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IMDbPro

Frances Dee(1909-2004)

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Frances Dee
A beautiful spirited horse is so devoted to his young mistress that he undertakes an incredible 500-mile journey over treacherous terrain to be reunited with her.
Play trailer4:29
Gypsy Colt (1954)
3 Videos
99+ Photos
Dee was born in Los Angeles, where her Army officer father was stationed, and grew up in Chicago after her father was transferred there. In 1929, he was re-assigned to L.A., and, as a lark, the 19 year old Dee began working in motion pictures as an extra. Her debut was in Words and Music (1929) with Lois Moran. After her breakthrough role in Playboy of Paris (1930) opposite Maurice Chevalier, she met Joel McCrea on the set of the 1933 film The Silver Cord (1933).

Following a whirlwind courtship, the two were married later that year in Rye, New York. Their 57-year marriage ended in 1990, when McCrea died. In the 70s, she and McCrea were rumored to be worth between fifty and one hundred million dollars. Dee hasn't acted since the mid-1950s, and said she didn't miss it. The nonagenarian actress was a huge hit at the 1998 Memphis Film Festival in Tunica, Mississippi. She died in 2004.
BornNovember 26, 1909
DiedMarch 6, 2004(94)
BornNovember 26, 1909
DiedMarch 6, 2004(94)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 2 wins

Photos196

Richard Bennett, Frances Dee, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, Peggy Shannon, and Frances Starr in This Reckless Age (1932)
Richard Bennett, Frances Dee, and Charles 'Buddy' Rogers in This Reckless Age (1932)
Frances Dee and Gene Raymond in If I Had a Million (1932)
Frances Dee and Phillips Holmes in An American Tragedy (1931)
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Frances Dee in Love Is a Racket (1932)
Frances Dee in Blood Money (1933)
Katharine Hepburn, Joan Bennett, Frances Dee, and Jean Parker in Little Women (1933)
Frances Dee and John Lodge in Little Women (1933)
Frances Dee, Stuart Erwin, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, and Herbert Sherwood in Along Came Youth (1930)
Frances Dee and Charles 'Buddy' Rogers in Along Came Youth (1930)
Frances Dee and Phillip Trent in Coming Out Party (1934)
Frances Dee and Russell Gleason in Nice Women (1931)

Known for:

I Walked with a Zombie (1943)
I Walked with a Zombie
7.0
  • Betsy Connell
  • 1943
Katharine Hepburn, Joan Bennett, Frances Dee, and Jean Parker in Little Women (1933)
Little Women
7.2
  • Meg March
  • 1933
Bette Davis and Leslie Howard in Of Human Bondage (1934)
Of Human Bondage
7.0
  • Sally
  • 1934
The Silver Cord (1933)
The Silver Cord
6.9
  • Hester
  • 1933

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress

  • Far as the Eye Can See (2006)
    Far as the Eye Can See
    • Grandma
    • Short
    • 2006
  • The Ford Television Theatre (1952)
    The Ford Television Theatre
    • Ellen Thornton
    • TV Series
    • 1954
  • Ward Bond, Frances Dee, Highland Dale, and Donna Corcoran in Gypsy Colt (1954)
    Gypsy Colt
    • Em MacWade
    • 1954
  • Lux Video Theatre (1950)
    Lux Video Theatre
    • Louise
    • TV Series
    • 1953
  • Clifton Webb in Mister Scoutmaster (1953)
    Mister Scoutmaster
    • Helen Jordan
    • 1953
  • Four Star Playhouse (1952)
    Four Star Playhouse
    • Rhoda Stroude
    • TV Series
    • 1953
  • Jeff Chandler and Loretta Young in Because of You (1952)
    Because of You
    • Susan Arnold
    • 1952
  • Peggy Dow, Gigi Perreau, and Mark Stevens in Reunion in Reno (1951)
    Reunion in Reno
    • Mrs. Doris Linaker
    • 1951
  • Bette Davis, Frances Dee, and Barry Sullivan in Payment on Demand (1951)
    Payment on Demand
    • Eileen Benson
    • 1951
  • Fireside Theatre (1949)
    Fireside Theatre
    • Ellen Woodhart
    • TV Series
    • 1950–1951
  • Charles Bickford, Joseph Calleia, Frances Dee, and Joel McCrea in Four Faces West (1948)
    Four Faces West
    • Fay Hollister
    • 1948
  • Angela Lansbury in The Private Affairs of Bel Ami (1947)
    The Private Affairs of Bel Ami
    • Marie de Varenne
    • 1947
  • Donald Cook, Frances Dee, Donald O'Connor, Peggy Ryan, and Andrew Tombes in Patrick the Great (1944)
    Patrick the Great
    • Lynn Andrews
    • 1944
  • Don Ameche, Harry Carey, Frances Dee, Ann Rutherford, and Cara Williams in Happy Land (1943)
    Happy Land
    • Agnes Marsh
    • 1943
  • I Walked with a Zombie (1943)
    I Walked with a Zombie
    • Betsy Connell
    • 1943

Soundtrack

  • Ginger Rogers, Bruce Cabot, and Frances Dee in Finishing School (1934)
    Finishing School
    • performer: "Jingle Bells" (uncredited)
    • 1934
  • Katharine Hepburn, Joan Bennett, Frances Dee, and Jean Parker in Little Women (1933)
    Little Women
    • performer: "Abide with Me" (1861) ("The Last Rose of Summer", uncredited)
    • 1933

Videos3

Official Trailer
Trailer 4:29
Official Trailer
I Walked With A Zombie
Trailer 1:04
I Walked With A Zombie
Becky Sharp
Trailer 2:57
Becky Sharp

Personal details

Edit
  • Height
    • 5′ 4½″ (1.64 m)
  • Born
    • November 26, 1909
    • Los Angeles, California, USA
  • Died
    • March 6, 2004
    • Norwalk, Connecticut, USA(complications from a stroke)
  • Spouse
    • Joel McCreaOctober 20, 1933 - October 20, 1990 (his death, 3 children)
  • Children
    • Jody McCrea
  • Parents
      Francis Marion Dee
  • Relatives
    • Wyatt McCrea(Grandchild)
  • Other works
    (5/11/46) Radio: Appeared (as "Katherine Vaucelles") in a "Academy Award Theater" broadcast of "If I Were King".
  • Publicity listings
    • 4 Articles
    • 8 Pictorials
    • 2 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    In 1935, she and husband Joel McCrea separated, but soon reconciled. In 1966, he filed for divorce, charging her with cruelty; however, the couple stayed married until his death.
  • Quotes
    I wanted to give up my career when I married [Joel McCrea], but he wouldn't let me. I thought marriage, a home, husband and family were all I wanted. Joel knew I was sincere in my belief but he was wise enough to realize that sooner or later I might miss my work and blame him.
  • Salaries
      Caught
      (1931)
      $50 / week

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