Donna Reed

Donna Reed was a famous American actor and a producer who had won Emmy Awards and also an Oscar during her time. Born on 27th January 1921, Reed hailed from Denison, Iowa. Her parents were from a poor background and hence Donna could not study further after graduation. Donna Reed was her stage name, and her birth name was Donna Bell Mullenger, and she was born to William R. Mullenger and Hazel Shives Mullenger. Being born in a farmers’ family, Donna always aimed high to make it big in movies as she realized her acting skills. But she also knew she was unable to afford to go in pursuit of her acting career. It was with the help of her aunt in California, that Donna moved to LA and enrolled in Los Angeles City college and took up business courses as she wanted to be a Secretary.

America during those days gave a lot of importance to male-oriented movies and having a beautiful face for a woman always seemed perfect for playing the loving, charming and girl-next-door image. This beautiful brunette Donna was offered to enact in movies but she was reluctant to not act before completing her studies. But she did take part in college plays. Upon completing her education, she took up screen tests for MGM. She got selected and was offered a contract which paid her 75 dollars a week and that is when her Mullinger surname was changed.

Her career kick-started in the 1940s and she quickly became the face of femininity, gentle demeanor and maintained that sweet and perfect girl image. While America had Jimmy Stewart for the face of noble men, Donna was considered for the female version of it. Detective tory The Get Away was Donna’s first and foremost film on the big screen with MGM. In 1941, she was seen playing small roles in movies like ‘Broadway’ which showcased her as a secretary. Her career took off with playing bigger and noticeable roles in her next films. She was then seen in The Buggle Sounds in 1942, The Courtship Of Andy Hardy in the same year and Man From Down Under in 1943.

Her 1944 movie See Here Private Hargrove has her in the lead role playing Carol Halliday, which was that of a love interest in the comedy movie. It is said that Donna appeared in about a dozen movies between 1941 and 1952. Though all of them were not successful, she was recognized for her typical good and approachable and lovable roles in a few movies. Of those, Donna’s role in The Picture of Dorian Grey in 1945 is noteworthy. The love story was a commercial success with the audience and Donna was considered as one of the top leading actresses by the Hollywood industry.

In 1943, Donna was cast in The Human Comedy which was also famous for her acting. In 1946, Donna appeared in a classic of all times with actor James Stewart James Maitland Stewart was an American General in >> Read More... in the cinema It’s A Wonderful Life. This was considered a milestone movie for Donna. Even though the movie did not fare well commercially at the box office, in the beginning, it gained popularity later on when it was re-released on TV with a happy ending. In 1953, Donna took a bold step in her career when she said yes for a role of a prostitute in her next flick From Here To Eternity. The movie was a book adaptation by James Jones and the movie had a big cast which included Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, and Burt Lancaster Burt Lancaster, whose full name is Burton Stephen >> Read More... . The movie was nominated in thirteen categories at the Academy Awards and bagged eight of them and Donna got her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in the movie.

In 1953, Donna was seen in Trouble Along The Way, a comedy flick by Fred Zinnemann Fred Zinnemann was a distinguished and an extraord >> Read More... . She also appeared in movies The Last Time I Saw Paris and a biopic on Scott. F. Fitzgerald called The Benny Goodman Story in 1956. Reed’s small screen career began with her own show called The Donna Reed Show in 1958. It was produced by her husband and it ran for eight seasons. This comedy series ran through 1966 where she played a role of the wife of a pediatrician in a small town. Her show also portrayed her as being a perfect wife. Her second husband was also introduced in the same show. She also raised her opinions on some of the political matters and she supported nuclear disarmament in her times.

Donna also appeared in some television movies like The Best Place To Be and Deadly Lessons and also appeared on television shows like The Love Boat. In 1984, Donna replaced Barbara Bel Geddes in the hit show ‘Dallas’ and she also signed a contract with them. Donna was fired from the role and hence she sued CBS network for breaching their contract. However, her role as Ellie was popular and she received one million in the settlement.

Her first husband was William J Tuttle (married in 1943) and the second one was Tony Owen with whom she has three children - Mary Ann Owen, Tony Owen, and Timothy Owen. She divorced her second husband and married Grover Asmus in 1974. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer when she went into the hospital for an ulcer in December 1985. She passed away on January 14th, 1986 at her LA home.