20th-century American actresses

Jean_Carmen

Jean Carmen (born Jean Carmean; April 7, 1913 – August 26, 1993) was an American film, stage, and radio actress. She sometimes went by the stage name Julia Thayer. In addition to her appearances in various films throughout the 1930s, Carmen starred on Broadway in the original production of The Man Who Came to Dinner, appearing as a replacement for the role of June Stanley. In her later career, Carmen wrote, directed, and produced the film The Pawn in 1966.

Helen_Burgess

Helen Margarite Burgess (April 26, 1916 – April 7, 1937) was an American film and stage actress. Discovered by Cecil B. DeMille, she began her acting career in 1936 at age nineteen, playing Louisa Cody in DeMille's Western biopic The Plainsman. She would appear in four films as a contract player for Paramount Pictures before dying at age twenty from pneumonia.

Vera-Ellen

Vera-Ellen (born Vera-Ellen Rohe; February 16, 1921 – August 30, 1981) was an American dancer and actress. She is remembered for her solo performances as well as her work with partners Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Danny Kaye, and Donald O'Connor. She is best known for her starring roles in On the Town (1949) with Gene Kelly and White Christmas (1954) with Danny Kaye.

Katherine_MacGregor

Katherine MacGregor (born Dorlee Deane McGregor; January 12, 1925 – November 13, 2018) was an American actress, best known for her role as Harriet Oleson in Little House on the Prairie. She started her career on stage in New York City, in theatres off and on Broadway, credited as Scottie MacGregor.

Lila_Shanley

Lila Georgia Everett Finn Shanley (November 28, 1909 – November 15, 1996), stage name Lila Finn, was an American stuntwoman, stunt double, actress, and athlete. After first working as a stunt double for Dorothy Lamour in The Hurricane (1937), she doubled for many leading Hollywood actresses, including Vivien Leigh, Paulette Goddard, Donna Reed, Betty Hutton, and Sandra Dee, appearing in more than 100 films over nearly six decades. She was the founding president of the Stuntwomen's Association of Motion Pictures, established in 1958, and a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild. She also competed on the United States women's national volleyball team from 1955 to 1960 and won a team silver medal in the 1959 Pan American Games.

Jean_Howell

Jean Howell (November 21, 1927 – July 23, 1996) was an American television actress. She also appeared occasionally in films.
Howell was the daughter of Burl Howell and Esther Hyde ‘’Buddy’’ Howell, along with her sister Dixon. The family moved to Sebastopol, California area in 1935. She graduated in 1944 from Analy High School in Sebastopol, and later from the University of Washington.On stage, Howell acted in New York in summer stock theater and at the Horseshoe Theater in Los Angeles. Television programs on which she appeared included Perry Mason, Space Patrol, Armstrong Circle Theatre, Four Star Theater, Lux Video Theatre, and Telephone Time. Her films included the 1957 western Hell's Crossroads.Howell was married to actor Larry Thor for four months in 1956.In her later years, Howell was an advocate for environmental efforts to clean up Santa Monica Bay. She gave talks about ecology and also trained speakers for similar activities.Howell died of cancer on July 23, 1996, in Santa Monica, California. She was 68.

June_Preston

June Preston (December 29, 1928 – May 11, 2022) was an American child actress in the 1930s and early 1940s, who began her film career at RKO Pictures, with a minor role as Mrs. Blewett's daughter in the 1934 film Anne of Green Gables.
As a child star, she was promoted with heavy marketing and merchandising, including a clothing line, to position her as a child star rival to Shirley Temple.Preston appeared in film shorts of Meglin Kiddies and Our Gang and had small cameos in feature films It Happened One Night, Christmas in July and Strawberry Blonde.Preston performed as a soprano singer in the United States and in recitals in Latin America and Europe.