Ann Dvorak
Ann Dvorak
Ann Dvorak (born Anna McKim; August 2, 1911 – December 10, 1979) was an American stage and film actress. Asked how to pronounce her adopted surname, she told The Literary Digest: "My fake name is properly pronounced vor'shack. The D remains silent." Dvorak was the daughter and only child of silent film actress Anna Lehr and director Edwin McKim. While in New York, she attended St. Catherine's Convent. After moving to California, she attended Page School for Girls in Hollywood. She made her film debut when she was five years old in the silent film version of Ramona (1916), credited as "Baby Anna Lehr". She continued in children's roles in The Man Hater (1917) and Five Dollar Plate (1920), but then stopped acting in films. Her parents separated in 1916 and divorced in 1920; she did not see her father again until 13 years later, when she made a public plea to the press to help her find him. In the late 1920s, Dvorak worked as a dance instructor and gradually began to appear on film as a chorus girl. Her friend, actress Karen Morley, introduced her to billionaire movie producer Howard Hughes, who groomed her as a dramatic actress. She was a success in such pre-Code films as Scarface (1932) as Paul Muni's sister; in Three on a Match (1932) with Bette Davis and Joan Blondell as the doomed, unstable Vivian; in The Crowd Roars (1932) with James Cagney; and in Sky Devils (1932) opposite Spencer Tracy. Known for her style and elegance, she was a popular leading lady for Warner Bros. during the 1930s, and appeared in numerous contemporary romances and melodramas. At age 19, Dvorak eloped with Leslie Fenton, her English co-star from The Strange Love of Molly Louvain (1932), and they married on March 17, 1932. They left for a year-long honeymoon in spite of her contractual obligations to the studio, which led to a period of litigation and pay disputes during which she discovered she was making the same amount of money as the boy who played her son in Three on a Match. She completed her contract on permanent suspension, then worked as a freelancer. Although she worked regularly, the quality of her scripts declined sharply. She appeared as secretary Della Street to Donald Woods' Perry Mason in The Case of the Stuttering Bishop (1937). With her then-husband, Leslie Fenton, Dvorak traveled to England where she supported the war effort by working as an ambulance driver and acted in several British films. She appeared as a saloon singer in Abilene Town with Randolph Scott and Edgar Buchanan, released in 1946. The following year she adeptly handled comedy by giving an assured performance in Out of the Blue (1947). In 1948, Dvorak gave her only performance on Broadway in The Respectful Prostitute. Dvorak's marriage to Fenton ended in divorce in 1946. In 1947, she married Igor Dega, a Russian dancer who danced with her briefly in The Bachelor's Daughters. The marriage ended two years later. Dvorak retired from the screen in 1951, when she married her third and last husband, Nicholas Wade, to whom she remained married until his death in 1975. She had no children.
Known For Acting
Popularity 2.282
Birthday 1911-08-02
Place of Birth New York City, New York, USA
Also Known As Anna McKim, Ann McKim, Baby Anna Lehr, Anna Lehr,
Scarface
1932

Scarface

Estrellados
1930

Estrellados

Abilene Town
1946

Abilene Town

The Hollywood Revue of 1929
1929

The Hollywood Revue of 1929

Madam Satan
1930

Madam Satan

Gangs of New York
1938

Gangs of New York

'G' Men
1935

'G' Men

The Secret of Convict Lake
1951

The Secret of Convict Lake

Flame of Barbary Coast
1945

Flame of Barbary Coast

Blind Alley
1939

Blind Alley

Three on a Match
1932

Three on a Match

The Long Night
1947

The Long Night

I Was an American Spy
1951

I Was an American Spy

Girls of the Road
1940

Girls of the Road

Love Is a Racket
1932

Love Is a Racket

Heat Lightning
1934

Heat Lightning

Our Very Own
1950

Our Very Own

This Was Paris
1942

This Was Paris

Gentlemen Are Born
1934

Gentlemen Are Born

Murder in the Clouds
1934

Murder in the Clouds

The Crowd Roars
1932

The Crowd Roars

Thanks a Million
1935

Thanks a Million

Politics
1931

Politics

Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone
1950

Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone

Merrily We Live
1938

Merrily We Live

Bright Lights
1935

Bright Lights

The Walls of Jericho
1948

The Walls of Jericho

The March of Time
1930

The March of Time

The Case of the Stuttering Bishop
1937

The Case of the Stuttering Bishop

The Private Affairs of Bel Ami
1947

The Private Affairs of Bel Ami

Friends of Mr. Sweeney
1934

Friends of Mr. Sweeney

The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
1932

The Strange Love of Molly Louvain

College Coach
1933

College Coach

Sweet Music
1935

Sweet Music

Sky Devils
1932

Sky Devils

Crooner
1932

Crooner

Midnight Alibi
1934

Midnight Alibi

Housewife
1934

Housewife

Stronger Than Desire
1939

Stronger Than Desire

Stranger in Town
1931

Stranger in Town

Side Streets
1934

Side Streets

A Life of Her Own
1950

A Life of Her Own

This Modern Age
1931

This Modern Age

Massacre
1934

Massacre

Midnight Court
1937

Midnight Court

Racing Lady
1937

Racing Lady

Manhattan Merry-Go-Round
1937

Manhattan Merry-Go-Round

Dr. Socrates
1935

Dr. Socrates

The Bachelor's Daughters
1946

The Bachelor's Daughters

I Sell Anything
1934

I Sell Anything

The Woman Racket
1930

The Woman Racket

Ramona
1916

Ramona

The Man Hater
1917

The Man Hater

Son of India
1931

Son of India

She's No Lady
1937

She's No Lady

Lord Byron of Broadway
1930

Lord Byron of Broadway

Good News
1930

Good News

The Return of Jesse James
1950

The Return of Jesse James

Roast-Beef and Movies
1934

Roast-Beef and Movies

We Who Are About to Die
1937

We Who Are About to Die

Masquerade in Mexico
1945

Masquerade in Mexico

It's a Great Life
1929

It's a Great Life

Free and Easy
1930

Free and Easy

Out of the Blue
1947

Out of the Blue

Squadron Leader X
1943

Squadron Leader X

Way Out West
1930

Way Out West

Our Blushing Brides
1930

Our Blushing Brides

So This Is College
1929

So This Is College

Devil-May-Care
1929

Devil-May-Care

Breakdowns of 1936
1936

Breakdowns of 1936

Cafe Hostess
1940

Cafe Hostess

Dance, Fools, Dance
1931

Dance, Fools, Dance

Hello Pop
1933

Hello Pop

Chasing Rainbows
1930

Chasing Rainbows

Manhattan Serenade
1929

Manhattan Serenade

The Devil's Cabaret
1930

The Devil's Cabaret

The Guardsman
1931

The Guardsman

The Song Writers' Revue
1929

The Song Writers' Revue

The Way to Love
1933

The Way to Love

A Trip Thru a Hollywood Studio
1935

A Trip Thru a Hollywood Studio

Escape to Danger
1943

Escape to Danger

A Tailor-Made Man
1931

A Tailor-Made Man

Children of Pleasure
1930

Children of Pleasure

Bogart: The Untold Story
1997

Bogart: The Untold Story

Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood
2008

Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood

The Doll Shop
1929

The Doll Shop