Donna Reed

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Donna Reed
Donna Reed.jpg
Background information
Born January 27, 1921
Birth place: Denison, Iowa USA
Born as Donna Belle Mullenger
Died January 14, 1986 (aged 64)
  Beverly Hills, California
Spouse(s) William Tuttle (1943-1945)
Tony Owen (1945-1971)
Grover Asmus (1974-1986)
Official site .


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Donna Reed is probably best remembered for her roles as the wholesome housewife "Donna Stone" on television's The Donna Reed Show and as "Mary Bailey" in Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946).

However, she occasionally stepped outside that image: early in her career, she posed topless for a series of cheesecake glamour photographs and won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for playing a prostitute in "From Here to Eternity" (1953).

Early life

Reed was born Donna Belle Mullenger on a farm near Denison, Iowa, the daughter of Hazel Jane (née Shives) and William Richard Mullenger. The eldest of five children, she was raised as a Methodist. In 1936, while she was a sophomore at Denison (Iowa) High School, her chemistry teacher Edward Tompkins gave her the book "How to Win Friends and Influence People". The book is said to have greatly influenced her life. Upon reading it she won the lead in the school play, was voted Campus Queen, and was in the top 10 of the 1938 graduating class. Tompkins went on to work on the Manhattan Project.

After graduating from Denison High School, Reed planned to become a teacher but was unable to pay for college. She decided to move to California to attend Los Angeles City College on the advice of her aunt. While attending college, she performed in various stage productions, although she had no plans to become an actress. After receiving several offers to screen test for studios, Reed eventually signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; however, she insisted on finishing her education first. She completed her associate degree, then signed with an agent.

Death

Reed died of pancreatic cancer in Beverly Hills, California, on January 14, 1986, at the age of 64. She had been diagnosed with the illness three months earlier and told it was at a terminal stage. Her remains are interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Legacy

In 1987, Grover Asmus (Reed's widower), actresses Shelley Fabares and Norma Connolly, and numerous friends, associates, and family members created the Donna Reed Foundation for the Performing Arts. Based in Reed's hometown of Denison, the non-profit organization grants scholarships for performing arts students, runs an annual festival of performing arts workshops, and operates the Donna Reed Center for the Performing Arts.

Denison hosts an annual Donna Reed Festival. Reed's childhood home was located on Donna Reed Drive in Denison but was destroyed by a fire in 1983. Reed's Academy Award is on display at the W. A. McHenry Museum in Denison.

Reed has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1610 Vine Street.

In May 2010, Turner Classic Movies honored Reed as their star of the month which saw Mary Owen pay a special tribute to her mother.

In a 2011 article, actress Shelley Fabares (who played Mary Stone on The Donna Reed Show) wrote,

[Donna Reed] definitely became my second mother. She was a role model and remains so to this day. I still periodically hear her voice in my head when I am making a decision about doing something, I hear her urging me on to make the stronger decision of the two. I just adored her.

Fabares also described Reed as "a real Iowa girl. There is bedrock decency to people in the Midwest. They are thoughtful and ready to help you if something needs to be done. She never lost that Midwest girl."

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Wikipedia article: Donna Reed
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Note:   Donna Reed was a volunteer at the Hollywood Canteen
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