Joan Blondell

JOAN BLONDELL d1979. American actress who performed in film and television for 50 years. She began her career in vaudeville. After winning a beauty pageant, she embarked on a film career, establishing herself as a Pre-Code staple of Warner Bros Pictures usually in wisecracking, sexy roles, appearing in more than 100 films and television productions. She was most active in film during the 1930s and early 1940s and during that time co-starred with Glenda Farrell, a colleague and close friend, in nine films. She continued acting on film and television for the rest of her life often in small supporting roles. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The Blue Veil (1951). Near the end of her life, she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Opening Night (1977). She was featured in two more films ; the blockbuster musical Grease (1978) and Franco Zeffirelli's The Champ (1979). She died in California aged 73 on December 25th 1979