Indiana has given the world more than a fair share of famous and important people. That includes actresses. There have been a number of beautiful and talent ladies of the stage and screen who were Hoosier born and bred. You may not have known that some of them had an Indiana connection.
Perhaps the most famous of these ladies was Carole Lombard who was born in Fort Wayne Indiana on October 6, 1908. During the 1930s, Carole became one of Hollywood’s most popular actresses. Famous throughout the world, Carole was married to William Powell and then later to Clark Gable. Her tragic death in a plane crash while on a War Bond tour on January 15, 1942 broke the nation’s heart. She was leaving Indianapois when the plane went down.
Anne Baxter was born in Michigan City, Indiana on May 4, 1923. Her grandfather was renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Anne won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for The Razor’s Edge in 1947. She was also memorable in The Ten Commandments opposite Charlton Heston. Married three times, she had three daughters. She died of a stroke on December 12,1985.
Kathleen Burke was an exotic looking beauty from Hammond Indiana, born on September 5, 1913. Katherine was cast in a number of films during the 1930s but her most famous role was her first as Lota the Panther Girl in in 1932. She retired from the screen in 1940. She died on April 9, of 1980.
Beulah Bondi was one of Hollywood’s busiest and most versatile character actors. She was born in Valparaiso, Indiana on May 3, 1889. She portrayed Jimmy Stewart’s mother in five different films, the most famous being It’s A Wonderful Life. They became close friends. She had a continuing role on the Walton’s as Aunt Martha Walton. She passed on January 11, 1981 at age 91.
Florence Henderson was born in Dale, Indiana on February 14, 1934. Florence will forever be remembered as Carol Brady on the Brady Bunch. She started her career with the touring company of Oklahoma in 1956. She appeared frequently on television in the late 1950s and 60s and became a mainstay of TV after the Brady Bunch. She passed on November 24 2016.
One of Hollywood’s busiest and most beautiful leading ladies, Vivica A. Fox was born in South Bend, Indiana on July 30, 1964. Soon after her birth, her parents moved to Indianapolis. She graduated from Arlington High School in 1982. She has appeared in such films as Independence Day, Kill Bill, and The Tuskegee Airmen. Her first TV role was in Days of Our Lives. She currently has a continuing role on the series Empire. She is very much in demand.
There are if course many more Hoosier greats and I will mention them in a later column.