Dunne, Irene (1898-1990), was one of the most popular American motion-picture stars of the 1930’s and 1940’s. Dunne appeared in a broad range of films, from melodramas to madcap comedies. She generally played gracious, dignified women no matter what the type of film. Dunne was nominated for an Academy Award as best actress five times, but never won. Her nominations came for performances in the Western spectacle Cimarron (1931), the comedies Theodora Goes Wild (1936) and The Awful Truth (1937), the romance Love Affair (1939), and the sentimental domestic drama I Remember Mama (1948).
Irene Marie Dunne was born on Dec. 20, 1898, in Louisville, Kentucky. She wanted to be an opera singer but failed an opera audition and turned to musical comedy. Dunne became a leading performer on the American musical stage during the 1920’s. She signed her first motion-picture contract in 1930, making her debut that year in Leathernecking. Her other major films include Back Street and Symphony of Six Million (both 1932), Ann Vickers (1933), Roberta and Magnificent Obsession (both 1935), Show Boat (1936), My Favorite Wife (1940), Anna and the King of Siam (1946), Life with Father (1947), and The Mudlark (1950). Dunne died on Sept. 4, 1990.
