GLORIA GRAHAME

Gloria Grahame performed in her first film, Blonde Fever(1944) and it was said to be her most praised performances as Violet, who is saved from disgrace by George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life (1946).Grahame often performed in film noir pictures as a tarnished beauty with sex appeal. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Crossfire(1947). Grahame performed with Humphrey Bogart in the film In a Lonely Place(1950). When she asked to be loaned out for roles in Born Yesterday and A Place in the Sun, Hughes refused and instead made her do a supporting role in Macao. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952). Other memorable roles included Irene Nieves in Sudden Fear (1952), the femme fatale Vicki Buckley in Human Desire (1953), and mob moll Debby Marsh in Fritz Langs The Big Heat (1953) in which, in a horrifying scene, she is scarred by hot coffee thrown in her face offscreen by Lee Marvin's character. Grahame's career began to fade after her performance in the musical movie Oklahoma! (1955). The paralysis of her upper lip from plastic surgery changed her speech and appearance. She began a slow return to the theater, and returned to films occasionally to play supporting roles. She performed on television, including an episode of the ABC sitcom, Harrigan and Son.