Gwili Andre

Danish-born Gwili Andre was a blonde beauty who had the talent and the looks for the big time, but somehow just couldn't put everything together. She was born Gurli Andresen on February 4, 1907 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Andre came to Hollywood in the early 1930s with the intention of establishing herself as a film star after working as model in Europe. In 1930, she moved to New York City with her first husband where she was reportedly spotted by David O. Selznick at the premiere of a Broadway show. She was signed to RKO Studio and, in 1932 appeared in “Roar of the Dragon” and “Secrets of the French Police”. While her striking looks were likened to that of Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich, her acting garnered poor reviews. Despite this, RKO began using her glamorous looks to promote her career. Her next role in “No Other Woman” (1933), opposite Irene Dunne, was not the success the studio expected. Over the next few years she was relegated to supporting roles which included a role in the Joan Crawford picture “A Woman's Face” (1941). Her final role was a minor part in one of the popular Falcon series, “The Falcon's Brother” (1942). She did not return to the screen after this. Andre returned to her native Denmark with her son after her divorce from William Cross, Jr. but returned to New York City in 1954. On 5 February 1959, Andre died in a fire that started in her Venice, California apartment where she lived alone. Kenneth Anger's book "Hollywood Babylon" sensationalized the tragic death of the actress. He claims that, alone in her apartment, she gathered together reams of publicity stills and promotional material from her early career and set them on fire, allowing herself to be consumed by the flames. In truth, a fire broke out in her bedroom while she was asleep. She was found on the bathroom floor, having died of smoke inhalation - (just one day after her 52nd birthday).

Portrait by Ernest Bachrach (1932).

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