Irene Dunne 1898 – 1990

Biography

Irene Dunne was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and studied music before joining a touring opera company and then moving to Broadway, where she became a musical star. She went to Hollywood in 1930 and became one of the most versatile actresses of the studio era, equally at home in screwball comedy and melodrama. She starred in Cimarron, Theodora Goes Wild, The Awful Truth, and Love Affair, earning five Academy Award nominations without ever winning, a record for an actress of her stature. She was known for her grace, wit, and singing voice, and she later devoted herself to charity work, serving as a delegate to the United Nations. She died in Los Angeles, California, in 1990, at the age of ninety-one. Her five Oscar nominations without a win remain a famous Academy record, and her films are still shown as classics of the studio era.