Loy, Myrna

orig. Myrna Williams

born Aug. 2, 1905, Radersburg, Mont., U.S.

died Dec. 14, 1993, New York, N.Y.

U.S. film actress.

She played bit parts in Hollywood movies before being cast as the exotic mistress in the 1925 production of Ben-Hur, which established her early film persona as a foreign vamp. She earned praise as the wittily sophisticated Nora Charles in The Thin Man (1934) and its sequels and in other movies such as The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948), Cheaper by the Dozen (1950), and Lonelyhearts (1958). Dubbed the "Queen of Hollywood" during her heyday, she evinced equality in a male-dominated world, and her combination of beauty and brains made male audiences regard her as the ideal mate. She worked for the American Red Cross in World War II and later for UNESCO.

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▪ 1994

      (MYRNA WILLIAMS), U.S. actress (b. Aug. 2, 1905, Raidersburg, Mont.—d. Dec. 14, 1993, New York, N.Y.), was the cool beauty who reigned as "Queen of the Movies" (Clark Gable was "King") and first showcased her mastery of sophisticated comedy with her portrayal of the unforgettable Nora Charles in The Thin Man (1934), the first in a series of six engaging comedy-mystery films. Loy created the role of the "perfect wife" with her wry wit, sophisticated charm, and unflappable temperament while teaming with William Powell (as Nick Charles) as the cocktail-loving, bantering husband-and-wife detective team. Loy, who appeared in more than 100 films, was typecast in some 60 of them as an exotic, mysterious, and often Oriental femme fatale, usually in villainous roles, notably in The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932). She broke the mold with The Thin Man and its sequels. She also had starring roles with Gable in Manhattan Melodrama (1934; also with Powell), Test Pilot (1938), and Too Hot to Handle (1938). During World War II Loy interrupted her career to work with the American Red Cross. After returning to the screen, she gave a stirring performance as the wife of a returning veteran in the classic The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). In her maturing screen roles she was Cary Grant's whimsical wife in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) and the shrewd mother in Cheaper by the Dozen (1950), starring Clifton Webb. She also used her high profile to speak out against the communist witch-hunts during the late 1940s, and she was a longtime film adviser to Unesco. While devoting more of her time to the UN, she took on fewer film roles. She appeared on Broadway in 1973 in The Women and was seen on-screen in Airport 1975 (1974). Just Tell Me What You Want (1980) was her last big-screen role. The following year she joined Henry Fonda to portray an aging couple reminiscing about their lives in the well-received television movie "Summer Solstice." Loy, who was married and divorced four times, received an honorary Academy Award in 1991.

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▪ American actress

original name  Myrna Williams  

born August 2, 1905, Radersburg, Montana, U.S.

died December 14, 1993, New York, New York

      American motion-picture actress who began her screen career playing treacherous femmes fatales and who attained stardom during the 1930s in roles as glib, resourceful sophisticates. Dubbed the “Queen of Hollywood” during her heyday, Loy was often promoted by her studio as every man's “dream wife.”

      Loy was the daughter of a rancher and moved to Los Angeles in 1918, working first as a dancer in a chorus line, then as a bit player in the 1925 production of Ben-Hur. Her small role as an exotic mistress fixed her film style for the next decade. In her subsequent and increasingly important roles—such as those in Arrowsmith (1931), The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), and Love Me Tonight (1932)—Loy personified the foreign vamp for American audiences. She broke out of this screen mold with her role as a wise and worldly paramour torn between a rogue gambler (Clark Gable (Gable, Clark)) and a straitlaced attorney (William Powell (Powell, William)) in Manhattan Melodrama (1934). She and Powell again teamed to portray the husband-and-wife detective team of Nick and Nora Charles in The Thin Man (1934). An enormously effective screen partnership, Loy and Powell appeared in 13 films together, often as the witty, sophisticated, martini-loving Charleses or as characters not far removed from them. The popularity of The Thin Man spawned numerous sequels, with After the Thin Man (1936) frequently cited as the best film in the series. Loy's other standout films of the period include The Great Ziegfeld (1936), Libeled Lady (1936), Test Pilot (1938), The Rains Came (1939), I Love You Again (1940), and Love Crazy (1941). Loy's screen persona appealed to men and women: she evinced equality in a male-dominated world (or at least emerged wiser and more level-headed than her male counterparts in roles that called for her to be the subservient spouse), and her combination of beauty and brains made male audiences regard her as the ideal mate.

      During World War II she worked with the American Red Cross and later served as a representative to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Loy appeared on-screen less frequently after the war, dividing her time between acting and political causes. She was an officer and adviser of the National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing and was a member of the Committee for the First Amendment, a group of prominent Hollywood actors who protested the actions of the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Nevertheless, she still delivered excellent performances in such well-received films as The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947), Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948), The Red Pony (1949), and Cheaper by the Dozen (1950). In her later years Loy toured extensively in stage productions and occasionally accepted character roles in films. One of her final roles came in Just Tell Me What You Want (1980), a middling comedy made worthwhile by Loy's scene-stealing performance. She was awarded an honorary Oscar for life achievement in 1991.

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