Shirley Mills
| Shirley Mills | |
|---|---|
 Shirley Mills in Child Bride | |
| Born |
April 8, 1926 Tacoma, Washington, U.S. |
| Died |
March 31, 2010 (aged 83) Arcadia, California, U.S. |
| Other names |
Shirley O. Mills Shirley O'Mills |
| Years active | 1938–1956 |
| Spouse(s) | Mel Hanson (1977–1995; his death) |
Shirley Olivia Mills (April 8, 1926 – March 31, 2010) was an American actress,[1] best known for her roles as the youngest daughter in The Grapes of Wrath and as the title character in Child Bride. In the latter, she is shown nude in a nude swimming scene, filmed when she was about 12 years old, which became the basis for Child Bride being exhibited for many years as an exploitation film.
Biography
Born in Tacoma, Washington, Mills started her career as a child dancer, and later appeared in films such as Child Bride (1938) at the age of 12, The Grapes of Wrath (1939), and the Shirley Temple film Young People (1940). She stopped making films in her early twenties, and went on to be a singer and a data processing salesperson. She married Mel Hanson in 1977 who died in 1995; they had no children.
Shirley Hanson died in Arcadia, California on March 31, 2010, eight days before her 84th birthday, from complications of pneumonia. She was a devout Christian.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1938 | Child Bride | Jennie Colton | Alternative titles: Child Bride of the Ozarks Child Brides Dust to Dust |
| 1939 | The Under-Pup | Cecilia Layton | |
| 1940 | The Grapes of Wrath | Ruth Joad | |
| Virginia City | Crying young Southern girl | Uncredited | |
| Young People | Mary Ann | ||
| Five Little Peppers in Trouble | June | ||
| Diamond Frontier | Girl in Bonnet playing in Street | Uncredited | |
| 1942 | Miss Annie Rooney | Audrey Hollis | |
| 1943 | Shadow of a Doubt | Young girl | Alternative title: Shadow of Doubt |
| Reveille with Beverly | Laura Jean Oliver | Uncredited | |
| Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour | Hortense | Uncredited Alternative title: Henry Gets Glamour | |
| Mister Big | Member, Jivin' Jills | Uncredited | |
| Top Man | Dancer | Uncredited Alternative title: Man of the Family | |
| Always a Bridesmaid | Uncredited | ||
| True to Life | Radio Sister | Uncredited | |
| 1944 | Chip Off the Old Block | Member, Jivin' Jills | Uncredited |
| None Shall Escape | Anna Oremska | ||
| Nice Girls | "Tennessee" Collingwood | ||
| 1945 | Patrick the Great | Member, Jivin' Jills | Uncredited |
| Snafu | Student | Uncredited Alternative title: Welcome Home | |
| 1946 | Blondie's Lucky Day | Grace Perkins | Scenes deleted |
| Betty Co-ed | Gloria Campbell | Alternative title: The Melting Pot | |
| That Brennan Girl | Olivette the Babysitter | Uncredited Alternative title: Tough Girl | |
| 1949 | An Old-Fashioned Girl | Belle | |
| 1950 | It's a Small World | Susan Musk at Age 16 | Credited as Shirley O. Mills |
| What Happened to Jo Jo | Credited as Shirley O. Mills | ||
| 1951 | The Family Secret | File Girl | Uncredited |
| The Model and the Marriage Broker | Ina Kuschner | Uncredited | |
| 1952 | My Six Convicts | Blonde Tilly | Uncredited Alternative title: My 6 Convicts |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1954 | My Little Margie | Muriel Joyner | 1 episode Credited as Shirley O'Mills |
| 1956 | Ford Star Jubilee | 1 episode | |
Notes
- ↑ Obituary Los Angeles Times, April 9, 2010; page AA7.
Bibliography
- Goldrup, Tom and Jim (2002). Growing Up on the Set: Interviews with 39 Former Child Actors of Film and Television. McFarland & Co. p. 200-209. ISBN 1476613702.
External links
- Official website (Archive)
- Shirley Mills at the Internet Movie Database
- Shirley Mills at AllMovie
- Classic Movie Kids