Brenda Marshall
| Brenda Marshall | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | Ardis Ankerson September 29, 1915 Negros, Philippines |
| Died | July 30, 1992 (aged 76) Palm Springs, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1939–1950 |
| Spouse | Richard Gaines (?–1940) (divorced) William Holden (1941–1971) (divorced) |
| Children | Virginia (Gaines) Holden Peter Westfield Holden (born November 17, 1943) Scott Porter Holden (born May 2, 1946–died January 21, 2005) |
Brenda Marshall (September 29, 1915 – July 30, 1992) was an American film actress.
Born Ardis Ankerson in Negros, Philippines, Marshall made her first film appearance in the 1939 Espionage Agent. The following year, she played the leading lady to Errol Flynn in The Sea Hawk. After divorcing actor Richard Gaines in 1940, she married the actor William Holden in 1941 and her own career quickly slowed. She starred opposite James Cagney in the 1942 film Captains of the Clouds. The Constant Nymph (1943) was a popular success but she virtually retired after this, appearing in only four more inconsequential films. Among these, she played scientist Nora Goodrich in the grade-B 1946 cult classic Strange Impersonation.
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[edit] Personal life
She was born Ardis Ankerson on September 29, 1915, in Negros, Philippines.[1] Ardis Ankerson attended Texas Woman's College for her freshman and sophomore years, 1934-1935. She was named the Freshman Class Beauty in 1934, chosen by modern dancer Ted Shawn.[2]
Brenda Marshall was her stage name but she refused to use the name off-camera and insisted that her friends call her by her real name. First married to actor Richard Gaines (born July 23, 1904 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, died July 20, 1975 in North Hollywood, California[3]), they had one daughter, Virginia. The couple divorced in 1940. In 1941, Marshall married actor William Holden, who subsequently adopted Virginia Gaines. Marshall and Holden had two additional children: Scott Porter Holden (born May 2, 1946, died January 21, 2005, of lung cancer in San Diego, California[4]) and Peter Westfield Holden (born November 17, 1943). After several separations, Marshall and Holden were divorced in 1971. Marshall died from throat cancer in Palm Springs, California, at the age of 76.
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Espionage Agent | Miss Brenda Ballard | |
| 1940 | The Man Who Talked Too Much | Celia Farrady | |
| The Sea Hawk | Doña Maria | with Errol Flynn | |
| Money and the Woman | Barbara Patteson | ||
| East of the River | Laurie Romayne | ||
| South of Suez | Katharine 'Kit' Sheffield | ||
| 1941 | Footsteps in the Dark | Rita Warren | |
| Singapore Woman | Vicki Moore | ||
| Highway West | Claire Foster | 62mins. | |
| The Smiling Ghost | Lil Barstow | ||
| 1942 | Captains of the Clouds | Emily Foster | |
| You Can't Escape Forever | Laurie Abbott | ||
| 1943 | The Constant Nymph | Toni Sanger | |
| Background to Danger | Tamara Zaleshoff | ||
| Paris After Dark | Yvonne Blanchard | ||
| 1946 | Strange Impersonation | Nora Goodrich | |
| Whispering Smith | Marian Sinclair | ||
| 1950 | The Iroquois Trail | Marion Thorne |
