June Lang

June Lang (born Winifred June Vlasek, May 5, 1917 – May 16, 2005) was an American film actress.

June Lang
Born
Winifred June Vlasek

(1917-05-05)May 5, 1917
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedMay 16, 2005(2005-05-16) (aged 88)
Valley Village, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
OccupationActress
Years active1931–1961
Spouse(s)Victor Orsatti (1937–1938) (divorced)
John Roselli (1940–1943) (divorced)
John Morgan (1946–1952) (divorced) 1 child
ChildrenPatricia Morgan

Early life

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she was the daughter of Edith and Clarence Vlasek, After the family moved to Los Angeles, Lang trained at a school of dance and performed in revues in theaters in Los Angeles.[1] She graduated from Beverly Hills High School.[2]

Career
With Warner Baxter and Fredric March in The Road to Glory (1936)

Lang made her film debut in 1931, with much of her early work coming in minor roles in musical and dramatic films.[1] She caught the eye of Darryl F. Zanuck at 20th Century Fox, gradually securing second lead roles in mostly B movies. Her debut feature film role came in Young Sinners.[3]

Noted for her fragile and demure appearance, she was usually cast as the little sister or the heroine's best friend in light comedies and adventure films. She soon graduated to leading roles, most notably in Bonnie Scotland (with Laurel and Hardy, 1935), in The Road to Glory (with Fredric March, Warner Baxter and Lionel Barrymore—written in part by William Faulkner—1936), and as Joyce Williams in Wee Willie Winkie (directed by John Ford, with Shirley Temple, Cesar Romero, and Victor McLaglen, 1937).

Personal life

June Lang first married her agent, Victor Orsatti, in 1937 (divorced 1938), but her reputation as a wholesome leading lady was tarnished when she married Johnny Roselli, a well known mobster who helped control Hollywood movie unions, on April 1, 1939 (they divorced March 1943).[4] Her studio released her from her contract the same year, and although she divorced Roselli, she found it difficult to secure film work. She married John Morgan in 1946 (divorced 1952), with whom she had a daughter.

She retired in 1947 after struggling to re-establish her film career for several years, although she occasionally appeared in minor roles on TV.

Lang died in Valley Village, California. She is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Partial filmography

References
  1. Packer, Eleanor (August 30, 1936). "New Girls From Old!". Albuquerque Journal. New Mexico, Albuquerque. King Features Syndicate, Inc. p. 14. Retrieved 23 March 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Films Mixed With School". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. June 30, 1933. p. 10. Retrieved 23 March 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Blonde June Vlasek Here for Personal Appearance". The Bakersfield Californian. California, Bakersfield. October 5, 1933. p. 10. Retrieved 23 March 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. FBI FOIA John Roselli FBI FOIA files
  • Quinlan, David. Quinlan's Film Stars. Batsford Books, 1996 edition. ISBN 0-7134-7751-2
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