Trivia of Dorothy Malone

 Trivia of Dorothy Malone (29 January 1924 - 19 January 2018)

*Was one of five children. Two older sisters died very young of complications from polio, and another younger brother was struck and killed by lightning while on a Dallas golf course. When she won the Oscar for Written on the Wind (1956), she dedicated the award to her late brother.

*She originally considered becoming a nurse.While performing in a play at Southern Methodist University,she was spotted by a talent scout, Eddie Rubin,who had been looking to find and cast a male actor.Malone was signed by RKO at age 18 as Dorothy Maloney and made her film debut in Gildersleeve on Broadway (1943).

*When RKO lost interest of her, Warner Bros stepped up to the plate and offered the actress a contract. She billed as Dorothy Malone with the studio finally injected some adrenaline into her floundering young career.She earned the small role of a seductive book clerk in the Bogart/Bacall classic The Big Sleep (1946). Director Howard Hawks was so struck with the 19-year-old Dorothy Malone's mature sexuality that he decided to make the scene steamier.Critics and audiences took notice of her captivating little part.

*Originally, she was a brunette girl.She turned blonde for Young at Heart (1954) and remained that way for the rest of her career except for Battle Cry (1955) and Too Much, Too Soon (1958).

*Malone appeared in a supporting role alongside Rock Hudson and Lauren Bacall in the melodrama "Written on the Wind (1956)." The film earned Malone her first and only Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.According to Dorothy Malone, Rock Hudson helped her performance.On the set, she found him to be somewhat of a loner who hid his feelings of sadness and insecurity. Nevertheless, she developed a bond with him that helped her through moments of tension on the set. "Rock gave me that sense of security whenever I worked with him."

*Had her first date with actor Jacques Bergerac at a Sophie Tucker show in March 1958. They got engaged in May 1959, married in June 1959, and divorced in 1964.She became embroiled in heavy litigation and a messy divorce action with husband Jacques Bergerac, whom she accused of marrying famous women only to promote his career. Bergerac was previously married to Ginger Rogers.

*Often complained that her character on Peyton Place (1964) was not given enough to do and that Mia Farrow's character was monopolizing the storylines. She was quoted as saying, "I live much more drama and tragedy in my own life than I ever do on 'Peyton Place'!" She was written out of the show in 1968 and sued 20th Century- Fox for breach of contract. The case was settled out of court. Ironically, she had won the Golden Apple Award as "Most Cooperative Actress" in 1965.