Frances Gifford

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Mary Frances Gifford (born December 7, 1920 in Long Beach , California - † January 22, 1994 in Pasadena , California) was an American actress.

life and work

Frances Gifford, the daughter of an electrical engineer , grew up in Long Beach. She attended Woodrow Wilson High School there . After graduation, she wanted at the Law School of the UCLA study; she had no ambitions to become an actress. When a friend took her to a film studio, Merle Oberon noticed her and got her test shots with Samuel Goldwyn . This brought her a one-year contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and thus a role in her first film, Virginia on Men-Catching . MGM did not renew the contract in 1937, so Gifford went to RKO Pictures . At first, she continued to receive only minor roles such as in the 1937 film Living on Love , in which James Dunn played the lead role. In 1938 Francis Gifford married James Dunn, who was more than 15 years his senior.

Frances Gifford had her first two leading roles in Mercy Plane in 1939 and in Hold That Woman! , each at her husband's side. Afterwards she was seen as an explanatory trick technician in the film The Dragons Against Will . She became known in 1941 as Nyoka in the successful serial jungle gangster . In 1942 her marriage to James Dunn was divorced. The following year she starred alongside Johnny Weissmüller in the propaganda film Tarzan and the Nazis . Over the next few years she had major roles in films such as Cry 'Havoc' , Honeymoon for Three or Spring of Life . Her role in The Arnelo Affair deserves special mention . In the 1940s she also appeared on the radio several times.

On December 31, 1947, Frances Gifford was in a car accident near Rialto , in which she sustained severe facial injuries. After that, she had two film leading roles in Lach und Wein mit mir in 1950 and in Sky Commando in 1953, as well as a few guest roles in television series. In 1953 she ended her film career. In the years that followed, she had to be treated several times in mental institutions such as Camarillo State Hospital . In the 1980s she was considered healthy again. However, she lived very withdrawn. She died of emphysema in 1994 .

Frances Gifford was dubbed by Carola Höhn , Renate Pichler and Viktoria Brams , among others .

Filmography (selection)

  • 1937: Virginia chases men (Woman Chases Man)
  • 1937: Stage Door (Stage Door)
  • 1937: Living on Love
  • 1938: You don't kiss leopards (Bringing Up Baby)
  • 1939: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
  • 1939: Mercy Plane
  • 1940: Hold That Woman!
  • 1941: The Reluctant Dragon (The Reluctant Dragon)
  • 1941: Border Vigilantes
  • 1941: West Point Widow
  • 1941: Jungle Gangster ( Jungle Girl , Serial )
  • 1941: Louisiana Purchase
  • 1942: The Remarkable Andrew
  • 1942: Tombstone, the Town Too Tough to Die
  • 1942: The Glass Key (The Glass Key)
  • 1942: My Heart Belongs to Daddy
  • 1942: Star Spangled Rhythm
  • 1942: The King of Texas (American Empire)
  • 1943: Tarzan and the Nazis (Tarzan Triumphs)
  • 1943: Henry Aldrich Gets Glamor
  • 1943: Cry 'Havoc'
  • 1944: Marriage Is a Private Affair
  • 1945: Honeymoon for three (Thrill of a Romance)
  • 1945: Spring of Life (Our Vines Have Tender Grapes)
  • 1945: She Went to the Races
  • 1947: The Arnelo Affair
  • 1947: Little Mister Jim
  • 1948: Love on board (Luxury Liner)
  • 1950: Laugh and Cry with Me (Riding High)
  • 1953: Sky Commando

Web links

Commons : Frances Gifford  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c The Story of One Starlet: Mary Frances Gifford . In: LIFE . tape  3 , no. 20 , November 15, 1937, pp. 39–41 (English, limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed June 10, 2018]).
  2. ↑ a b c d Frances Gifford in the Find a Grave database . Accessed June 10, 2018.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g Dick Vosburgh: Obituary: Frances Gifford . In: The Independent . January 31, 1994 ( online at Independent.co.uk [accessed June 10, 2018]).
  4. ↑ a b c Hal Erickson : Frances Gifford. In: Allmovie . Accessed June 10, 2018 .
  5. ↑ Frances Gifford. In: Old Time Radio Downloads. Accessed June 10, 2018 .
  6. ↑ Frances Gifford of Film Injured In Rialto Crash . In: The San Bernardino County Sun . January 2, 1948, p.  11 ( online as clipping in Newspapers.com [accessed June 10, 2018]).
  7. ↑ a b Frances Gifford . In: Variety . January 26, 1994 ( online at Variety.com [accessed June 10, 2018]).
  8. ↑ Frances Gifford. In: synchronkartei.de. German synchronous index , accessed on June 10, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Gifford, Frances
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Grifford, Mary Frances (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-american actress
DATE OF BIRTH December 7, 1920
PLACE OF BIRTH Long Beach , California , United States
DATE OF DEATH January 22, 1994
Place of death Pasadena , California, United States