Myrna Loy

Mesmerizing Myrna Loy in a 1932 portrait sitting by photographer Clarence Sinclair Bull. She was born Myrna Adele Williams on August 2, 1905 in Helena, Montana. Her first film was a small part in the production of "What Price Beauty?" (1925) and later appeared the same year in "Pretty Ladies" (1925) along with Joan Crawford. In 1926, Loy appeared in the Warner Brothers film "Satan in Sables" (1925) which, at long last, landed her a contract. Her first appearance as a contract player was "The Caveman" (1926) where she played a maid. Although she was typecast over and over again as a vamp, Loy continued to stay busy with small parts. Finally, in 1927, she received star billing in "Bitter Apples" (1927). She was one of the few stars that would start in the silent movies and make a successful transition into the sound era. At MGM she received two prominent roles - one was in the "The Prizefighter and the Lady" (1933), and the other as Nora Charles in "The Thin Man" (1934) with William Powell. In this tole, her witty perception of situations gave her the image that one could not pull a fast one over on the no-nonsense Mrs. Charles. Loy would appear in five more in the Thin Man series and would become a big box-office draw. She was popular enough that, in 1936, she was named Queen of the Movies and Clark Gable the king in a nationwide poll of movie goers. She continued to make films through the 40s and 50s but the roles were fewer and fewer. In 1960 Loy appeared in "Midnight Lace" (1960) and was not in another until 1969 in "The April Fools" (1969). The 1970s found her in TV movies, not theatrical productions. Her last film was in 1981 called "Summer Solstice" (1981). By the time Loy passed away, on December 14, 1993, at the age of 88, she had appeared in a phenomenal 129 motion pictures.

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