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person_profile-Frances Gifford

Frances Gifford Died at age: 74

Actor | Producer

Fullname:

Frances Gifford

Date of Birth:

Dec 07, 1919

Country of birth:

USA

Died:

Jan 15, 1994

Biography of

Frances Gifford

    Frances Gifford had a somewhat unorthodox introduction to the movie business. Born and raised in Long Beach, California, she had no ambition to be an actress, and in fact had applied to UCLA when, at age 16, she and a friend got to visit the Samuel Goldwyn Studios, where they watched a movie being shot. A studio exec saw her and asked if she would take a screen test. She did, the studio was impressed with the result and put her under contract. Nothing much came of it, however, other than bit parts, and she moved to RKO. Nothing much happened there, either. She had married actor James Dunn and decided to retire, which she did, in 1938. Off the screen for almost two years, she got a small part in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), and her career began to revive. She was signed by Paramount, which soon loaned her to Republic, where she made the film she is probably most remembered for: the serial Jungle Girl (1941), based on an Edgar Rice Burroughs story.

    Unfortunately, her career never really took off, and she bounced around among several studios. In 1948 she was involved in an auto accident in which she received severe head injuries. Although she seemed to recover physically, her career took a nosedive, and she made her last film in 1953. In 1958 newspaper stories reported that as a result of the injuries sustained in the accident, she was admitted to a California state mental hospital. Nothing further was heard from her or about her until 1983, when a writer for a film magazine found her in Pasadena. She had apparently fully overcome her physical and mental problems and was working for the city library. She died of emphysema in Pasadena in 1994.

Photos of

Frances Gifford

Photos ( 4 Photos

Filmography of

Frances Gifford

Found 33 Movies in total

Sky Commando

Jo McWethy ( Actor )

... 1953

Riding High

Margaret Higgins ( Actor )

... 1950

Luxury Liner

Laura Dene ( Actor )

... 1948

Little Mister Jim

Jean Tukker ( Actor )

... 1947

The Arnelo Affair

Anne Parkson ( Actor )

... 1947

She Went to the Races

Dr. Ann Wotters ( Actor )

... 1945

Our Vines Have Tender Grapes

Viola Johnson ( Actor )

... 1945

Thrill of a Romance

Maude Bancroft ( Actor )

... 1945

Marriage Is a Private Affair

Sissy Mortimer ( Actor )

... 1944

Cry 'Havoc'

Helen ( Actor )

... 1943

Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour

Hilary Dane ( Actor )

... 1943

Tarzan Triumphs

Zandra ( Actor )

... 1943

American Empire

Abigail 'Abby' Taylor, Dan's Sister ( Actor )

... 1942

My Heart Belongs to Daddy

Grace Saunders ( Actor )

... 1942

The Glass Key

Nurse ( Actor )

... 1942

Beyond the Blue Horizon

Charlotte (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1942

... 1942

Star Spangled Rhythm

Frances Gifford (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1942

The Remarkable Andrew

Miss Halsey ( Actor )

... 1942

Jungle Girl

Nyoka Meredith ( Actor )

... 1941

West Point Widow

Daphne ( Actor )

... 1941

The Reluctant Dragon

Doris ( Actor )

... 1941

Border Vigilantes

Helen Forbes ( Actor )

... 1941

Hold That Woman!

Mary Mulvaney ( Actor )

... 1940

Forty Little Mothers

Granville Girl ( Actor )

... 1940

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Hopper Girl (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1939

Having Wonderful Time

Salesgirl (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1938

Maid's Night Out

Ticket Seller - Octopus Concession (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1938

Night Spot

Nightclub Patron ( Actor )

... 1938

Living on Love

Bus Passenger ( Actor )

... 1937

There Goes the Groom

Undetermined Role (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1937

Stage Door

Mary McGuire (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1937

New Faces of 1937

Showgirl ( Actor )

... 1937