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Deanna Durbin

Deanna Durbin

Edna Mae Durbin (December 4, 1921 – April 17, 2013), known professionally as Deanna Durbin, was a Canadian-born actress and singer, who moved to the USA with her family in infancy. She appeared in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s. With the technical skill and vocal range of a legitimate lyric soprano, she performed many styles from popular standards to operatic arias. In 1946, Durbin was the second-highest-paid woman in the United States, just behind Bette Davis; her fan club ranked as the world's largest during her active years. Durbin was a child actress who made her first film appearance with Judy Garland in Every Sunday (1936), and subsequently signed a contract with Universal Studios. She achieved success as the ideal teenaged daughter in films such as Three Smart Girls (1936), One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937), and It Started with Eve (1941). Her work was credited with saving the studio from bankruptcy, and led to Durbin being awarded the Academy Juvenile Award in 1938. As she matured, Durbin grew dissatisfied with the girl-next-door roles assigned to her and attempted to move into sophisticated non-musical roles with film noir Christmas Holiday (1944) and the whodunit Lady on a Train (1945). These films, produced by frequent collaborator and second husband Felix Jackson, were not as successful; she continued in musical roles until her retirement. Upon her retirement and divorce from Jackson in 1949, Durbin married producer-director Charles Henri David and moved to a farmhouse near Paris. She withdrew from public life, granting only one interview on her career in 1983.

Personal information

Birthday

1921-12-04

Birth Place

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Movies and TV shows :

A Friend Indeed

A Friend Indeed

1941

0.0

Movie
Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story

Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story

2002

0.0

Movie
Angels of Mercy

Angels of Mercy

1940

0.0

Movie
Because of Him

Because of Him

1946

6.2

Movie
Can't Help Singing

Can't Help Singing

1944

5.1

Movie
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

1940

6.5

Movie
Christmas Holiday

Christmas Holiday

1944

6.4

Movie
Every Sunday

Every Sunday

1936

3.8

Movie
First Love

First Love

1939

7.8

Movie
For the Love of Mary

For the Love of Mary

1948

5.8

Movie
Hers to Hold

Hers to Hold

1943

6.8

Movie
His Butler's Sister

His Butler's Sister

1943

7.1

Movie
Hollywood’s Children

Hollywood’s Children

1982

0.0

Movie
I'll Be Yours

I'll Be Yours

1947

6.0

Movie
It Started with Eve

It Started with Eve

1941

7.1

Movie
It's a Date

It's a Date

1940

6.4

Movie
Lady on a Train

Lady on a Train

1945

6.5

Movie
Los Angeles Plays Itself

Los Angeles Plays Itself

2004

7.7

Movie
Mad About Music

Mad About Music

1938

7.2

Movie
Marlene Dietrich: Her Own Song

Marlene Dietrich: Her Own Song

2002

6.4

Movie
Nice Girl?

Nice Girl?

1941

5.3

Movie
One Hundred Men and a Girl

One Hundred Men and a Girl

1937

6.2

Movie
Show-Business at War

Show-Business at War

1943

7.0

Movie
Something in the Wind

Something in the Wind

1947

6.3

Movie
Spring Parade

Spring Parade

1940

6.8

Movie
That Certain Age

That Certain Age

1938

4.8

Movie
That's Entertainment!

That's Entertainment!

1974

7.3

Movie
The Amazing Mrs. Holliday

The Amazing Mrs. Holliday

1943

6.4

Movie
The Shining Future

The Shining Future

1944

4.0

Movie
Three Smart Girls

Three Smart Girls

1936

6.4

Movie
Three Smart Girls Grow Up

Three Smart Girls Grow Up

1939

7.3

Movie
Up in Central Park

Up in Central Park

1948

7.0

Movie