Young, Loretta (1913—)

views updated

Young, Loretta (1913—)

In a career that lasted from the silent films to the 1980s, Loretta Young embodied the image of the eternal lady. She appeared as a child extra in early films before she received her first major film role in Laugh Clown Laugh (1928). Thereafter she was invariably cast in roles as a young innocent. After winning an Academy Award for the film The Farmer's Daughter (1947), Young turned to television. Her anthology series, The Loretta Young Show (1953-60), won her several Emmy Awards although it was most notable for the fabulous costumes she wore. After Young's television show went off the air she continued to act on rare occasions, most notably in Christmas Eve, a television movie telecast in 1986.

—Jill A. Gregg

Further Reading:

Lewis, Judy. Uncommon Knowledge. New York, Simon &Schuster, 1994.

Morella, Joe. Loretta Young: An Extraordinary Life. New York, Delacorte Press, 1986.

More From encyclopedia.com