Myrtle Anderson (1901-1978) was a Jamaican actress, singer, and radio performer active in Hollywood in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.
Myrtle Anderson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Myrtle Doris Anderson May 26, 1901 Kingston, Kingston, Jamaica |
| Died | October 5, 1978 (aged 77) Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Education | Columbia University |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse | Henry Simms (m. 1930) |
Biography
editMyrtle was born in Kingston, Jamaica, to Charles Anderson and Cecilia Tyrell. She later moved to Manhattan with her sisters and her mother — who seems to have remarried — when she was just 5 years old. A talented student and a gifted singer, she eventually graduated from Columbia University.
She was married for a time to a police officer named Henry Simms; as it turned out, Simms was already married to someone else at the time they said "I do" in 1930; he was charged with bigamy in 1935. During their marriage, Myrtle briefly considered becoming a policewoman.[1]
After performing with the Johnson Singers, appearing on Broadway, and getting her own radio show in NYC,[2] Myrtle began winning small roles in films around 1936, when she played Eve in The Green Pastures, a retelling of biblical stories with an all-black cast.[3] Later on in her career, she split her time between taking on film roles and working at the post office in Los Angeles, California.[4]
Of her prospects in Hollywood, she said she preferred comedic roles: "I'm too skinny to play mammy roles and too unglamourous to become a Lena Horne," she explained.[4]
Selected filmography
edit- Jeanne Eagels (1957)
- Something of Value (1957)
- White Witch Doctor (1953)
- The Sun Shines Bright (1953)
- Follow the Sun (1951)
- Whirlpool (1949)
- Oh, You Beautiful Doll (1949)
- The Perils of Pauline (1947)
- The Sea of Grass (1947)
- The Bride Wore Boots (1946)
- Love, Honor and Goodbye (1945)
- Double Up (1943)
- The Lady Is Willing (1942)
- The Vanishing Virginian (1942)
- Sullivan's Travels (1941)
- The Toy Wife (1938)
- The Green Pastures (1936)
References
edit- ^ "Arrested for Assault and Robbery, Suspended Cop Now Faces Bigamy Charges". The New York Age. 2 Feb 1935. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
- ^ "Myrtle Anderson Plays Dual Role". The Pittsburgh Courier. 5 Nov 1949. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
- ^ "The Screen". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 8 Aug 1936. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
- ^ a b c "Roxy Player Keeps Herself Posted Between Film Jobs". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 20 Nov 1949. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
External links
edit- Myrtle Anderson at IMDb.