WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT CLAIRE TREVOR?

I first learned of her as Shirley Temple's mother, Kay Ellison in Shirley's first motion picture with Fox Studios, "Baby Take a Bow" (1934).




(via Flickr)

Claire got her start in B pictures playing innocent roles which she soon grew tired of and wanted more dramatic roles. A similar story for Shirley's other mother figures such as Alice Faye ,Gloria Stewart and Phyllis Brooks.






After her breakthrough role in the film, Stagecoach, (1939) it didn't take long for Hollywood to recognize Trevor's outstanding talents. In 1937 Claire was nominated for an Oscar for the film, Dead End. In 1948 she won an Oscar for Best Actress in the film, Key Largo. She was also nominated in 1954 for her role in the film, The High and Mighty.

During Claire's career which spun an impressive 50 years, she became known for playing the bad girl in gangster and film noirs. She was thus given the title, "Queen of Film Noir." She appeared in an astounding 60 films.



For fun, click here to see a clip of Danny Kaye introducing Claire as she announces the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1952.














Full filmography


1933

Jimmy and Sally
as Sally Johnson
The Mad Game
as Jane Lee
The Last Trail
as Patricia Carter
Life in the Raw
as Judy Halloway

1934

Elinor Norton
as Elinor Norton
Baby Take a Bow
as Kay Ellison
Wild Gold
as Jerry Jordan
Hold That Girl
as Tonie Bellamy

1935

Spring Tonic
as Betty Ingals
Black Sheep
as Jeanette Foster
My Marriage
as Carol Barton
Navy Wife
as Vicky Blake
Dante's Inferno
as Betty McWade

1936

Career Woman
as Carroll Aiken
Star for a Night
as Nina Lind
To Mary - with Love
as Kitty Brant
Human Cargo
as Bonnie Brewster
Song and Dance Man
as Julia Carroll
15 Maiden Lane
as Jane Martin

1937

Big Town Girl
as Fay Loring
Second Honeymoon
as Marcia
One Mile from Heaven
as Lucy 'Tex' Warren
King of Gamblers
as Dixie Moore
Time Out for Romance
as Barbara Blanchard
Dead End
as Francey
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress

1938

Five of a Kind
as Christine Nelson
Valley of the Giants
as Lee Roberts
Walking Down Broadway
as Joan Bradley
The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse
as Jo Keller

1939

Stagecoach
as Dallas
I Stole a Million
as Laura Benson
Allegheny Uprising
as Janie MacDougall

1940

Dark Command
as Miss Mary Cloud

1941

Texas
as Mike King
Honky Tonk
as 'Gold Dust' Nelson

1942

The Adventures of Martin Eden
as Connie Dawson
Crossroads
as Michelle Allaine
Street of Chance
as Ruth Dillon

1943

The Woman of the Town
as Dora Hand
Good Luck, Mr. Yates
as Ruth Jones
The Desperadoes
as Countess Maletta

1944

Murder, My Sweet
as Mrs. Helen Grayle

1945

Johnny Angel
as Lilah 'Lily' Gustafson

1946

The Bachelor's Daughters
as Cynthia
Crack-Up
as Terry Cordell

1947

Born to Kill
as Helen Trent

1948

Raw Deal
as Pat Cameron
The Velvet Touch
as Marian Webster
The Babe Ruth Story
as Claire (Hodgson) Ruth
Key Largo
as Gaye Dawn
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress

1949

The Lucky Stiff
as Marguerite Seaton

1950

Borderline
as Madeleine Haley, aka Gladys LaRue

1951

Best of the Badmen
as Lily
Hard, Fast and Beautiful
as Millie Farley

1952

Stop, You're Killing Me
as Nora Marko
My Man and I
as Mrs. Ansel Ames
Hoodlum Empire
as Connie Williams

1953

The Stranger Wore a Gun
as Josie Sullivan

1954

The High and the Mighty
as May Holst
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress

1955

Man Without a Star
as Idonee
Lucy Gallant
as Lady MacBeth

1956

The Mountain
as Marie

1958

Marjorie Morningstar
as Rose Morgenstern

1962

Two Weeks in Another Town
as Clara Kruger

1963

The Stripper
as Helen Baird

1965

How to Murder Your Wife
as Edna

1967

The Cape Town Affair
as Sam Williams

1982
Kiss Me Goodbye
as Charlotte Banning


(answers.com)


**There is even a school named after her to honor her legacy: *Click* "The Claire Trevor School of The Arts**