Elle Drew American film actress Date of Birth: 23.11.1915 Country: USA

Biography of Ellen Drew

American actress Ellen Drew, born Esther Loretta Ray on November 23, 1915, in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. Her father was a hairdresser. She moved to Chicago with her family, and in 1931, her parents divorced, after which her father returned to Kansas. At the age of 17, Ellen got a job as a cashier at 'Marshall Fields' department store, but six months later, she was unemployed again. She then worked as a saleswoman for jewelry and children's clothing, earning $10 a week, which later increased to $15.

In 1934, Ellen won the title of 'Miss Englewood' in a local beauty contest, and her friends convinced her to try her luck in Hollywood. With a desire to break into the film industry, where her idol was Margaret Sullavan, Ellen decided to go to California. Around the same time, Ellen reconnected with her father, who had remarried. Knowing how difficult it would be for an inexperienced girl to make it in the film industry without any connections, Drew became a waitress at Brown's Confectionery, a popular spot for people in the film industry. One day, while selling ice cream, she met Fred Wallis, a handsome young makeup artist, and they fell in love.

In 1935, Ellen turned down the offer from actor William Demarest to help her secure an acting contract, as she didn't want to jeopardize her relationship with Wallis. Ellen and Fred got married, and in early 1936, their son David was born. However, Ellen soon grew to dislike her job and, ultimately, motherhood. With her husband's permission and the support of Demarest, she signed a contract with Paramount Pictures.

In 1938, assistant director Wesley Ruggles' assistant Art Johnson was greatly impressed not only by Drew's beauty but also by her emotionally performed scene in the play 'The Golden Boy.' Believing that the actress was perfect for the lead female role in Ruggles' new musical film, 'Sing You Sinners,' he invited her to audition. Ellen won the role and received many positive reviews from critics, who praised her beauty and naturalness. Thus began the stellar career of the new ingenue of Paramount Pictures, whose weekly income increased from $100 to $1000. By the studio's request, until 1939, Drew had to pretend she lived with her aunt and cousin, concealing the truth about her husband and son. Eventually, the actress divorced Wallis but remained on friendly terms with him.

On August 16, 1941, Ellen married screenwriter Sidney Bartlett, who enlisted in the military and was transferred to England by 1942. Drew's career was put on hold, and even when Bartlett became the first American officer to participate in the bombing of Berlin, appearing with his proud wife on the front pages of all US newspapers, nothing fundamentally changed for Ellen. When she was filming the horror film 'The Island of the Dead' in 1944, Boris Karloff seriously injured his back, requiring surgery, and production was suspended for four months. Ellen hadn't seen her husband for a year, but her studio did not allow her to take leave and visit Sidney in Nebraska. She had to settle for phone calls. After the war ended in 1945, Sidney returned as a completely different person to her, and in July 1949, Bartlett and Drew divorced.

For the third time, Ellen married William T. Walker on May 30, 1951, a representative of a family that had made a fortune in the automobile business. In 1957, Ellen appeared in her last film, Leslie Selander's western 'Outlaw's Son.' In September 1967, her marriage to Walker ended, but in 1971, she tried her luck again with James Edward Herbert. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1976.

Ellen Drew passed away on December 3, 2003, from liver disease. From a young age, Drew adored dogs, stating, 'Dogs were a part of my life, even before I was born...'