Vivian Austin

Vivian Austin
Pin-up photo of Vivian Austin for Yank, the Army Weekly
Born Irene Vivian Coe
February 23, 1920
Hollywood, California
Died August 1, 2004, age 84
Los Angeles, California
Nationality American
Other names Terry Austin
Occupation Actress
Spouse(s) Glenn Austin
Kenneth A. Grow

Vivian Austin (February 23, 1920 – August 1, 2004) was an American actress who appeared in a number of films in the late 1930s and early 1940s, although most were B movies.

Early years

Austin was born Irene Vivian Coe in Hollywood, California, and attended Hollywood High School. She was named Miss Hollywood in 1939.[1]

Career

Austin played a variety of bit parts (as well as extra and stunt work) in movies before being cast as the female romantic lead in The Adventures of Red Ryder (1940).[2] She was signed to a stock contract in 1943 by Universal and as Vivian Austin (for Universal) or Terry Austin (under contract to Eagle-Lion Films) appeared in movies such as Destiny (1944), Trigger Trail (1944), Born To Speed (1947) and Philo Vance Returns (1947). Her career was cut short in the late 1940s by kidney failure and resultant blindness.[3]

Later years

After her retirement Austin helped Jane Russell to found the World Adoption International Fund (WAIF) and herself founded the Braille Auxiliary of the Desert, an organisation to support the charitable activities of the Braille Institute. In 1996 she lived in Palm Springs, California.[4]

Personal life

Austin married millionaire auto dealer Glenn Austin (d. 1967) when she was 17.[5] She later wed ophthalmic surgeon Kenneth A. Grow (d. 1993), who had operated on her and helped to improve her sight.

Death

On August 1, 2004, Austin died from natural causes in a hospital in Los Angeles, California.[3] Because Grow had served in the United States Army, she and he are interred at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California[6]

Selected filmography

References

  1. ↑ "Miss Hollywood". The Bakersfield Californian. California, Bakersfield. United Press. September 21, 1939. p. 4. Retrieved February 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "An Interview with Vivian Austin". Western Clippings. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Vivian Grow, 84; Pageant Winner Was B-Movie Actress". Los Angeles Times. 12 August 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  4. ↑ Meeks, Eric G. (2012). Palm Springs Celebrity Homes: Little Tuscany, Racquet Club, Racquet Club Estates and Desert Park Estates Neighborhoods (Kindle). Horatio Limburger Oglethorpe. p. location number 318. ASIN B00A2PXD1G.
  5. ↑ Magers, Boyd; Fitzgerald, Michael G. (2004). Westerns Women: Interviews with 50 Leading Ladies of Movie and Television Westerns from the 1930s to the 1960s. McFarland. pp. 24–27. ISBN 9780786420285. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  6. ↑ Vivian Austin Grow at Find a Grave
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