Joan Blondell
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Born Rose Joan Blondell
Date of birth: August 30, 1906
Date of death: December 25, 1979

Roles

First role: Sinner’s Holiday (1930) or The Office Wife (1930) – I was unable to find a straight answer!
Final role: The Woman Inside (1981)

Best known for…

…her trademark blonde hair, bright smile and large eyes.

…playing the charming, sassy, wisecracking lady in many of her films.

…playing the adorable, hilarious and wise waitress Vi in Grease.

…frequently co-starring with Glenda Farrell.

…singing the famed “Forgotten Man” number in Gold Diggers of 1933.

…being the only woman that Cagney loved other than his own wife! The two co-starred in six pictures.

Notable awards:

  • Nominated for an Oscar for her supporting role in 1951’s The Blue Veil.
  • Nominated for two Emmy awards and two Primetime Emmys.
  • Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960, for her work in film.

More Joan on TMP:
A tribute to Joan from her birthday in 2012
DVD review of Dames
Favorite things about… Grease
Bullets or Ballots (1936) review
Footlight Parade (1933) review
Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933) review
Havana Widows (1933) review
Illicit (1931) review
Millie (1931) review
Night Nurse (1931) review
Other Men’s Women (1931) review
There’s Always a Woman (1938) review
Three on a Match (1932) review
Union Depot (1932) review