Ann Savage (actress)

infobox actress


birthname=Bernice Maxine Lyon
birthdate=birth date and age|1921|2|19
birthplace=Columbia, South Carolina
occupation=Film, television actress

Ann Savage (born February 19, 1921 in Columbia, South Carolina as Bernice Maxine Lyon) has been a motion picture actress for over sixty years. She is mainly remembered as the cigarette-puffing femme fatale in "Detour" (1945) and other Hollywood B-movies and film noirs of the 1940s. Savage and "Detour" co-star Tom Neal made four movies (Klondike Kate, Two Man Submarine, Unwritten Code and Detour) and one television show (Gangbusters) together.

Savage temporarily left the entertainment business in the early 1950s though she made occasional appearances on television and worked for industrial and inspirational film producers during the 1950s - 70s. In the 1980s, Ann returned to theatrical motion pictures in the 1986 film "Fire with Fire" and made a guest appearance on the television show "Saved By The Bell". She also made live appearances at film festivals, especially for screenings of "Detour".

When it became public domain, "Detour" was often run on syndicated television and several versions were released on VHS home video. This exposure, combined with her film festival appearances, earned Ann the respect of several generations of independent film directors and actors. Director Wim Wenders called her work in "Detour" "at least 15 years ahead of its time". The London Guardian termed Ann "a Garbo for our times". Ann most recently earned rave reviews in all media for her stunning performance as Canadian director Guy Maddin's mother in his most acclaimed film "My Winnipeg" (2008).

External links

*imdb name|0767243
*amg name|2:63310