Real Name:Irene Marie Dunn
Birthdate: December 20,1898
Birthplace:Louisville, Kentucky
Deathdate:September 4,1990
Deathplace:Los Angeles, California
Cause Of Death:Heart Failure
Husband:Francis Dennis Griffin (16 July 1928 - 15 October 1965) (his death); 1 adopted daughter
Height:5'5"
Eisenhower named her an alternate delegate to the U.N. General Assembly in 1959.
Was discovered for films while appearing in the first national touring company of "Show Boat" in 1929. She played and sang the role of Magnolia, and repeated her performance in the 1936 film version.
Her tombstone mistakenly gives her date of birth as 1901 rather than 1898.
After being nominated 5 times for the Best Actress Oscar and never winning, it was hoped by many that she would recieve an honorary award after her retirement but the academy (for reasons best known to itself) failed to present one.
