Happy November Birthday to Classic Beauties

 

For the past few months, we’ve celebrated people born on the 14^th of that month because that’s the day I post. 

 

This month is an exception. Each of these classic beauties—talented and award-winning actresses—are November babies but none were born on the 14^th. 

 

I’m a big classic movies fan, and these women star in a few of my favorites. So let’s celebrate them together!

Happy 95^th Birthday to Grace Kelly

Princess Consort of Monaco (1956-1982)

Birth Name: Grace Patricia Kelly

Born: November 12, 1929 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Died: September 14, 1982 (52 years old; Principality of Monaco)

 

She performed as:

• Amy Fowler Kane in High Noon with Gary Cooper (1952);
• Lisa Carol Fremont in Rear Window with Jimmy Stewart (1954);
• Frances Stevens in To Catch a Thief with Cary Grant (1955).

Ms. Kelly, an Academy Award-winning actress, starred in eleven feature films, including a few Alfred Hitchcock classics, and multiple television productions.

 

The American Film Institute named her the 13^th Greatest Female Star of Classic American Cinema in 1999.

"Hollywood amuses me. Holier-than-thou for the public and unholier-than-the-devil in reality" ~ Grace Kelly

 

Happy 104^th Birthday to Gene Tierney

 

Birth Name: Gene Eliza Tierney

Born: November 19, 1920 (Brooklyn, New York)

Died: November 6, 1991 (almost 71 years old; Houston, Texas)

 

She performed as:

• Laura Hunt in Laura with Dana Andrews (1944);
• Ellen Berent Harland in Leave Her to Heaven with Cornel Wilde (1945);
• Lucy Muir in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir with Rex Harrison (1947). In my opinion, this is one of those rare instances when the movie is more engaging than the book.

A talented artist and poet, Ms. Tierney loved to garden and was fluent in French and Italian. She received an Academy Award nomination in 1946 for Best Actress (Leave Her to Heaven), but Joan Crawford took home the Oscar that year for her leading role in Mildred Pierce. 

 

In 2006, Ms. Tierney was ranked 71^st on Premiere Magazine’s “100 Sexiest Movie Stars of All Time” list. 

"I have a role now that I think becomes me. I am a grandmother." ~ Gene Tierney

 

Happy 110^th Birthday to Hedy Lamarr

 

Birth Name: Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler

Born: November 9, 1914 (Vienna, Austria)

Died: January 19, 2000 (85 years old; Casselberry, Florida)

 

She performed as:

• Delilah in Samson and Delilah with Victor Mature (1949).

Ms. Lamarr was both beautiful and brilliant. Not only was she the inspiration for the character of Catwoman, from the Batman franchise, she also “co-invented frequency hopping spread spectrum technology, which laid the foundation for modern wireless communication systems like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi….During World War II, Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil developed a radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes, which used frequency hopping to prevent enemies from jamming the signals” (Profile).

"Hope & curiosity about the future seemed better than guarantees. The unknown was always so attractive to me...and still is." ~ Hedy Lamarr

 

Happy 111^th Birthday to Vivien Leigh

 

Birth Name: Vivian Mary Hartley

Born: November 5, 1913 (Darjeeling, India)

Died: July 8, 1976 (62 years old; London, England)

 

She performed as:

• Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind with Clark Gable (1939);
• Myra Lester in Waterloo Bridge with Robert Taylor (1940);
• Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire with Marlon Brando (1951).

British actress Vivien Leigh won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in Gone with the Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire. Before the latter was made into a movie, she’d performed the role of Blanche DuBois more than 300 times on stage.

 

Ms. Leigh has said that Waterloo Bridge, which was nominated for two Academy Awards, one for Best Music and one for Best Cinematography, was her favorite of all her films (Bean).

"Sometimes I dread the truth of the lines I say. But the dread must never show." ~ Vivien Leigh

 

Happy Half-Birthday to Me!

 

That’s right ~ my real birthday is May 14^th which makes today my half-birthday. Perhaps I’ll celebrate with half a cupcake and a half-scoop of ice cream!

Johnnie Alexander writes “Stories Past and Present” in multiple genres. A fan of classic movies, stacks of books, and road trips, she shares a life of quiet adventure with Rugby, her racoon-treeing papillon. Visit her at johnnie-alexander.com.

 

Photos ~ all photos are in the public domain and posted images were created with Canva.

 

Sources

 

Bean, Kendra. Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Running Press, 2013, pg. 71. 

 

Profile ~ https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/hedy-lamarr-6139.php (accessed 29 October 2024).