Irene Dunne is best known for her comedic roles, though she performed in films of other genres.
49 Facts About Irene Dunne
2.
Irene Dunne became determined to become an opera singer, but when she was rejected by The Met, she performed in musicals on Broadway until she was scouted by RKO and made her Hollywood film debut in the musical Leathernecking.
3.
Irene Dunne later starred in the successful musical Show Boat.
4.
Irene Dunne is considered one of the finest actresses never to have won an Academy Award.
5.
Irene Dunne has been praised by many during her career, and after her death, as one of the best comedic actresses in the screwball genre.
6.
Irene Dunne was nicknamed "The First Lady of Hollywood" for her regal manner despite being proud of her Irish-American, country-girl roots.
7.
Irene Dunne was their second child and second daughter, and had a younger brother named Charles; Dunne's elder sister died soon after her birth.
8.
Irene Dunne took more singing lessons and then dancing lessons to prepare for a possible career in musical theater.
9.
Irene Dunne then obtained the leading role when the original actress took a leave of absence in 1924.
10.
Irene Dunne's first top-billing, leading role Luckee Girl was not as successful as her previous projects.
11.
The "Hollywood musical" era had fizzled out, so Irene Dunne moved to dramatic roles during the Pre-Code era, leading a successful campaign for the role of Sabra in Cimarron with her soon-to-be co-star Richard Dix, earning her first Best Actress nomination.
12.
Irene Dunne had concerns about Whale's directing decisions, but she later admitted that her favorite scene to film was "Make Believe" with Allan Jones because the blocking reminded her of Romeo and Juliet.
13.
Irene Dunne was apprehensive about attempting her first comedy role as the title character in Theodora Goes Wild, but discovered that she enjoyed the production process, and received her second Best Actress Oscar nomination for the performance.
14.
Irene Dunne followed Theodora Goes Wild with other romantic and comedic roles.
15.
On her own, Irene Dunne showed versatility through many film genres.
16.
Irene Dunne was excited to portray Queen Victoria in The Mudlark for a chance to "hide" behind a role with heavy makeup and latex prosthetics.
17.
Irene Dunne filmed a television pilot based on Cheaper by the Dozen that was not picked up.
18.
Irene Dunne starred in and hosted episodes of television anthologies, such as Ford Theatre, General Electric Theater, and the Schlitz Playhouse of Stars.
19.
Irene Dunne's last acting credit was in 1962, but she was once rumored to star in unmaterialized movies named Heaven Train and The Wisdom of the Serpent, and rejected an offer to cameo in Airport '77.
20.
Irene Dunne was a presenter at the 1950 BAFTAs when she was in London filming The Mudlark, and then represented Hollywood for the 12th Venice International Film Festival in 1951.
21.
Irene Dunne later appeared at 1953's March of Dimes showcase in New York City to introduce two little girls nicknamed the Poster Children, who performed a dramatization about polio research.
22.
Irene Dunne accepted Walt Disney's offer to present at Disneyland's "Dedication Day" in 1955, and christened the Mark Twain Riverboat with a bottle containing water from several major rivers across the United States.
23.
Irene Dunne was the only actress to be appointed a member of the California Arts Commission between 1967 and 1970.
24.
Irene Dunne recorded a talking booklet, explaining the history of the 30 sculptures on display and inviting guests to touch.
25.
Irene Dunne was elected president of Santa Monica's St John's Hospital and Health Clinic in 1950 and became a board member of Technicolor in 1965, the first woman ever elected to the board of directors.
26.
Irene Dunne established an African American school for Los Angeles, negotiated donations to St John's through box office results, and Hebrew University Rebuilding Fun's sponsors committee.
27.
Irene Dunne appeared in a celebrity-rostered television special Benefit Show for Retarded Children with Jack Benny as host.
28.
Irene Dunne donated to refurbishments in Madison, Indiana, funding the manufacture of Camp Louis Ernst Boy Scout's gate in 1939 and the Broadway Fountain's 1976 restoration.
29.
Irene Dunne held delegacy for two years and addressed the General Assembly twice.
30.
Irene Dunne was a lifelong Republican and served as a member of the Californian delegation in 1948's Republican National Convention and campaigned for Thomas Dewey in the 1944 United States presidential election and Ronald Reagan in the 1966 California gubernatorial election.
31.
Irene Dunne was an avid golfer, playing the sport since high-school graduation; her husband and she often played against each other and she made a hole in one in two different games.
32.
Irene Dunne bonded with Leo McCarey over numerous similar interests, such as their Irish ancestry, music, religious backgrounds, and humor.
33.
Irene Dunne was popular with co-workers off-camera, earning a reputation as warm and approachable, and having a "poised, gracious manner" like royalty, which spilled into her persona in movies.
34.
Irene Dunne explained in a 1939 fashion-advice interview that her husband was partially responsible because he was equally stylish, but chooses outfits based on personality, color scheme and the context of where the outfits will be worn.
35.
McCall's magazine later revealed Irene Dunne chose outfits specifically designed for her by Mainbocher and Jean Louis because she did not like buying clothes in stores.
36.
Between 1919 and 1922, Irene Dunne was close to Fritz Ernst, a businessman based in Chicago who was 20 years older than she, and a member of one of the richest families in Madison, Indiana.
37.
At a New York, Biltmore Hotel supper party in 1924, Irene Dunne met Northampton, Massachusetts-born dentist Francis Griffin.
38.
When Irene Dunne decided to star in Leathernecking, it was meant to be her only Hollywood project, but when it was a box-office bomb, she took an interest in Cimarron.
39.
Irene Dunne was a devout Catholic laywoman, who became a daily communicant.
40.
Irene Dunne was a member of the Church of the Good Shepherd and the Catholic Motion Picture Guild in Beverly Hills, California.
41.
Irene Dunne died at the age of 91 in her Holmby Hills home on September 4,1990, and was entombed four days later next to her husband in the Calvary Cemetery, East Los Angeles.
42.
Irene Dunne had been unwell for a year with an irregular heartbeat, and became bedridden about a month before.
43.
Irene Dunne was survived by her daughter, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
44.
Irene Dunne is considered one of the best actresses of The Golden Age of Hollywood never to win an Academy Award.
45.
Biographers and critics argue that Irene Dunne's groundedness made her screwball characters more attractive than those of her contemporaries.
46.
Irene Dunne elevates a tawdry encounter to something justifiably pure or blameless.
47.
Irene Dunne received five Best Actress nominations during her career: for Cimarron, Theodora Goes Wild, The Awful Truth, Love Affair and I Remember Mama ; she was the first actor to lose against the same actor in the same category twice, losing to Best Actress winner Luise Rainer in 1936 and 1937.
48.
However, Irene Dunne was honored numerous times for her philanthropy from Catholic organizations and schools, receiving the University of Notre Dame's Laetare Medal, and the Bellarmine Medal from Bellarmine College.
49.
Irene Dunne received numerous honorary doctorates, including from Chicago Musical College, Loyola University and Mount St Mary's College.