“I think that carrying on a life that is meant to be private in public is a breach of taste, common sense, and mental hygiene.”

Myrna Loy was born Myrna Williams in 1905 in Montana, to parents of Welsh and Scottish ancestry. Her father named her after a train station whose name he liked. Myrna made her stage debut at the age of 12 in Helena’s Marlow Theatre in a dance she choreographed based on “The Blue Bird” from the Rose Dream Operetta.

After her father’s death when she was 13, Myrna moved to Los Angeles and at the age of 15, began appearing in local stage productions. Rudolph Valentino’s wife, Natacha Rambova happened to be in the audience one night and arranged a screen test for Myrna. Although Myrna failed the screen test, she continued to audition and in 1925 appeared in Rambova’s movie “What Price Beauty?” opposite her and Nita Naldi. Later that year, Myrna appeared in “Pretty Ladies” along with Joan Crawford. Although Myrna appeared in several silent films, her breakthrough came in the form of the talkies. In 1927, Myrna starred in “The Jazz Singer” as an uncredited chorus girl and two years later, sang and danced in Warner Brothers‘ first musical “The Desert Song” which was followed by appearances in a number of early Technicolor musicals including “The Show of Shows”(1929) and “Under a Texas Moon”(1930). As a result, Loy became associated with musicals although when they went out of fashion in 1930, her career went into a slump.

The turning point in Myrna Loy’s career came in 1934 with her appearances in “Manhattan Melodrama” with Clark Gable and William Powell and in “The Thin Man”. Loy was given this part by director W. S. Van Dyke chose Loy after he detected a wit and sense of humor when pushing her into a swimming pool at a Hollywood party to test her reaction. “The Thin Man” became one of the year’s biggest hits and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.Myrna and her co-star, William Powell, proved to be a a popular screen couple and appeared in a total of 14 films together, making them the most prolific pairing in Hollywood. Loy also starred in a further 3 films with Clark Gable including “Test Pilot”(1938) and “Too Hot to Handle” (1938), both of which were huge successes.

Myrna Loy was considered one of Hollywood’s busiest and highest paid actresses during this period and in 1937 and 1938 was listed in the annual “Quigley Poll of the Top Ten Money Making Stars” compiled from the votes of movie exhibitors throughout the U.S. Myrna Loy practically abandoned her acting career with the outbreak of Word War II in order to focus on the war effort and worked closely with the Red Cross. She even appeared on Adolf Hitler’s blacklist as she was such an outspoken critic of his. Loy helped run a Naval Auxiliary Canteen and toured frequently to raise funds.

After the war, Myrna Loy resumed making films starring in “The Best Years of Our Lives“(1946) with Fredric March which she later considered her proudest acting achievement. Loy starred with Cary Grant in “The Bachelor and The Bobby-Soxer”(1947) which co-starred a teenage Shirley Temple and the following year paired with Cary Grant again in “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House”. Myrna Loy’s film career continued sporadically after this with roles in “Midnight Lace” and “From The Terrace” in 1960 but after this she didn’t star in another film until “The April Fools” in 1969. Loy also returned to the stage and made her Broadfway debut in Clare Boothe Luce’s The Women. in 1973.

Myrna Loy was married four times although had no children. In later life, Myrna took an active role in society, becoming Co-Chairman of the Advisory Council of the National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing. In 1948 Myrna became the first Hollywood celebrity to become a member of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO and was also an active Democrat.

In 1938 Myrna was voted the “Queen of Hollywood” in a contest which also voted Clark Gable the “King”. In 1965, Myrna won the Sarah Siddons Award for her work in Chicago Theater and also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center in 1988. Although Loy was never nominated for an Academy Award, after years of lobbying by screenwriter and then-Writers Guild of America, west board member Michael Russnow she received an Academy Honorary Award in 1991, “for her career achievement”.  Loy’s acceptance of the award was her last public appearance.

Myrna Loy has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a building at Sony Pictures Studios, formerly MGM Studios, in Culver City is named in her honor. Myrna Loy died in 1992.

Browse Timeline

• « Patricia Collinge -
• » Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Wagner’s secret love affair revealed

Comments ( 1 Comment )

Add a Comment