Donna Reed or actually Donna Belle Mullenger was an American actress. She starred in films and television series. She received an Academy Award for her supporting role in From Here to Eternity
Biography
Donna Belle Mullenger was born January 27, 1921 on a farm near Denison, Iowa. She died on January 14, 1986, in Beverly Hills. She was the daughter of Hazel Jane Shives and William Richard Mullenger. She had four siblings. She was raised a Methodist. After graduation, she wanted to become a teacher. As a result of not being able to afford college she moved to California. She began taking classes at Los Angeles City College. During college, she began performing on stage. At that time she had no plans to become an actress, but when she received several screen offers she decided to try her hand. She signed a contract with the MGM studio. Despite this, she decided to finish school.
Debut
Donna Reed made her debut as a film actress in 1941. She starred in the film The Get-Away. Initially, she appeared as Donna Adams, but her name was changed to Reed. Two years later she took part in the film "The Human Comedy". Then she appeared in "The Portrait of Dorian Gray" and the film "Those Predicted to Lose". In 1946, she was loaned to another studio called RKO Pictures. She starred in another film called "It's a Wonderful Life" which was a big success. In 1947, Donna Reed starred in "Street of the Green Dolphin."
Columbia Studio
In June 1950, Donna Reed signed a contract with the Columbia studio. She appeared in two films: in 1951 in "Saturday's Hero" and in 1952 in "Scandal Sheet". She also appeared as a guest actress in Rainbow' Round My Shoulder. In 1953, she starred in the Warner Bross film "Trouble Along the Wave", as well as "Raiders of the Seven Seas".
Oscar
In 1953, Donna Reed starred in the war drama From Here to Eternity. It was this role alongside Montgomery Clift that brought her something every actress dreams of - an Academy Award. In 1953, she received it in the category of best supporting actress. She went on to star in The Caddy, Gun Fury in 1953, Three Hours to Kill, and They Rode West. She returned to the MGM label to star in "The Last Time I Saw Paris." She recorded all of these films in 1954.
Television career
Donna Reed also began appearing on television. She appeared on "The Ford Television Theatre," "Tales of Hans Anderson," "General Electric Theater," and "Suspicion." She also continued to appear in films: "The Far Hozizons", "The Benny Goodman Story", "Ransom!", "Backlash" and "The Whole Truth".
The Donna Reed Show
Starting in 1958, Donna Reed starred in an original series called "The Donna Reed Show". It was a show produced by her then husband Tony Owen. The show featured the actress as Donna Stone, the wife of pediatrician Alex Sone, who was played by Carl Betz, and the mother of two children, Jeff, played by Paul Petersen, and Mary played by Shelley Fabares. Reed enjoyed playing the wife and taking part in a kind of comedy. She had not dealt with this kind of game before. The series had 8 seasons, and the actress won several nominations for important awards for it. She won a Golden Globe and four Emmy nominations. Reed described the series as a portrayal of realistic small-town life with humorous inserts. It was a series about a loving family. Her character was a loving mother, but also a strong woman with feelings and a sense of humor. However, some feminists criticized the show. A few years after the series ended, Donna admitted they were right. The series was ended in 1966.
Ads
At the turn of her career, Donna Reed appeared in many commercials. These included ads for Woodbury cream in 1944, Max Factor lipstick in 1946, Chesterfield cigarettes, Singer film machines, and Lux soap in 1951, Clifton brand handbags in 1954, Lustre-Creme hair shampoo and Little Yankee shoes in 1955, Buffs cigarettes in 1956, and Kodak cameras in 1960.
Pancreatic cancer
In October 1985, Donna Reed was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The disease was at a stage that was hard to stop in any way. Since then, the actress survived only three more months. She died thirteen days short of her 65th birthday, on January 14, 1986 to be exact. Her grave is located in Los Angeles at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.
Trivia
Donna Reed was considered for the role of Dorothy Donelly in the movie "From the Heart" because she had other work commitments. She could have played the lead role in the movie "All About Eve", but in the end she did not get the role. She was supposed to play the role of Ellie in the TV series "Dallas" for three years in place of another actress, but was fired when that one returned. She sued the studio and won. She received compensation. Because of her lack of oriental looks, she did not get a role in the film "Dragon's Seed". She adopted two children during her marriage to her second husband: daughter Penny Jane and son Anthony. She was considered for a role in the movie "Rio Bravo", but did not get the part. She turned down an offer to play the role of Princess Auda in the film "Around the World in 80 Days".
