Wanda McKay
| Wanda McKay | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 22, 1915 Portland, Oregon United States |
| Died |
April 11, 1996 (aged 80) Rancho Mirage, California United States |
| Other names | Dorothy Quackenbush |
| Occupation | Actress, Model |
| Years active | 1939 - 1957 (film) |
Wanda McKay (June 22, 1915 – April 11, 1996) was an American model and film actress.
She was born as Dorothy Quackenbush in Portland, Oregon, but her family later moved to Fort Worth in Texas. After moving to New York she became a model and her image was used to promote Chesterfield cigarettes. McKay was voted "Miss American Aviation" in 1938.[1]
By 1939 McKay had moved into films after being given a contract by Paramount Pictures. Initially she made small uncredited appearances before going on to starring roles as a leading lady in many B Movies during the 1940s, working in particular at studios such as PRC and Monogram Pictures.[2] Film worked dried up for her in the 1950s, and she appeared on television and in a minor role in The Merry Widow (1952). Her last film appearance was a small uncredited part in Ten Thousand Bedrooms (1957).
In 1977 she married Hoagy Carmichael, a marriage that lasted until his death in 1981.
Selected filmography
- All Women Have Secrets (1939)
- Down Went McGinty (1940)
- Life with Henry (1940)
- The Farmer's Daughter (1940)
- Dancing on a Dime (1940)
- Twilight on the Trail (1941)
- One Thrilling Night (1942)
- Bowery at Midnight (1942)
- Rolling Down the Great Divide (1942)
- The Black Raven (1943)
- Corregidor (1943)
- Belle of the Yukon (1944)
- Voodoo Man (1944)
- The Monster Maker (1944)
- Raiders of Ghost City (1944, serial)
- Sensation Hunters (1945)
- Hollywood and Vine (1945)
- There Goes Kelly (1945)
- Kilroy Was Here (1947)
- Jiggs and Maggie in Society (1947)
- Because of Eve (1948)
- Jungle Goddess (1948)
- The Golden Eye (1948)
- Stage Struck (1948)
- A Woman of Distinction (1950)
- Roaring City (1951)
- The Merry Widow (1952)
- Ten Thousand Bedrooms (1957)
References
Bibliography
- Raw, Laurance. Character Actors in Horror and Science Fiction Films, 1930-1960. McFarland, 2012.