- Bonita Granville
Infobox actor
bgcolour = silver
name = Bonita Granville
imagesize = 250px
caption = from the trailer for the film
"Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter" (1939).
birthdate =February 2 ,1923
location = Chicago,Illinois ,USA
deathdate =October 11 ,1988 , age 65
deathplace = Santa Monica,California ,USA
birthname =Bonita Granville (
February 2 ,1923 –October 11 ,1988 ) was an Oscar-nominated Americanfilm actress andtelevision producer.Early life
Born in
Chicago, Illinois , Granville was the daughter of stage actors, and made her film debut at the age of nine in "Westward Passage" (1933). Over the next couple of years she played uncredited supporting roles in such films as "Little Women" (1933) and "Anne of Green Gables " (1934) before playing the role of Mary in the film adaptation ofLillian Hellman 's "The Children's Hour". Renamed "These Three ", it told the story of three adults (played byMiriam Hopkins ,Merle Oberon , andJoel McCrea ) who find their lives almost destroyed by the malicious lies of an attention-seeking child. For her role as that child, Granville was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress . Despite this success, and although she continued to work, the next few years brought her few opportunities to build her career.She then starred as the saucy mischievous daughter in the brilliant comedy
Merrily We Live in 1938. In 1938 she played girl detectiveNancy Drew in the film "Nancy Drew, Detective". The film was a success, and Granville reprised the role in three further films from 1938 to 1939, including "Nancy Drew, Reporter" (1939).Later career
As a young adult, she was once again cast in supporting roles, often in prestigious films such as "
Now, Voyager " (1942), as well as twoAndy Hardy films withMickey Rooney . She is also remembered for her starring role in theWorld War II anti-Nazism film "Hitler's Children" (1943). Her career began to fade by the mid-1940s.She was the heroine of a novel entitled "Bonita Granville and the Mystery of Star Island" written by Kathryn Heisenfelt, published by Whitman Publishing Company in 1942. The novel's subtitle is "An original story featuring BONITA GRANVILLE famous motion-picture player as the heroine". The story was probably written for a young teenage audience and is reminiscent of the adventures of
Nancy Drew . It is part of a series known as "Whitman Authorized Editions", 16 books published between 1941-1947 that featured a film actress as heroine. [ [http://www.series-books.com/whitman/whitman.html Whitman Authorized Editions for Girls ] ]In 1947 Granville married
Jack Wrather , who had produced some of her films. He formed the Wrather Corporation, and bought the rights to characters from both "The Lone Ranger " and "Lassie ",Fact|date=March 2007 Granville worked as a producer for several film and television productions featuring these characters, including the 1954 TV series "Lassie". She appeared in the film version of "The Lone Ranger" in 1956, and made her final screen appearance in a cameo role in "The Legend of the Lone Ranger" (1981).The couple remained married until Wrather's death in 1984. Granville died four years later of
lung cancer inSanta Monica, California , aged 65.Bonita Granville has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame , at 6607Hollywood Boulevard , for her contributions to motion pictures. She used to be honored at the Disneyland Hotel, which Jack Wrather owned until it was sold to the Disney Corporation. The Bonita Tower and Granville's Steak House were names used until recently, when Disney replaced them terms more related to its identity (Steakhouse 55, in honor of when Disneyland opened and the Wonder Tower, related to Disney's Cruise Ship business).References
External links
*imdb name|id=0335748|name=Bonita Granville
* [http://www.archiveclassicmovies.com/watch.html Archive Classic Movies Viewable version of "Nancy Drew- Reporter(1939)"]Persondata
NAME= Granville, Bonita
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Actor
DATE OF BIRTH=February 2 ,1923
PLACE OF BIRTH= Chicago,Illinois ,USA
DATE OF DEATH=October 11 ,1988 , age 65
PLACE OF DEATH= Santa Monica,California ,USA
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