Lived with Wynne Gibson for many years until the latter's death in 1987 of a cerebral thrombosis in Laguna Niguel, California, after suffering an attack in the home they shared.
Known for her assertive, tough-edged dames in Warner Bros. potboilers,
her lady characters did everything from running a lumber camp and
operating a fleet of buses to running medical missions overseas.
Head of Theatre Authority for 24 years.
Educated at P.S. 35 and 44 in Brooklyn, then to a private school at
Carrs Academy.
Accepted as a teenager for dramatic training at Eva Le Gallienne's Civic
Repertory Theatre company.
Of English, Dutch, German and Welsh heritage, her father was a salesman
and mother once worked at a bank before turning homemaker.
Made her Broadway debut in "Girls in Uniform" in the early 30s.