Noir Facts About Gloria Grahame, The Hollywood Temptress
Gloria Grahame shot to stardom after appearing in the Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life. Yet if her name isn’t as well known today, maybe that’s because this ingénue never got a happy holiday ending—far from it. From her heights as a femme fatale to her jaw-dropping rock bottom, here are noir facts about Gloria Grahame, the Hollywood Temptress.
Gloria Grahame Facts
1. She Was Made For Hollywood
Even Grahame's beginnings were steeped in stardom. Born in Los Angeles in 1923, her father Reginald Hallward was an architect, while her mother Jean McDougall went by the stage name "Jean Graham" and worked as an actress and acting coach.
As a result, Grahame was exposed to Hollywood’s inner workings from a very young age…but this wasn’t always a good thing.
2. She Would Do Anything To Be A Star
Grahame had a thirst for stardom, and she went to desperate measures to get it. She didn’t graduate from Hollywood High School, dropping out at a tender age to better pursue her acting career. Before she was 21 years old, the ingenue was making her Broadway debut in The World’s Full of Girls. As it happened, it was a date with destiny.
3. She Got A Big Break
While the nubile Grahame was acting her little heart out on stage, she caught the eye of Hollywood bigwig Louis B. Mayer, who was in the audience one night. Mayer, who headed up MGM Studios, snapped up the emerging talent and signed her onto a contract almost immediately. It was supposed to be a dream come true for Grahame, but it was more like a nightmare.
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