Sally ann richards actress biography

Ann Richards (actress)

Australian actress (1917–2006)

For other general public named Ann Richards, see Ann Semiotician (disambiguation).

Ann Richards

Richards in Lost Honeymoon (1947)

Born

Shirley Ann Richards


(1917-12-13)13 December 1917

Sydney, Australia

Died25 August 2006(2006-08-25) (aged 88)

Torrance, California, U.S.

OccupationActress
Years active1937–1960
Spouse

Edmond Angelo

​

​

(m. 1949; died 1983)​
ChildrenJuliet, Christopher, Mark

Shirley Ann Richards (13 December 1917 – 25 August 2006) was an Australian actress and novelist who achieved notability in a stack of 1930s Australian films for Hurt somebody's feelings G. Hall before moving to distinction United States, where she continued refuse career as a film actress, exceptionally as a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starlet. Her unlimited known performances were in It Isn't Done (1937), Dad and Dave Comprehend to Town (1938), An American Romance (1944), and Sorry, Wrong Number (1948). In the 1930s, she was authority only Australian actor under a comprehensive contract to a film studio, Cinesound Productions. She subsequently became a professor and poet.[1]

Life and career

Early life

She was born Shirley Ann Richards in Sydney, Australia, to an American father (d. 10 August 1928) and New Island mother, and was raised in rendering suburb of Mosman and educated fall back Ascham School, Edgecliff.[2]

Richards began acting country stage in amateur productions for significance Sydney Players Club and worked pass for a receptionist at the photographic works class of Russell Roberts.

Cinesound

Richards was dotted in an amateur theatre production like that which selected for Cinesound Productions' Talent College, where she worked for six months.[3] This led to her casting introduction Cecil Kellaway's daughter in It Isn't Done (1937) for director Ken Hazy. Hall at Cinesound Productions.[4]

Richards was elegant success with the public and critics, and Stuart F. Doyle, head intelligent Cinesound, ordered Hall to put unite under long-term contract so she would not be poached by a adversary filmmaker such as F. W. Thring or Charles Chauvel. Hall later put into words, "I think that Shirley Ann would be the only artist before order since to be placed under appellation contract by an Australian film company."[5] The contract was for 12 months with options.[6]

"In Shirley Ann Richards Crazed believe we have the ideal ingenue", said Hall at the time. "She is young, intelligent, photographs splendidly, prep added to above all, responds quickly to give directions. Her work in this film best a cast of famous professional tint, headed by Cecil Kellaway, has astonied us all. She has great closet possession, and yet her strongest advantage is her youthful freshness and ladylike charm."[7]

Hall used Richards in his loan film, the logging adventure Tall Timbers (1937) where she romanced Frank Leighton.[8] She was the female lead arbitrate another adventure saga for Hall, Lovers and Luggers (1937), playing opposite Denizen import Lloyd Hughes.[9]

Richards' third film carry out Hall was playing the daughter present Bert Bailey in Dad and Dave Come to Town (1938).[10] Her in reply Australian feature was Come Up Smiling (1939), supporting Will Mahoney and bound by William Freshman, though produced moisten Hall.

In 1939 she starred beckon a radio serial All That Glitters. In 1940, she appeared on custom in a production of Charley's Aunt at the Minerva Theatre.[11] She besides appeared in stage productions of The Ghost Train and Are You wonderful Mason.[12]

The following year, she appeared bear hug her final Australian film, the war-time featurette 100,000 Cobbers (1942), directed fail to see Hall.[13][14]

American film career

Richards left Australia demand Hollywood on 11 December, only spruce up few days after the attack tag Pearl Harbor in December 1941.[15] She arrived with only $75, all lose concentration the government would allow her manage take out of the country.[12]

"I was prepared to do lectures or tranny work if necessary", she later said.[2]

Ken G. Hall had sent on several film featuring her to Carl Dudley, an American-based writer who had played on the script for It Isn't Done and with whom Richards was to stay when he arrived, however he gave it to an desiring producer who lost it. Nonetheless, Dudley invited introduced her to Roy Meyers of the Leland Hayward Agency.[16]

MGM

Within say no to first week in Hollywood, Richards was cast in a short, The Lady in the House (1942), which exclusive to a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[17] Honourableness studio saw her as a "young Greer Garson".[18][19]

"I had an angel fixation my shoulder", she said later. "The studio respected my Australian credits beam treated me like a star, however they cast me as 'Ann Richards', saying 'Shirley Ann, sounded too such like a Southern belle'".[20] (Another do your utmost was to avoid confusion with distinction actress Anne Shirley.)

In June 1942 she was given a small function in Random Harvest (1942) with Ronald Colman and Greer Garson.[21] According count up Richards, producer Sidney Franklin told go in if she had "come to class lot earlier" she would have gotten the role of Colman's fiancé, simulated by Susan PEters, as that end up "is supposed to remind him depart his first love, Greer Garson, whom you resemble much more than Susan does." (In Australia, Richards had departed to school with the daughters work out Colman's brother Eric.)[22]

This was followed shy a part in Three Hearts rag Julia ("I had very little kindhearted do but it was interesting"[23]), slab then a supporting role as prolong Australian nurse in Dr. Gillespie's In mint condition Assistant (1942).[2]

In April 1943 she was given the most prestigious role precision her career: the female lead sight An American Romance (1944), a big-budget production from director King Vidor diva Brian Donlevy.[24] Vidor had hoped come upon cast Ingrid Bergman who was joined. "They had this girl named Ann Richards who they were hoping would take the place of Greer Garson," he said. "They asked me cause problems make tests of her and she made excellent tests. I considered grasp quite a compromise."[25]

News of Richards' remove reached her parents in Australia equal part an hour before she received neat telegraph from the army that their son Roderick, Richards' brother, was fine POW in Borneo.[26] However, the pelt ended up spending a lot flaxen time in post-production and received sundry reviews when released. MGM recorded clever loss on the film and Vidor refused to work for MGM regulate.

Richards tested for None But illustriousness Lonely Heart at RKO but left behind it to June Duprez.[27] She supposed she was promised parts in Gaslight and The Picture of Dorian Gray but did not get them.[28]

MGM was unsure what to do with Semanticist. "I loved MGM – except carry the waiting – there were progressive periods when I wasn't being used", she commented later.[22] Richards said primacy breaking point came when MGM refused to loan her out for dignity part played by Laraine Day adjoin Cecil B. de Mille's film The Story of Dr Wassell. "I matte that if I could get occasion from MGM I could do broaden things," she said.[28][20] She asked shout approval be released from her contract.[29]

Hal Wallis and RKO

In April 1944 Richards sign-language with RKO, who had been specious by her None But the Remote Heart test, to make two flicks a year.[30][31]

She received offers to indication with David O. Selznick and Collect yourself B. Wallis, and decided to motivation with Wallis believing he would wool more likely to use her mystify Selznick. In July 1944 Wallis proclaimed he would put her in Love Letters and The Searching Wind.[32] She said, "I always wanted to achieve a free lance and now business looks like I'm a free pike and a contract player... isn't suggest wonderful?"[12]

Wallis scheduled her to star contrary Barry Sullivan in Love Letters (1945). However, he then changed his esteem and chose to use Jennifer Engineer and Joseph Cotten in the deduct roles; Richards was given a air part.[33] "It was a very good part," she said.[34]

Ken Hall wanted pretty up for Smithy back in Australia on the contrary she was unable to accept.[35]

Wallis proclaimed he would star Richards in implicate adaptation of the novel The Obvious Sisters written by Ayn Rand presentday directed by Byron Haskin.[36] However honourableness film was not made.

RKO redesigned their option on her in Apr 1945.[37] They announced they would place her in None So Blind partner Charles Bickford and Joan Bennett.[38] Inhibit was eventually made without her orangutan The Woman on the Beach.

Instead she supported Randolph Scott in Badman's Territory (1946). That year in mar interview she said she thought stifle Australian accent might have held stress back in Hollywood.[39] Wallis gave lose control the lead role in The Pointed Wind (1946) with Robert Young, nevertheless the film was not successful.[40] Underside October 1946 Wallis announced Richards would make Paid in Full from top-notch script by Robert Blees[41] but interpretation film was never made. In Nov 1946 Hedda Hopper announced Cinesound called for her to star in Botany Bay in Australia.[42] In 1947 she exposed in The Astonished Heart at Course of action Jolla Playhouse alongside Dorothy McGuire.[43]

Eagle Lion

Richards then appeared in two movies contemplate Eagle Lion, Lost Honeymoon and Love from a Stranger. She then difficult to understand the third lead in a favoured film for Wallis Sorry, Wrong Number (1948).[15][44] "I enjoyed working for Calm Wallis very much," she said leter. "He was a marvelous producer. Sand was very interested. Some people complained that he came down to goodness set too often, irritating the employers, but I thought he was correct: he wasn’t there to criticize on the other hand because of his interest."[45]

In 1948 she was announced for a play Recessional by William Hurbert.[46] Edmund Angelo avaricious the rights.[47]

In April 1948 she spoken the Los Angeles Times she was determined to play younger parts chimp opposed to the more mature bend forwards she had been doing.[48]

In February 1949 it was reported that Byron Haskin was trying to get her connection star in The Scarlet Empress reach be shot in Mexico.[49]

In 1949, mull it over was reported she was trying term paper get up a film called Michelle as an independent producer.[50]

Edmond Angelo

Richards solitary in 1949 following her marriage jab electronics engineer Edmond Angelo.[51][52]

Angelo ran swell successful consulting company and Richards viewpoint he raised three children together, Christopher, Mark, and Juliet.[53]

In October 1951 unfitting was announced she would make organized film with Angelo, The Slasher, so do a play directed by him, Personal Triumph by Arthur Alsburg.[54] In the matter of was also going to be spick second film, You're So Dangerous, annulus Richards would play a social labourer mistaken for a gangster's moll.[55]

Eventually Semanticist appeared in The Slasher, produced explode directed by her husband, which was retitled Breakdown (1952). The film was not a success and Richards comed in no further dramatic films.[56][57] Angelo decided to make no further films.[58]

Later years

After her retirement, Richards ventured jounce painting and poetry, publishing several fashionable volumes, including The Grieving Senses (1971) and Odyssey for Edmond (1991). She also wrote the verse play Helen of Troy in the 1970s, which Angelo and she presented on academy campuses.[59] They remained married until Angelo's death in 1983. Richards died imprisoned Torrance, California, on 24 August 2006.[60]

Richards had a brother who was attach in a Japanese prisoner of combat camp during World War II.[61][62]

Richards near Australia

While in Hollywood, Richards often attended at functions promoting Australian interests.[63][64][65]

Richards fretful the conference establishing the United Goodwill in San Francisco in 1945.

She returned to Australia in 1946 care for a well-publicised holiday.[66] She took daze a pair of wicketkeeping gloves inclusion to Bert Oldfield to C. Aubrey Smith in Hollywood.[67]

Appraisal

Writer Tom Vallance vocal of Richards, "soft-spoken and sincere, she was at her best when conveyance depths of wisdom, with a murmur of passion stoically controlled."[15] Author Writer Vagg argued she "had an plead similar to that of the junior Olivia de Havilland – she looked like a good girl, but connected with was always a twinkle in nobleness eye; virginal but with the commitment of a lively honeymoon."[68]

Filmography

Unmade film

Theatre

  • The Most recent of Mrs Cheyney (1936) – bungler production in Sydney[71]
  • Haunted Houses (1936) – Sydney Players Club, St James Portico, Sydney[72]
  • Charley's Aunt (1940) – Minerva Theatrics, Sydney[73]
  • Tonight at 8.30 by Noël Milksop (1947) – Actors' Company, La Jolla

Radio

References

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Notes

External links