contract was unique in that she would not have to cut her hair, pose for leg art, or perform in bit parts. A long-believed apocryphal story sprang up that she was forbidden by her father to engage in any kissing scenes in her films, and although this eventually proved to be false, she does not have any kissing scenes in her more memorable films. She played the lead or second lead in a series of films in the 1930s and claimed to be the original model for the

logo, but the studio has never confirmed it. Fredric March-Evelyn Venable in Death Takes a Holiday trailer

She met cinematographer

Hal Mohr Hal Mohr, A.S.C. (August 2, 1894 in San Francisco – May 10, 1974 in Santa Monica, California) was a famed movie cinematographer who won an Oscar for his work on the 1935 film, ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. He was awarded another Oscar for '' ...

on the set of the

Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...

film ''

David Harum ''David Harum; A Story of American Life'' is a best-selling novel of 1898 by Edward Noyes Westcott, whose principal legacy is the colloquial use of the term ''horse trading''. Literary significance and criticism Written by retired Syracuse, N ...

'' (1934). They argued over her make-up the first day on set, apologized to each other the next, and Mohr proposed by the end of the week. Venable insisted they wait a year to marry because she feared a Hollywood divorce. They married on December 7, 1934, and had two daughters, Dolores and Rosalia. They were vegetarians. Venable provided the voice of The

for the 1940

film ''

''. In 1943, Venable retired from acting, resumed her studies at UCLA, and became a faculty member there, teaching ancient Greek and Latin and organizing the production of Greek plays within the Classics department. Her husband Hal Mohr died in 1974. She died of cancer in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho on November 15, 1993 at age 80.

Partial filmography

*'' Cradle Song'' (1933) as Teresa *''

'' (1934) as Ann Madison *''

'' (1934) as Grazia *''

Double Door Double Door, a concert hall and nightclub, was located in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The venue was first opened on June 12, 1994, and was co-owned by Andrew Barrett, Sean Mulroney and Joe Shanahan. On Ju ...

'' (1934) as Anne Darrow *'' Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch'' (1934) as Lucy Olcott *'' The County Chairman'' (1935) as Lucy Rigby *'' The Little Colonel'' (1935) as Elizabeth *''

Vagabond Lady ''Vagabond Lady'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Sam Taylor and written by Frank Butler. The film stars Robert Young and Evelyn Venable. The film was released on May 3, 1935, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Plot Irresponsible, happy-go-luc ...

'' (1935) as Miss Josephine 'Jo' Spiggins *'' Alice Adams'' (1935) as Mildred Palmer *''

Harmony Lane ''Harmony Lane'' is a 1935 low-budget American film directed by Joseph Santley, based upon the life of Stephen Foster, released by Mascot Pictures. This was the first sound film based on the life of the famous composer. Two others would follow, ...

'' (1935) as Susan Pentland *''

Streamline Express ''Streamline Express'' is a 1935 American comedy drama film directed by Leonard Fields, starring Victor Jory, Evelyn Venable and Esther Ralston, distributed by Mascot Pictures. The film is an adaptation of ''Twentieth Century'', released the prev ...

'' (1935) as Patricia Wallace *'' Star for a Night'' (1936) as Anna Lind *'' North of Nome'' (1936) as Camilla Bridle *'' Happy Go Lucky'' (1936) as Mary Gorham *'' Racketeers in Exile'' (1937) as Myrtle Thornton *''

My Old Kentucky Home "My Old Kentucky Home, Good-Night!" is a sentimental ballad written by Stephen Foster, probably composed in 1852. It was published in January 1853 by Firth, Pond, & Co. of New York. Foster was likely inspired by Harriet Beecher Stowe's anti-sla ...

'' (1938) as Lisbeth Calvert *''

Hollywood Stadium Mystery ''Hollywood Stadium Mystery'' is a 1938 American film directed by David Howard. Plot A rivalry develops between a district attorney named Devons, who finds murder mysteries amusing but amateurish, and Pauline Ward, a crime novelist. They play ...

'' (1938) as Pauline Ward *'' Female Fugitive'' (1938) as Peggy Mallory, aka Ann Williams * ''

The Headleys at Home ''The Headleys at Home'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Chris Beute and starring Evelyn Venable, Grant Mitchell (actor), Grant Mitchell and Vince Barnett.Goble p.670 Cast * Evelyn Venable as Pamela Headley * Grant Mitchell (actor), Gr ...

'' (1938) as Pamela Headley *''

The Frontiersmen ''The Frontiersmen'' (sometimes erroneously labeled as ''The Frontiersman'') is a 1938 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and written by Norman Houston and Harrison Jacobs. The film stars William Boyd, George "Gabby" Hayes, Rus ...

'' (1938) as June Lake *'' Heritage of the Desert'' (1939) as Miriam Naab *''

'' (1940) as The Blue Fairy (voice, uncredited) *''

Lucky Cisco Kid ''Lucky Cisco Kid'' is a 1940 Western film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and starring Cesar Romero, Mary Beth Hughes, and Dana Andrews, the latter in his film debut. Plot summary A gang of outlaws, led by Judge McQuade ( William Robertson ...

'' (1940) as Emily Lawrence *''

He Hired the Boss ''He Hired the Boss'' is a 1943 American comedy film directed by Thomas Z. Loring and written by Irving Cummings Jr. and Ben Markson. The film stars Stuart Erwin, Evelyn Venable, Thurston Hall, Vivian Blaine, William T. Orr and Benny Bartlett. T ...

'' (1943) as Emily Conway *''Get It'' (1943) *''

Uncivil War Birds ''Uncivil War Birds'' is a 1946 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 90th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring ...

'' (1946) as Beverly (uncredited) *''

Fright Night ''Fright Night'' is a 1985 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Tom Holland (in his directorial debut) and produced by Herb Jaffe. It stars Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Roddy McDowall, Amanda Bearse, Jonathan Star ...

'' (1947) as Julia Seds (uncredited)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Venable, Evelyn American film actresses American stage actresses Actresses from Cincinnati People from Greater Los Angeles University of California, Los Angeles faculty Deaths from cancer in Idaho 1913 births 1993 deaths University of California, Los Angeles alumni American voice actresses 20th-century American actresses