Rita Johnson

For other people named Rita Johnson, see Rita Johnson (disambiguation).
Rita Johnson
Born Rita Ann Johnson
August 13, 1913
Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died October 31, 1965 (aged 52)
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death
 brain hemorrhage
Resting place
 Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, Los Angeles County, California
Occupation Actress
Years active 1937–1957
Spouse(s) Stanley Kahn (1940-1943) (divorced)
Edwin Hutzler (1943-1946) (divorced)

Rita Johnson (August 13, 1913[1][2] – October 31, 1965) was an American actress.

Career

She was born Rita Ann Johnson in Worcester, Massachusetts and attended the New England Conservatory of Music. Johnson began acting on Broadway in 1935 and started her film career two years later. She played a murderess in Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) and a doomed wife in the RKO film noir They Won't Believe Me (1947).

Her film career came almost to a complete stop after a 1948 accident (a hair dryer fell on her head) that required delicate brain surgery. Her screen time in movies after that was limited due to her reduced mobility and powers of concentration. She also suffered from alcoholism from the time of her injuries until her death of a brain hemorrhage on October 31, 1965, at age 52.[3]

Johnson also worked on radio, playing the leading role in Joyce Jordan.[4]

Partial filmography

References

  1. ↑ Parish gives year of birth 1912, but grave marker says 1913.
  2. ↑ Parish, James Robert; Bowers, Ronald L. (1974). The MGM Stock Company: The Golden Era'. Allan. p. 379. ISBN 0-7110-0501-X.
  3. ↑ Rita Johnson at the Internet Movie Database
  4. ↑ "What's New from Coast to Coast" (PDF). Radio and Television Mirror 14 (1): 8–9, 80. May 1940. Retrieved 26 February 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rita Johnson.