| Birth name | Mary Jeanette Moran |
|---|---|
| Birth date | October 23, 1918 |
| Birth place | Clinton, Iowa, U.S. |
| Death date | October 24, 2002 (aged 84) |
| Death place | Camarillo, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1938–1943 |
| Spouse | Henry Koster (m. 1942; ended 1988) |
| Father | Earl Moran |
Peggy Moran (born Mary Jeanette Moran, October 23, 1918 – October 24, 2002) was an American film actress who appeared in films between 1938 and 1943.
Early years
Born Marie Jeanette Moran on October 23, 1918, in Clinton, Iowa,[1] Moran was the daughter of Earl Moran, an artist specializing in pin-ups for calendars and magazines, and dancer Louise Scott, formerly a member of the Denishawn Dance Company.[2][3]
Moran's family moved to Hollywood when she was 5.[4][2][3] She attended the Micheltorina School and John Marshall High School,[5][6][7][8] graduating in 1937.[3]
Career
Moran's film career began at Warner Bros. in the late 1930s.[9] She starred in a number of B movies, including The Mummy's Hand (1940), Slightly Tempted (1940), Horror Island (1941), Treat 'Em Rough (1942), and King of the Cowboys (1943), and played smaller parts in A pictures, such as the "first cigarette girl" in Ninotchka (1939). After marrying director Henry Koster on October 29, 1942,[10][11][12] a bust of Moran was featured in every picture her husband directed. After her marriage, Moran retired from acting and appeared in only one other film: a documentary made in 2000.[13] The existing bust did not fit the period of one film, so Koster had a new bust made at a cost of $4000. Films also used "silhouettes, cameos, paintings, and even photographs" of Moran.[14]
Personal life
Koster and Moran had two sons. After Koster retired in 1966, the couple traveled extensively until his death in 1988.[2]
Death
On October 24, 2002, only one day after her 84th birthday, Moran died of complications from injuries she had suffered in a car accident on August 26, 2002. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered at sea.[15]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Gold Diggers in Paris | Golddigger | Alternative title: The Gay Impostors |
| Boy Meets Girl | New York Operator | Uncredited | |
| Secrets of an Actress | Actress | Uncredited | |
| Campus Cinderella | Co-Ed | Uncredited | |
| Girls' School | Myra | ||
| The Sisters | Girl | Uncredited | |
| 1939 | Rhythm of the Saddle | Maurine McClune | |
| King of the Underworld | Young Man's Wife | Scenes deleted | |
| Zenobia | Party Guest | Uncredited Alternative title: Elephants Never Forget | |
| Winter Carnival | Viola | ||
| Ninotchka | First Cigarette Girl | Uncredited | |
| Little Accident | Tall Girl | Uncredited | |
| First Love | Girl at School | Uncredited | |
| The Big Guy | Joan Lawson | Alternative title: Warden of the Big House | |
| 1940 | West of Carson City | Millie Harkins | |
| Oh Johnny, How You Can Love | Kelly Archer | ||
| Danger on Wheels | Pat O'Shea | ||
| Alias the Deacon | Phyllis | Alternative title: The Hillbilly Deacon | |
| Hot Steel | Babe Morrison | ||
| I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby | Linda Carroll | ||
| Argentine Nights | Peggy | ||
| The Mummy's Hand | Marta Solvani | ||
| Spring Parade | Irene | ||
| Slightly Tempted | Judy Ross | ||
| One Night in the Tropics | Mickey Fitzgerald | ||
| Trail of the Vigilantes | Barbara Thornton | ||
| 1941 | Double Date | Penny Kirkland | |
| Horror Island | Wendy Creighton | ||
| Hello, Sucker | Rosalie Watson | ||
| Flying Cadets | Kitty Randall | ||
| 1942 | Treat 'Em Rough | Betty Newman | |
| There's One Born Every Minute | Helen Barbara Twine | ||
| Drums of the Congo | Enid Waldron | ||
| The Mummy's Tomb | Marta Solvani Banning | Uncredited | |
| Seven Sweethearts | Albert "Al" Van Maaster | Alternative title: Tulip Time | |
| 1943 | King of the Cowboys | Judy Mason |
References
- ^ Thomassini, Christine (2003). Magill's Cinema Annual. Gale Research International. p. 553. ISBN 1558624597.
- ^ Vallance, Tom (2002-11-04). "Peggy Moran". The Independent. Archived from the original on January 23, 2011. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
- ^ Mank, Gregory William (2005). Women in Horror Films, 1940s. McFarland. p. 39. ISBN 9780786423354. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ Underhill, Duncan (June 29, 1941). "Formula For Success: Make Yourself Indelible". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 16. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ "Queen and Gallant Escort". Los Angeles Evening Express. June 5, 1931. p. 7. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ "H. H. S. Artist Wins Chest Poster Prize". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. November 10, 1936. p. 16. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ "'Lady Luck' Smiles on Acting Tyro". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. January 26, 1938. p. 10. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ "Marshall High Holds Alumni Dance This Week". Lincoln Heights Bulletin-News. December 4, 1947. p. 14. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ Lentz, Harris M. III (2003). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2002: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. ISBN 9780786452071. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ Associated Press (November 3, 1942). "Peggy Moran, Actress, Wed". The Minneapolis Star. p. 8. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ "Marriages". The Billboard. November 14, 1942. p. 27.
KOSTER-MORAN — Henry Koster, movie director, to Peggy Moran, actress, in Las Vegas, Nev., October 29.
- ^ "Transition". Newsweek. November 16, 1942. p. 8.
Married: Peggy Moran, 24, actress, to Henry Koster, 39, film director; secretly, in Las Vegas, Oct. 29.
- ^ "Peggy Moran". telegraph.co.uk. 2002-10-29. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
- ^ See, Kay (October 7, 1953). "Wife Kept in Public Eye but at Big Cost". Press-Telegram. p. B 10. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ Oliver, Myrna (2002-10-31). "Peggy Moran, 84; Horror Film Scream Queen". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-02-26.