Dorothy Ford

Dorothy Ford (April 4, 1922 – October 15, 2010)[1] was an American actress and model active during the 1940s through 1960s.

For the mother of U.S. President Gerald Ford, see Dorothy Ayer Gardner Ford.
Dorothy Ford
Born(1922-04-04)April 4, 1922
Perris, California, U.S.
DiedOctober 15, 2010(2010-10-15) (aged 88)
Canoga Park, California, U.S.
OccupationActress and Model
Years active1943–1966
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Spouse(s)James Sterling (1949-1949, annullment)
Thomas B. Chambers (1952-1954) (divorced)
Mike Ragan (1965-1995) (his death)

She began her career as a model,[2] largely due to her height of 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm) and a 38-26-38-and-a-half figure.[3] She went on to be the first woman signed by showman Billy Rose for the swimming chorus in his aquacade at the World's Fair in San Francisco.[2] She studied at the Actors' Laboratory Theatre.[4] After seven months with the aquacade, she worked for Earl Carroll for a year and a half.[5]

In 1944, she made her screen debut in Lady in the Dark. She continued her acting career, including roles in the Andy Hardy movie Love Laughs at Andy Hardy (1946) and in Abbott and Costello's Jack and the Beanstalk (1952), until 1966, when she put in her final (and uncredited) performance in British film The Wrong Box. She made 39 movies from 1943 to 1962.[6] In reality Dorothy Ford was only 5’11” in bare feet.

Personal life

Ford and James Sterling wed in Las Vegas in April 1949. The marriage was annulled two months later. On April 23, 1952, she married Tommy Chambers, a tennis player. She had a miscarriage the next year. Her third and final husband was Hollis Bane, an actor who was also billed as Mike Ragan. They remained married until his death.[4]

Selected filmography

References
  1. "Dorothy Bane Obituary - Canoga Park, California - Tributes.com". www.tributes.com.
  2. Neill, Frank (March 26, 1948). "She's Not Only Pretty; There's More of Her". Long Beach Independent. California, Long Beach. International News Service. p. 29. Retrieved May 27, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Eder, Bruce. "Dorothy Ford". AllMovie. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  4. Wagner, Laura (April 2017). "Dorothy Ford: 'Glamazon'". Classic Images (502): 43–44.
  5. Todd, John (February 10, 1943). "Four Six-Footers, Pick of Luscious Feminity, Form Spectacular Background for Movie". Salt Lake Telegram. Utah, Salt Lake City. International News Service. p. 14. Retrieved February 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Movies" – via NYTimes.com.


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