Biography
Edna Mae Durbin (December 4, 1921 – April 17, 2013), known professionally as Deanna Durbin, was a Canadian-born actress and singer, who moved to the USA with her family in infancy. She appeared in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s. With the technical skill and vocal range of a legitimate lyric soprano, she performed many styles from popular standards to operatic arias. In 1946, Durbin was the second-highest-paid woman in the United States, just behind Bette Davis; her fan club ranked as the world's largest during her active years.
Durbin was a child actress who made her first film appearance with Judy Garland in Every Sunday (1936), and subsequently signed a contract with Universal Studios. She achieved success as the ideal teenaged daughter in films such as Three Smart Girls (1936), One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937), and It Started with Eve (1941). Her work was credited with saving the studio from bankruptcy, and led to Durbin being awarded the Academy Juvenile Award in 1938.
As she matured, Durbin grew dissatisfied with the girl-next-door roles assigned to her and attempted to move into sophisticated non-musical roles with film noir Christmas Holiday (1944) and the whodunit Lady on a Train (1945). These films, produced by frequent collaborator and second husband Felix Jackson, were not as successful; she continued in musical roles until her retirement. Upon her retirement and divorce from Jackson in 1949, Durbin married producer-director Charles Henri David and moved to a farmhouse near Paris. She withdrew from public life, granting only one interview on her career in 1983.
Filmography
all 35
Movies 35
self 9
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Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1940s: Stars, Stripes and Singing (2009)
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Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression (2009)
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Los Angeles Plays Itself (2004)
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Marlene Dietrich: Her Own Song (2002)
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Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story (2002)
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Love is All (1999)
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That's Entertainment! (1974)
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For the Love of Mary (1948)
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Up in Central Park (1948)
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Something in the Wind (1947)
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I'll Be Yours (1947)
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Because of Him (1946)
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Lady on a Train (1945)
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Can't Help Singing (1944)
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Christmas Holiday (1944)
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The Shining Future (1944)
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His Butler's Sister (1943)
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Hers to Hold (1943)
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The Amazing Mrs. Holliday (1943)
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It Started with Eve (1941)
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Nice Girl? (1941)
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A Friend Indeed (1941)
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Angels of Mercy (1940)
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Spring Parade (1940)
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Cavalcade of the Academy Awards (1940)
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It's a Date (1940)
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First Love (1939)
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Three Smart Girls Grow Up (1939)
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That Certain Age (1938)
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Mad About Music (1938)
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One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937)
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Three Smart Girls (1936)
Gallery
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Information
Known ForActing
GenderFemale
Birthday1921-12-04
Deathday2013-04-17 (91 years old)
Birth NameEdna May Durbin
Birth PlaceWinnipeg, Canada
RelationshipsFelix Jackson (1945 - 1949)
CitizenshipsFrance, Canada
ResidencesParis, France
Also Known AsEdna Mae Durbin
Awardsstar on Hollywood Walk of Fame, Academy Honorary Award, Academy Juvenile Award
This article uses material from Wikipedia.
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