Joan Lorring photo

Joan Lorring

Acting
1926-04-17
Hong Kong, China
Joan Lorring, born Mary Madeline Ellis is a Hong Kong-born American actress and singer known for her work in film and theatre. Soon after, her family moved to Los Angeles, Madeleine (known by her nickname "Dellie") began working as a child actress in radio and film – she was credited as "Dellie Ellis" when she played the title role in the radio program A Date With Judy (1942). She eventually adopted Joan Lorring as her stage name.

Lorring made her Broadway debut in 1950, originating the role of Marie Buckholder opposite Shirley Booth in Come Back Little Sheba. Terry Moore later played Marie in the 1952 film version. For this role, Lorring won a Donaldson Award for Most Outstanding Female Debut in the 1949-1950 Broadway season. This success led to her performing in the 1951 Broadway production of the Lillian Hellman play The Autumn Garden. In 1954, she performed in the play Dead Pidgeons, and her last Broadway appearance was in 1957, originating the role of The Young Woman, opposite Kim Stanley as The Woman, in A Clearing in the Woods by Arthur Laurents. In 1970, Lorring performed in an Off-Broadway production of Awake and Sing! as Bessie Berger.

Lorring made her film debut at age 18 in Song of Russia. Her second film was the Oscar-nominated drama The Bridge of San Luis Rey.

For her third film role as Bessy Watty in 1945's The Corn Is Green opposite Bette Davis as Miss Moffat, Lorring (at age 19) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Thelma Schnee had originated the role of Bessy on Broadway opposite Ethel Barrymore in 1940.

Lorring next had supporting roles in the 1946 dramas Three Strangers and The Verdict, in which she plays Lottie Rawson and performs the song "Give Me a Little Bit". In 1947, she appeared in The Other Love, a drama that stars Barbara Stanwyck, and in The Lost Moment which stars Susan Hayward. In 1948, she played a supporting role in Good Sam, which stars Gary Cooper and was directed by Leo McCarey.

In the early 1950s, Lorring began appearing often on television. In 1955, she performed in 13 episodes of the television series Norby as Helen Norby. The show lasted one season. Also in 1956, she reprised her award-winning role as Bessy in The Corn is Green on television opposite Eva Le Gallienne as Miss Moffat. She appeared on one episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, (The Older Sister, 1956) about Lizzie Borden, in which she portrayed her sister Emma.

Lorring performed infrequently in the 1960s and 1970s focusing on her family life. Her last film role came in 1974 with The Midnight Man, and her later television roles were guest-starring for several episodes as Anna Pavel in Ryan's Hope and a 1980 episode of The Love Boat.

Lorring enjoyed a quiet retirement through the 1980s and 1990s. She lived until May 30, 2014 when she died in Sleepy Hollow, New York at age 88 from natural causes.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Joan Lorring, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.​
Known For 18 titles
The Love Boat (1977) subtitle poster
The Love Boat
1977 TV
as Mrs. Cummings
Subtitles
Robert Montgomery Presents (1950) subtitle poster
Robert Montgomery Presents
1950 TV
Subtitles
The Philco Television Playhouse (1948) subtitle poster
The Philco Television Playhouse
1948 TV
Subtitles
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) subtitle poster
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955 TV
as Emma Borden
Subtitles
Suspense (1949) subtitle poster
Suspense
1949 TV
Subtitles
Three Strangers (1946) subtitle poster
Three Strangers
1946 Movie
as Icey Crane
Subtitles
Good Sam (1948) subtitle poster
Good Sam
1948 Movie
as Shirley Mae
Subtitles
The Midnight Man (1974) subtitle poster
The Midnight Man
1974 Movie
as Judy Willinger
Subtitles
The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1944) subtitle poster
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
1944 Movie
as Pepita
Subtitles
The Gangster (1947) subtitle poster
The Gangster
1947 Movie
as Dorothy
Subtitles
The Verdict (1946) subtitle poster
The Verdict
1946 Movie
as Lottie Rawson
Subtitles
The Other Love (1947) subtitle poster
The Other Love
1947 Movie
as Celestine
Subtitles
The Lost Moment (1947) subtitle poster
The Lost Moment
1947 Movie
as Amelia
Subtitles
The Corn Is Green (1945) subtitle poster
The Corn Is Green
1945 Movie
as Bessie Watty
Subtitles
The Big Night (1951) subtitle poster
The Big Night
1951 Movie
as Marion Rostina
Subtitles
The Star Wagon (1966) subtitle poster
The Star Wagon
1966 Movie
as Martha
Subtitles
Song of Russia (1944) subtitle poster
Song of Russia
1944 Movie
as Sonia
Subtitles
Stranger on the Prowl (1952) subtitle poster
Stranger on the Prowl
1952 Movie
as Angela, a lonely woman
Subtitles