Ty Worked With... Actresses - Leading Ladies

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pictured at left - Ty and Rita Hayworth, from Blood and Sand

This set of three pages is dedicated to the leading ladies who were paired with Ty in only movie!

Ann Blyth

born August 16, 1928, Mount Kisco, New York

Filmography

movie with Ty: I'll Never Forget You

other films include
The Student Prince, The Great Caruso, Kismet

Ann Blyth, a fine operatic soprano, began her career as a Broadway actress. At the end of her film career, she returned to the concert stage. She continued to perform, even into the early 1990's, in regional theater and summer stock.

Ava Gardner

born December 24, 1922 Grabtown, North Carolina

died January 25, 1990 Westminster, London, England (bronchial pneumonia)

Filmography

movie with Ty: The Sun Also Rises

other films include
Show Boat, Mogambo, The Barefoot Contessa

Acting was not in Ava's career plans. However, an MGM talent executive came across her picture and thought her attractive for films. A screen test followed. The test was silent because of her thick Southern accent, considered undesirable for movies. After signing a contract with the studio, she was given acting classes. She made a number of memorable films but is best remembered for her remarkable beauty.

Betty Grable

born Dec 18, 1916, St. Louis, Missouri
died July 2, 1973 Santa Monica, California (lung cancer)

Filmography

movie with Ty: Yank in the R.A.F.

other films include
Mother Wore Tights, Moon Over Miami, The Dolly Sisters

Betty Grable starred mostly in light musical comedies. She also made a lot of G.I.'s happy in WWII, as she was the number one pin-up girl.

Cécile Aubry

born August 3, 1928 Paris, France

Filmography

movie with Ty: The Black Rose

other films include
Barbe-Bleue, Blaubart, Piovuto dal cielo (French films)

Cécile Aubry's Hollywood career never took off. The only American film (seven films total) that she did was The Black Rose . She became a writer for several French television shows, beginning in the 1960's and continuing through 1990. A couple of the shows were based on novels written by her. She also dabbled a bit in directing French films.

Coleen Gray

October 23, 1922 Staplehurst, Nebraska

Filmography

movie with Ty: Nightmare Alley

other films include
Kiss of Death, Red River, Kansas City Confidential

This talented actress was known for her Film Noir roles. Movie critic and writer, Leonard Maltin, commented about her: "If this petite actress had gotten more roles like the little carny temptress she played in Nightmare Alley (1947), she might have been more successful in movies. Although she was girl-next-door pretty, Gray in that performance suggested a mischievous, feline quality that should have been exploited by other producers."

Dorothy Lamour

born December 10, 1914, New Orleans, Louisiana
died September 22 1996, Los Angeles, California (cause unknown)

Filmography

movie with Ty: Johnny Apollo

other films include
My Favorite Brunette, The Greatest Show on Earth, Chad Hanna

This Miss New Orleans of 1931 had a long film career. Her most steady work was in the series of Paramount Pictures "Road Shows", with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, from 1941 to 1953. About working with them, she said, "I felt like a wonderful sandwich, a slice of white bread between two slices of ham."

Gina Lollobrigida

July 4, 1927 Subiaco, Rome, Italy

Filmography

movie with Ty: Solomon and Sheba

other films include
Trapeze, Beat the Devil, Come September

Like so many of his leading ladies, Gina was a good friend to Ty. She was in his last film, the one where he suffered a fatal heart attack before filming was complete. Among Ty's list of movies "to do" was another one with Gina as his co-star. Of course, these plans never came to fruition, due to his sudden death.

Hildegard Knef

born December 28, 1925 Ulm, Württemberg, Germany
died Feb 1, 2002 Berlin, Germany. (lung infection)

Filmography

movie with Ty: Diplomatic Courier

other films include
The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Decision Before Dawn, Night Without Sleep

Though she made several German films prior to the fall of the Third Reich, few were released until after the war. Her first post-war German movie, Die Mörder sind unter uns (The Murderers Are Among Us), brought her stardom. In addition to her film career in American, German, French, and British movies, she was also a successful singer and stage actress, appearing most notably as Ninotchka in Broadway's popular play, Silk Stockings.