Wanda McKay
Wanda McKay | |
---|---|
| |
Born |
Dorothy Quackenbush June 22, 1915 Portland, Oregon United States |
Died |
April 11, 1996 80) Rancho Mirage, California United States | (aged
Occupation | Actress, model |
Years active | 1939 – 1957 (film) |
Spouse(s) |
Hoagy Carmichael (1977-1981, his death) |
Wanda McKay (June 22, 1915 – April 11, 1996) was an American model and film actress.
Early years
McKay was born as Dorothy Quackenbush in Portland, Oregon,[note 1][1] but her family later moved to Fort Worth in Texas. After moving to New York she became a model and her image was used to promote Chesterfield cigarettes.[2]
In 1938, McKay represented Trans World Airlines, for which she worked as a hostess, in a beauty competition at the Birmingham Air Show.[1] She won, being voted "Miss American Aviation".[2]
Career
By 1939 McKay had moved into films after being given a contract by Paramount Pictures. Initially she made small uncredited appearances before going on to starring roles as a leading lady in many B Movies during the 1940s, working in particular at studios such as PRC and Monogram Pictures.[2]:135–137 Film worked dried up for her in the 1950s, and she appeared on television and in a minor role in The Merry Widow (1952). Her last film appearance was a small uncredited part in Ten Thousand Bedrooms (1957).
Personal life
In 1977 she married Hoagy Carmichael, a marriage that lasted until his death in 1981.
Death
On April 11, 1996, McKay died of cancer in Los Angeles. She was 80.[1]
Selected filmography
- All Women Have Secrets (1939)
- Down Went McGinty (1940)
- Life with Henry (1940)
- The Farmer's Daughter (1940)
- Dancing on a Dime (1940)
- Twilight on the Trail (1941)
- One Thrilling Night (1942)
- Bowery at Midnight (1942)
- Rolling Down the Great Divide (1942)
- The Black Raven (1943)
- Corregidor (1943)
- Belle of the Yukon (1944)
- Voodoo Man (1944)
- The Monster Maker (1944)
- Raiders of Ghost City (1944, serial)
- Sensation Hunters (1945)
- Hollywood and Vine (1945)
- There Goes Kelly (1945)
- Kilroy Was Here (1947)
- Jiggs and Maggie in Society (1947)
- Because of Eve (1948)
- Jungle Goddess (1948)
- The Golden Eye (1948)
- Stage Struck (1948)
- A Woman of Distinction (1950)
- Roaring City (1951)
- The Merry Widow (1952)
- Ten Thousand Bedrooms (1957)
Notes
- ↑ McKay's obituary in the Los Angeles Times says that she was "born Dorothy McKay ...".
References
- 1 2 3 "Wanda McKay; Film, TV Actress". Los Angeles Times. April 20, 1996. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- 1 2 3 Raw, Laurence (2012). Character Actors in Horror and Science Fiction Films, 1930–1960. McFarland. pp. 134–135. ISBN 9780786490493. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
Bibliography
- Raw, Laurance. Character Actors in Horror and Science Fiction Films, 1930–1960. McFarland, 2012.
External links
- Wanda McKay on IMDb