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Donna Reed
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Donna Reed (January 27, 1921 - January 14, 1986) was an Academy Award-winning, Golden Globe-winning American film and television actress.
was born Donna Belle Mullenger on a farm near Denison, Iowa, the daughter of Hazel Jane (née Shives) and William Richard Mullenger. The eldest of five children, she was raised as a Methodist. After graduating Denison High School, Reed planned to become a teacher, but was unable to pay for college.
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Donna Reed (January 27, 1921 - January 14, 1986) was an Academy Award-winning, Golden Globe-winning American film and television actress.
Early life
Reed was born Donna Belle Mullenger on a farm near Denison, Iowa, the daughter of Hazel Jane (née Shives) and William Richard Mullenger. The eldest of five children, she was raised as a Methodist. After graduating Denison High School, Reed planned to become a teacher, but was unable to pay for college. She decided to move to California to attend Los Angeles City College on the advice of her aunt. While attending college, she performed in various stage productions but had no plans to become an actress. After receiving several offers to screen test for studios, Reed eventually signed with MGM, but insisted on finishing her education first.
Career
After signing with MGM in 1941, Reed made her film debut that same year in The Get-Away, opposite Robert Sterling. Billed in her first feature as Donna Adams, MGM decided against the name and changed it to Donna Reed. She starred in The Courtship of Andy Hardy (1942). In 1943, she appeared in The Human Comedy with Mickey Rooney, followed by roles in The Picture of Dorian Gray and They Were Expendable, both in 1945. The following year, she was loaned to RKO Pictures for the role of Mary Bailey in Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life. Upon its release, the film was a box office failure, although critics were favorable towards Reed's performance. The film has since been named as one of the 100 best American films ever made by the American Film Institute and is regularly aired on television during the Christmas season.
Following the release of It's a Wonderful Life, Reed appeared in Green Dolphin Street (1947) with Lana Turner and Van Heflin, and Scandal Sheet (1952). In 1953, she played the role of Alma "Lorene" Burke, Montgomery Clift's character's mistress in From Here to Eternity. The role earned Reed an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1954.In 1958, Reed starred in The Donna Reed Show. The series, which featured Reed as Donna Stone, the idealized housewife of pediatrician Dr. Alex Stone (Carl Betz) and mother of Jeff (Paul Petersen) and Mary Stone (Shelley Fabares), ran for eight seasons on ABC. Reed won a Golden Globe Award and earned four Emmy Award nominations for her work on the series.
Later career
After the The Donna Reed Show ended its run in 1966, Reed took time off from acting and helped form the interest group, Another Mother For Peace in 1967.Reed also became an opponent of the Vietnam War and the use of nuclear weapons. She returned to acting in the 1970s, appearing in various guest spots in television series and television movies.
In 1984, she temporarily replaced Barbara Bel Geddes who had decided to step down from her role as "Miss Ellie" in the television series Dallas in the 1984-85 season. When Bel Geddes agreed to return to the role for the 1985-86 season, Reed was abruptly fired. She sued the show's production company for breach of contractand later settled out of court for over a million dollars.
Personal life
From 1943 to 1945, Reed was married to William Tuttle. In 1945, she married producer Tony Owen (1907-1984) with whom she had four children:
Penny Jane, Anthony, Timothy, and Mary Anne (the two oldest children were adopted). Reed and Owen divorced in 1971, and three years later, she married retired U. S. Army Colonel Grover W. Asmus (1926-2003).
Death
On January 15, 1986, Reed died in Beverly Hills, California, from pancreatic cancer. She was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Legacy and tributes
In 1987, Reed's widower, actresses Shelley Fabares and Norma Connolly, and numerous friends, associates, and family members founded the Donna Reed Foundation for the Performing Arts. Based in Reed's hometown of Denison, the non-profit organization grants scholarships for performing arts students, runs an annual festival of performing arts workshops, and operates "The Donna Reed Center for the Performing Arts".
Reed's hometown of Denison, Iowa hosts the annual Donna Reed Festival. Reed's childhood home is located at Donna Reed Drive in Denison.
For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Donna Reed has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1610 Vine Street.
Filmography
Awards and nominations
Further reading
External links
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