Marion Shilling
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| Marion Shilling | |
|---|---|
| Born | Marion Schilling December 3, 1910 Denver, Colorado |
| Died | November 6, 2004 (aged 93) Torrance, California |
| Occupation | Film, stage actress |
| Spouse(s) | Edward Cook |
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Marion Shilling, real name Marion Schilling, (December 3rd, 1910-November 6th, 2004) was an American film actress of the 1930's.
Shilling was born in Denver, Colorado, and it is still debated today as to the actual year of her birth. Many biographers place it at 1910, while others state 1911 or 1914. However, the most common birth year is 1910. She started her acting career as a stage actress, starring in stage plays such as Miss Lulu Betts and Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch. In 1929 she received her first screen role in Wise Girls. After a couple of roles in other films, she starred opposite William Powell in the 1930 crime drama Shadow of the Law. That movie springboarded her into roles as a B-movie heroine.
In 1931 she was one of thirteen girls selected as "WAMPAS Baby Stars", a list that included future Hollywood star Marian Marsh. From 1930 to 1936 she starred in forty two films, mostly westerns or mysteries. She often starred opposite Tom Keene and Guinn "Big Boy" Williams. In the 1934 film serial The Red Rider, she starred opposite early western film legend Buck Jones, with a supporting cast that included William Desmond and football legend Jim Thorpe. Shilling would later say that she enjoyed working with Jones, finding him to be an "exceptionally good actor who always tried to be a perfectionist and always demanded the best from his co-workers".
Despite her success in films, Shilling retired with little to no warning in 1936, stating that she wanted to marry and have a family. She was married to Edward Cook from 1937 until his death in 1998. They had two children, a boy and a girl, Edward and Frances. Shilling never returned to acting, and died of natural causes on November 6th, 2004, in Torrance, California.
