Evalyn Knapp

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Evalyn Knapp (actually Evelyn Pauline Knapp ; born June 17, 1906 in Kansas City , Missouri , † June 12, 1981 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American actress . Notoriety she gained through her starring roles in B-movies and serials of the 1930s.

Life

Evalyn Knapp was the younger sister of the big band leader Orville Knapp . Her film career began in 1929 with a supporting role in the silent film At the Dentist’s . For her film career, she changed her first name from Evelyn to Evalyn . She received her best-known role in 1931 as a female lead in the crime film Easy Money on the side of Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney . In 1932 she and 13 other young actresses (including Ginger Rogers and Gloria Stuart ) were voted one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars who were predicted to have a successful film career.

In 1931 Evalyn Knapp spent several months in hospital when she fell from a cliff while hiking and injured two vertebrae. She was temporarily unable to walk and required lengthy treatment. Another personal setback was the death of her brother Orville in a plane crash in July 1936.

In the 1930s Knapp was best known for her leading roles in serials, which mostly ended with a cliffhanger . She also played alongside well-known stars such as Gene Autry (1934 with his film debut in In Old Santa Fe ) or a young John Wayne (1933 in His Private Secretary ) in several B-movies. In 1939, Knapp starred in an uncredited supporting role as a reporter in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington . After she was regularly seen in films until 1941, her career declined. In 1943 Knapp ended her career as an actress with a minor supporting role in the comedy Two Weeks to Live .

Evalyn Knapp was from 1934 until his death in 1977 with Dr. George A. Snyder married. After the end of her film career, she worked as an amateur fisherman and yachtswomen . Knapp owned her own yacht, which she had received from her wealthy husband as a wedding present. She died on June 12, 1981 - five days before her 75th birthday - in St. Vincent's Hospital in Los Angeles of complications from a heart condition. Her body was cremated and scattered in the sea.

Filmography (selection)

  • 1929: At the Dentist's
  • 1930: Sinners' Holiday
  • 1930: River's End
  • 1931: The Millionaire
  • 1931: Easy Money (Smart Money)
  • 1931: Side Show
  • 1932: A Successful Calamity
  • 1932: The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
  • 1932: High Pressure
  • 1932: Slightly Married
  • 1933: Air Hostess
  • 1933: His Private Secretary
  • 1933: Corruption
  • 1933: The Perils of Pauline (Serial)
  • 1933: Dance Girl Dance
  • 1934: In Old Santa Fe
  • 1935: One Frightened Night
  • 1935: The Fire Trap
  • 1935: Ladies Crave Excitement
  • 1936: Three of a Kind
  • 1938: Rawhide
  • 1939: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
  • 1941: Roar of the Press
  • 1943: Two Weeks to Live

Web links

Commons : Evalyn Knapp  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Date of birth according to the Social Security Death Index and the United States Census of 1930. In some sources, 1908 is also given as the year of birth.
  2. ↑ John Griffith: Evalyn Knapp. In: Find a Grave . August 19, 2002, accessed October 30, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Knapp, Evalyn
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Knapp, Evelyn Pauline (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-american actress
DATE OF BIRTH June 17, 1906
PLACE OF BIRTH Kansas City , Missouri
DATE OF DEATH June 12, 1981
Place of death Los Angeles , California