Dana Wynter (1931 - 2011)

Actress. Born Dagmar Spencer-Marcus, daughter of a surgeon, she was raised in London and later Southern Rhodesia before attending Rhodes University where she studied pre-med. She abandoned her pursuit in the medical field after catching the acting bug and began performing in amateur theater productions, prior to making her film debut with an uncredited part […]

Patrice Wymore (1926 - 2014)

Actress. Her mother was a pianist and singer, her father was an executive with a trucking company, Patrice became acquainted with the entertainment industry during her early childhood, as performed in song-and-dance routines on the vaudeville circuit, also at county fairs. As a teenager, she modeled and was a vocalist in nightclubs, in addition to […]

Jane Wyman (1917 - 2007)

Jane Wyman Academy Award-Winning Actress. Born Sarah Jane Mayfield, for many years she gave her birthdate as January 4, 1914 to make herself appear older, enabling her to work full time while still a minor. She launched her professional career in 1930 singing on radio programs under the name “Jane Durrell”,  and after 1932 she […]

Gretchen Wyler (1932 - 2007)

Actress. She appeared on stage, in films and television for over six decades.  After beginning her career during the 1950s as a dancer,  she first won fame for her performances in the Broadway productions of “Silk Stockings” and “Sly Fox”.  Wyler went on to appear in such TV series as “The Phil Silvers Show”, “Toast […]

Margaret Wycherly (1881 - 1956)

Actress. Primarily a stage actress, her fifty year career included forty Broadway plays, twenty-one movies and eleven television appearances. She directed her first Broadway play in 1905 and appeared in “Cashel Byron” on January 9, 1906. She is best remembered for her roles in “The Thirteenth Chair” (1916) and “Tobacco Road” which ran from December […]

Ida Wust (1884 - 1958)

Actress. A longtime star of the German stage and screen, she is remembered for her roles in hundreds of her country’s movies. Though little is recorded of her early days it is known that she began appearing at the City Theater of Colmar around 1900, then moved on to Bromberg, and finally in 1904 settled […]

Martha Wright (1923 - 2016)

Actress, Singer. A coloratura soprano who performed mainly on Broadway, she is best remembered as actress and singer Mary Martin’s replacement in “South Pacific” and “The Sound of Music.” Born Martha Lucile Wiederrecht into a musical family, she was raised on a farm in Duvall Washington. After graduating from Franklin High School in Seattle, Washington, […]

Marbeth Wright (1915 - 1939)

Actress. She was a singer, dancer and Follies Girl in Busby Berkeley movies. Her career took her to France, where she performed with French star Maurice Chevalier in “Folies Bergere” (1935). She appeared in “Stranded” (1935) with Kay Francis and George Brent. She also appeared in “George White’s 1935 Scandals” with Alice Faye. She came […]

J. Madison Wright (1984 - 2006)

Child Actress. Best remembered for her role as ‘True Danziger’ in the short-lived television sci-fi series, “Earth 2” from 1994 to 1995. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, she was born Jessica Madison Wright. The eldest of four children including actress Tori Wright, she began her career as a model at the age of five before […]

Irene Worth (1916 - 2002)

Actress. She was educated at University of California in Los Angeles. She made her Broadway debut in 1943. She was a kindergarten teacher before becoming a professional actress. In 1944, she moved to England to become a professional stage actress performing at the Old Vic and with the Royal Shakespeare Company. She returned to Broadway […]

Joyce Worsley (1912 - 2004)

Actress. Born February 2, 1912, in Toronto, Canada, she began her career as a member of the West of England Theatre Company in the 1940s. Her feature film credits included “Signpost To Murder” (1964), “Tootsie” (1982) and “Grace Quigley” (1984). She also appeared on the television series “Armchair Theatre” and “Cagney and Lacy”. (bio by: […]

Marjorie Woodworth (1919 - 2000)

Actress, Model. A glamorous blonde, she had a brief but significant film career in the 1940s. The only child of a middle class family, she was raised in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood, attended the University of Southern California (USC) where she appeared in amateur theatrical productions, and made her 1938 silver screen bow […]

Katherine Woodville (1938 - 2013)

Actress. After coming to the realization that she wished to pursue an acting career, she acquired training and experience in her native London. Initially under the name Catherine Woodville, she had her breakout role as Helena Landless in the BBC TV mini-series “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” (1960) and frequently landed guest spots on a […]

Georgia Woodthorpe (1859 - 1927)

American stage and silent screen actress.  Mother of actress Georgia Cooper, grandmother of director George Stevens, and aunt of director James W. Horne.  Family links:  Parents:  John W Woodthorpe (1840 – 1908)  Harriet Woodthorpe (1840 – 1909)  Spouse:  Fred A Cooper (1853 – 1912)*  Siblings:  Georgia Woodthorpe (1859 – 1927)  Edith Woodthorpe Dobson (1861 – […]

Lesley Woods (1910 - 2003)

Actress of the Stage, Film, and Television. Woods is best remembered for her many television roles including, ‘Claire Bannister Steele’ on “Young Dr. Malone” (1959-1963), ‘Amanda Ewing’ on “Dallas” (1980), and ‘Betty Wilson’ on “All My Children” (1984), among many others. Some of her films include “Bad Ronald” (1974), Ruby And Oswald” (1978), and “Testament” […]

Ilene Woods (1929 - 2010)

Actress, Singer. A noted Big Band performer, she is remembered for voicing the title role of Walt Disney’s 1950 animated classic “Cinderella”. Born Jacqueline Ruth Woods, she originally wanted to be a teacher but was pushed into show business by an ambitious mother who arranged for her to receive dance and music lessons. At 11 […]

Eunice Woodruff (1910 - 1921)

Actress. Born in Los Angels, California, she was a Native American child performer in the silent film era. Her movie credits included “Ashes” (1916), “Virtuous Sinners” (1919) and “Out Of The Dust” (1920). She died at age 10 in Pomona, California. (bio by: John “J-Cat” Griffith)  Family links:  Parents:  Florence Eunice Woodruff (1882 – 1946)

Pat Woodell (1944 - 2015)

Actress, Singer. A pretty brunette, she will be best remembered for playing ‘Bobbie Jo Bradley’ in the TV Series “Petticoat Junction” (1963 to 1965) and totaled more that 70 episodes during her two year run. Born Patricia Joy Woodell, in New England, she had aspirations of becoming a performer during her youth and broke into […]

Natalie Wood (1938 - 1981)

Actress. Most remembered for her role of Susan Walker in “Miracle on 34th Street” (1947), a Christmas classic movie. She appeared in over 56 movies for the silver screen and television, and was nominated three times for an Oscar (she never won). She was born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko, of Russian emigrants in San Francisco, California. […]

Anna May Wong (1905 - 1961)

Actress. Born Wong Liu Tsong, she began her career as an extra at the age of 14 and played several supporting roles before being cast as the lead in “The Toll of the Sea.” She was the first Asian-American actress to become an international celebrity and appeared in over 50 films, making the transition from […]

Louis Wolheim (1880 - 1931)

Actor.  Rugged,  homely character player of stage and screen.  In films from 1914,  he was typecast as a brutal villain but won his greatest fame in a sympathetic role,  as the gruff,  paternalistic Corporal “Kat” Katczinsky in the World War I classic “All Quiet on the Western Front” (1930).  Born in New York City,  Wolheim […]

Cora Witherspoon (1890 - 1957)

Actress in 48 films including: “Libeled Lady” with Jean Harlow, “Marie Antoinette” with Norma Shearer and Tyrone Power, “Dark Victory” with Bette Davis and “The Bank Dick” with W.C. Fields. (bio by: TLS)  Family links:  Parents:  Henry Edgeworth Witherspoon (1844 – 1898)  Cora S. Bell Witherspoon (1845 – 1900)

Iva Withers (1917 - 2014)

Actress, Singer. A pretty blonde who had a long career on Broadway, she shall be remembered as perhaps The Great White Way’s supreme understudy. Born Pearl Iva Withers, she was raised in Winnipeg, learned to sing in church, began appearing in local Vaudeville revues at around 10, and in 1940 moved to New York where […]

Tina Leiu Wiseman (1965 - 2005)

Actress, Singer, and Television Personality. A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, she, was born to a father who was a Navy vet and a mother who was American Samoan. She was also a Samoan Princess, the granddaughter of the high chief who founded the village Futinga in American Samoa. At first Wiseman studied to be a […]

Estelle Winwood (1883 - 1984)

Respected British-born stage and motion picture actress of the 1910s thru 1970s. She worked well into her 80s and lived past 100 years. Married for a brief time to actor Arthur Chesney. (bio by: A.J. Marik)  Family links:  Spouse:  Francis Barlow Bradley (____ – 1929)* *Calculated relationship

Sheree Winton (1935 - 1976)

British Actress. She was often referred to as ‘the English Jayne Mansfield’ and appeared in many films and TV shows throughout her career. Her film appearances include “The Devil’s Disciple” (1959), “Dentist in the Chair” (1960), “The Road to Hong Kong” (1962) and “Rhubarb” (1969). Amongst her TV show appearances were “Frankie Howerd” and “Terry […]

Gloria Winters (1931 - 2010)

Actress. She shall be remembered as Penny King from the 1950s television series “Sky King”. Raised in Los Angeles, she got her start in show business early, appearing as a baby in the 1932 “Virtue”, which starred Carole Lombard. She had some other small roles as a child, then begining in the late 1940s was […]

Darbi Winters (1946 - 1962)

Aspiring teenaged actress whose wish was to be buried next to Marilyn Monroe whenever the day came. Her wish was prematurely fulfilled, when, shortly after Marilyn’s death, her step-father killed her. Darbi was placed one crypt up and one to the right of Marilyn’s crypt #24. (bio by: A.J. Marik)  Family links:  Parents:  Dewey Kay […]

Winona Winter (1970 - 1940)

Actress. She was a musical comedy star on stage and was married to sports analyst Norman L. Sper. There son Norman Sper Jr. was a diving and swimming champion at the age of 14. She also appeared in vaudeville, and in the 1914 film, “The Man From Mexico” as ‘Sally.’ (bio by: K)  Family links: […]

Helene Winston (1922 - 2004)

Actress. Best known for her role as ‘Gladys King’ on the 1970s sitcom “King of Kensington.” She made numerous appearances on the television show “The Monkees” and guest appearances on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Sanford and Son,” “Bewitched” and “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.” She also appeared in more than a dozen movies including the […]