Wilma Francis was born Wilma Francis Sareussen on November 26, 1917 in
New Orleans, Louisiana. She signed to Paramount Pictures as a starlet
at eighteen in 1936 and appeared in several films, generally in minor
roles with occasional second leads. In the
1940's she worked for a while as a assistant to director 'Sam Wood'
and made her last billed appearance in a motion picture in Wood's 1945
film "Guest Wife". Francis made several later appearances on television
and a final unbilled part in 1970's "Airport". She returned to her
native New Orleans in the 1960's and was active in local theater and in
the 1970's opened a casting office there to supply local talent for
roles in films and television work filmed in the area. She passed away
in June 23, 1991 following lung surgery at age 73.
Wilma Francis' screen credits are frequently confused with those of starlet Marlo Dwyer who apparently used the name Wilma Francis while working as a chorus girl at Warner Bros. during the early 1930's.
1930's-1940's Hollywood starlet who later worked as a casting director for films and television productions shot in her native Louisiana during the 1980's.