Joan Lorring

Born: 1926-04-17

Joan Lorring, born Mary Madeline Ellis is a Hong Kong-born American actress and singer known for her work in film and theatre. Soon after, her family moved to Los Angeles, Madeleine (known by her nickname "Dellie") began working as a child actress in radio and film – she was credited as "Dellie Ellis" when she played the title role in the radio program A Date With Judy (1942). She eventually adopted Joan Lorring as her stage name. Lorring made her Broadway debut in 1950, originating the role of Marie Buckholder opposite Shirley Booth in Come Back Little Sheba. Terry Moore later played Marie in the 1952 film version. For this role, Lorring won a Donaldson Award for Most Outstanding Female Debut in the 1949-1950 Broadway season. This success led to her performing in the 1951 Broadway production of the Lillian Hellman play The Autumn Garden. In 1954, she performed in the play Dead Pidgeons, and her last Broadway appearance was in 1957, originating the role of The Young Woman, opposite Kim Stanley as The Woman, in A Clearing in the Woods by Arthur Laurents. In 1970, Lorring performed in an Off-Broadway production of Awake and Sing! as Bessie Berger. Lorring made her film debut at age 18 in Song of Russia. Her second film was the Oscar-nominated drama The Bridge of San Luis Rey. For her third film role as Bessy Watty in 1945's The Corn Is Green opposite Bette Davis as Miss Moffat, Lorring (at age 19) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Thelma Schnee had originated the role of Bessy on Broadway opposite Ethel Barrymore in 1940. Lorring next had supporting roles in the 1946 dramas Three Strangers and The Verdict, in which she plays Lottie Rawson and performs the song "Give Me a Little Bit". In 1947, she appeared in The Other Love, a drama that stars Barbara Stanwyck, and in The Lost Moment which stars Susan Hayward. In 1948, she played a supporting role in Good Sam, which stars Gary Cooper and was directed by Leo McCarey. In the early 1950s, Lorring began appearing often on television. In 1955, she performed in 13 episodes of the television series Norby as Helen Norby. The show lasted one season. Also in 1956, she reprised her award-winning role as Bessy in The Corn is Green on television opposite Eva Le Gallienne as Miss Moffat. She appeared on one episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, (The Older Sister, 1956) about Lizzie Borden, in which she portrayed her sister Emma. Lorring performed infrequently in the 1960s and 1970s focusing on her family life. Her last film role came in 1974 with The Midnight Man, and her later television roles were guest-starring for several episodes as Anna Pavel in Ryan's Hope and a 1980 episode of The Love Boat. Lorring enjoyed a quiet retirement through the 1980s and 1990s. She lived until May 30, 2014 when she died in Sleepy Hollow, New York at age 88 from natural causes. Description above from the Wikipedia article Joan Lorring, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.​


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Three Strangers

as Icey Crane
Released: 1946-01-28

On the eve of the Chinese New Year, three strangers, Crystal Shackleford, married to a wealthy...

Movie page

The Gangster

as Dorothy
Released: 1947-11-25

Based on the novel Low Company. One of the most peculiar film noirs of the 1940s stars Barry...

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Good Sam

as Shirley Mae
Released: 1948-09-01

Sam Clayton has a good heart and likes to help out people in need. In fact, he likes to help...

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The Other Love

as Celestine
Released: 1947-05-14

Seriously ill, concert pianist Karen Duncan is admitted to a Swiss sanitorium. Despite being...

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The Verdict

as Lottie Rawson
Released: 1946-11-23

After an innocent man is executed in a case he was responsible for, a Scotland Yard...

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Song of Russia

as Sonia
Released: 1944-02-10

American conductor John Meredith and his manager, Hank Higgins, go to Russia shortly before the...

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The Midnight Man

as Judy Willinger
Released: 1974-03-07

An ex-convict, and ex-cop, finds himself in the midst of drama as a murder, of a female student,...

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The Corn Is Green

as Bessie Watty
Released: 1945-03-29

When a teacher reads an essay written by Morgan Evans, one of the boys, moved by his rough...

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The Big Night

as Marion Rostina
Released: 1951-12-07

A young man zigzags through the sordid vortex of downtown Los Angeles while seeking vengeance on...

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Stranger on the Prowl

as Angela, a lonely woman
Released: 1952-03-12

A down-and-out crook on the lam befriends a young street urchin, in an Italian port city. At...

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The Bridge of San Luis Rey

as Pepita
Released: 1944-02-11

A rope bridge over a gorge in the Peruvian Andes snaps, sending five people plunging to their...

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The Lost Moment

as Amelia
Released: 1947-11-21

In a long flashback, a New York publisher is in Venice pursuing the lost love letters of an...

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The Star Wagon

as Martha
Released: 1966-10-20

The Star Wagon is a play in black and white starring Dustin Hoffman.

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The Love Boat

as Mrs. Cummings
First aired: 1977-09-24

Passengers who search for romantic nights aboard a beautiful ship travelling to tropical or...

TV Show page

Robert Montgomery Presents

as uncredited
First aired: 1950-01-30

Robert Montgomery Presents is an American dramatic television series which was produced by NBC...

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The Philco Television Playhouse

as uncredited
First aired: 1948-10-03

The Philco Television Playhouse is an American anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC...

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Alfred Hitchcock Presents

as Emma Borden
First aired: 1955-10-02

A television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock featuring dramas, thrillers, and mysteries.

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Suspense

as uncredited
First aired: 1949-01-06

Suspense is an American television anthology series that ran on CBS Television from 1949 to...

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