Diana Lynn

Diana Lynn
from the trailer for Every Girl Should Be Married (1948)
Born	Dolores Marie Loehr October 7, 1926(1926-10-07) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	December 18, 1971(1971-12-18) (aged 45) New York City, New York, U.S.
Years active	1939–1970
Spouse	John C. Lindsey (1948–1953) (divorced) Mortimer Hall (1956–1971) (her death) 4 children

Diana Lynn (October 7, 1926 – December 18, 1971) was an American actress.

Born Dolores Marie Loehr in Los Angeles, California, Lynn was considered a child prodigy because of her exceptional abilities as a pianist at an early age, and by the age of 12 was playing with the Los Angeles Junior Symphony Orchestra.

Film career

Dolores Loehr made her film debut playing the piano in They Shall Have Music and was once again back at the keyboard, accompanying Susanna Foster, in There's Magic in Music, when it was decided that she had more potential than she had been allowed to show. Paramount Pictures changed her name to "Diana Lynn" and began casting her in films that allowed her to show her personality and developed her skills as an actress.

Her comedic scenes with Ginger Rogers in The Major and the Minor were well received, and in 1944 she scored an outstanding success in Preston Sturges' The Miracle of Morgan's Creek. She appeared in two Henry Aldrich films, and played writer Emily Kimbrough in two films Our Hearts Were Young and Gay and Our Hearts Were Growing Up both co-starring Gail Russell.

After a few more films, she was cast in one of the year's biggest successes, the comedy My Friend Irma with Marie Wilson as Irma, and Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in their film debuts. The group reprised their roles for the sequel My Friend Irma Goes West. During the 1950s Lynn continued acting in films, and was the female lead in the much lampooned Bedtime for Bonzo opposite Ronald Reagan.

Early death

A marriage to John C. Lindsay ended in divorce in 1953. Lynn was then married in 1956 to Mortimer Hall, son of New York Post newspaper publisher Dorothy Schiff.^[1]

She acted frequently in television guest roles throughout the 1960s. By 1970, she had virtually retired from acting and had relocated to New York, where she was running a travel agency. Paramount offered her a part in a new film, and after some consideration she accepted the offer and moved back to Los Angeles. Before filming started, she suffered a stroke and died nine days later at age 45.^[2] Lynn was interred at the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest in New York, New York.^[3]

Diana Lynn has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: for motion pictures, at 1625 Vine Street, and for television, at 6350 Hollywood Boulevard.

Family

Lynn was survived by her husband, and four young children. Her daughter Dolly Hall is a film producer.

Another daughter, Susan ... aka Daisy Hall [1] [2], who bears a striking resemblance to her great-grandfather Jacob Schiff [3], is an alumna of the ultra-elite and highly-selective Emma Willard School for Girls in Troy, New York, and as an actress herself, has starred in numerous French- and lesser known American-produced films, during the 1980s, '90s and 2000s [4].^[4]

Filmography

• They Shall Have Music (1939)
• There's Magic in Music (1941)
• The Major and the Minor (1942)
• Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour (1942)
• Henry Aldrich Plays Cupid (1944)
• The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944)
• Our Hearts Were Young and Gay (1944)
• And the Angels Sing (1944)
• Out of This World (1945)
• The Bride Wore Boots (1946)
• Our Hearts Were Growing Up (1946)
• Easy Come, Easy Go (1947)
• Ruthless (1948)
• Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven (1948)
• Every Girl Should Be Married (1948)
• My Friend Irma (1949)
• Paid in Full (1950)
• Peggy (1950)
• My Friend Irma Goes West (1950)
• Rogues of Sherwood Forest (1950)
• The People Against O'Hara (1951)
• Bedtime for Bonzo (1951)
• Meet Me at the Fair (1952)
• Plunder of the Sun (1953)
• Track of the Cat (1954)
• An Annapolis Story (1955)
• You're Never Too Young (1955)
• The Kentuckian (1955)
• Company of Killers (1970)

References

Biography portal

1. ^ "Nuptuals on Dec. 7 for Diana Lynn", The New York Times: 119, November 18, 1956, http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70711FB35591B7B93CAA8178AD95F428585F9&scp=49&sq=diana%20lynn&st=cse 
2. ^ "Diana Lynn Dies; Actress Was 45", The New York Times: 60, December 19, 1971, http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50B11F83C5E127A93CBA81789D95F458785F9&scp=42&sq=diana%20lynn&st=cse 
3. ^ Diana Lynn (1926 - 1971) - Find A Grave Memorial
4. ^ Rader, Ron (2006). "Dolly Hall - bio info". DollyHall.net. http://www.123people.co.uk/ext/frm?ti=person%20finder&search_term=daisy%20hall&search_country=GB&st=person%20finder&target_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blockbuster.com%2Fbrowse%2Fcatalog%2FpersonDetails%2F26241&section=weblink&wrt_id=226. Retrieved 2007-08-19. 

External links

• Diana Lynn at the Internet Movie Database
• Diana Lynn at the Internet Broadway Database
• Diana Lynn at Find a Grave

Persondata
Name	Lynn, Diana
Alternative names	Loehr, Dolores Marie
Short description
Date of birth	October 7, 1926
Place of birth	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Date of death	December 18, 1971
Place of death	New York City, New York, U.S.