Ann Harding
| Ann Harding | |
|---|---|
Ann Harding, 1930
|
|
| Born |
Dorothy Walton Gatley August 7, 1902 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | September 1, 1981 (aged 79) Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1921–1965 |
| Spouse(s) |
Harry Bannister (1926–1932) 1 child Werner Janssen (1937–1962) 1 child |
| Children | Jane Bannister (1928-2005) Grace Kaye Janssen |
Ann Harding (August 7, 1902 – September 1, 1981) was an American theatre, motion picture, radio, and television actress.
Born Dorothy Walton Gatley at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, to George G. Gatley and Elizabeth "Bessie" Crabb. The daughter of a career army officer, she traveled often during her early life. Her father was born in Maine and served in the American Expeditionary Force in World War I. He died in San Francisco, California in 1931. She grew up in East Orange, New Jersey and graduated from East Orange High School. Harding attended Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, on the Pennsylvania Main Line outside Philadelphia.
Following school, she found employment as a script reader. She began acting and made her Broadway debut in Like a King in 1921. In 1924, Harding found her "home theater" in Rose Valley, Pennsylvania, when she was directed by Hedgerow Theatre founder Jasper Deeter in The Master Builder. Over the years she returned to Hedgerow to reprise several of her roles. She soon became a leading lady, who kept in shape by using the services of Sylvia of Hollywood. She was a prominent actress in Pittsburgh theatre for a time, performing with the Sharp Company and later starting the Nixon Players with Harry Bannister. In 1929, she made her film debut in Paris Bound, opposite Fredric March. In 1931, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for Holiday. Also in 1931, Harding purchases the Hedgerow Theatre building for Deeter for $5,000 and donated it to the company.
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