1. Verna Dolores Hillie was an American film actress.
10 Facts About Verna Hillie
1. 2.
Verna Hillie lost the competition to Kathleen Burke, but the studio gave her a contract anyway, starting her with a bit part in Madame Butterfly.
3.
Verna Hillie became better known after her supporting role in Under the Tonto Rim in 1933.
4.
When Verna Hillie contracted Bell's palsy, Paramount dropped her contract, but she soon recovered and began working for other studios.
5.
Verna Hillie then starred opposite John Wayne in The Star Packer and The Trail Beyond for Monogram Pictures.
6.
Verna Hillie had some minor roles in movies for Universal Studios, such as I've Been Around in 1935, but the studio stopped using her after she spurned romantic advances from production executive Carl Laemmle, Jr.
7.
Verna Hillie appeared in the Broadway production of Night of January 16th in 1935.
8.
Verna Hillie retired from acting in the 1940s to focus on raising her children, returning to work as "Clara Bagley" in two early 1950s episodes of The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show.
9.
Verna Hillie was later the United States representative for English author Barbara Cartland.
10.
Verna Hillie died in 1997 in Fairfield, Connecticut from a stroke.