Loretta Young

American actress

Also known as: Gretchen Michaela Young

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Quick Facts

Original name:: Gretchen Michaela Young

Born:: January 6, 1913, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.

Died:: August 12, 2000, Los Angeles, California

Also Known As:: Gretchen Michaela Young

Awards And Honors:: Emmy Award; Academy Award (1948); Academy Award (1948): Actress in a Leading Role; Emmy Award (1959): Best Actress in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series; Emmy Award (1957): Best Continuing Performance by an Actress; Emmy Award (1955): Best Actress Starring in a Regular Series; Golden Globe Award (1987): Best Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television; Golden Globe Award (1959): Television Achievement

Movies/Tv Shows (Acted In):: "The New Loretta Young Show" (1962–1963); "Letter to Loretta" (1953–1961); "It Happens Every Thursday" (1953); "Because of You" (1952); "Paula" (1952); "Family Theatre" (1952); "Half Angel" (1951); "Cause for Alarm!" (1951); "Key to the City" (1950); "Come to the Stable" (1949); "Mother Is a Freshman" (1949); "The Accused" (1949); "Rachel and the Stranger" (1948); "The Bishop's Wife" (1947); "The Farmer's Daughter" (1947); "The Perfect Marriage" (1947); "The Stranger" (1946); "Along Came Jones" (1945); "And Now Tomorrow" (1944); "Ladies Courageous" (1944); "China" (1943); "A Night to Remember" (1942); "Bedtime Story" (1941); "The Men in Her Life" (1941); "The Lady from Cheyenne" (1941); "He Stayed for Breakfast" (1940); "The Doctor Takes a Wife" (1940); "Eternally Yours" (1939); "The Story of Alexander Graham Bell" (1939); "Wife, Husband and Friend" (1939); "Kentucky" (1938); "Suez" (1938); "Three Blind Mice" (1938); "Four Men and a Prayer" (1938); "Second Honeymoon" (1937); "Wife, Doctor and Nurse" (1937); "Love Under Fire" (1937); "Café Metropole" (1937); "Love Is News" (1937); "Ladies in Love" (1936); "Ramona" (1936); "Private Number" (1936); "The Unguarded Hour" (1936); "The Crusades" (1935); "Call of the Wild" (1935); "Shanghai" (1935); "Clive of India" (1935); "The White Parade" (1934); "Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back" (1934); "Born to Be Bad" (1934); "The House of Rothschild" (1934); "Caravan" (1934); "Man's Castle" (1933); "The Devil's in Love" (1933); "She Had to Say Yes" (1933); "Midnight Mary" (1933); "Heroes for Sale" (1933); "The Life of Jimmy Dolan" (1933); "Zoo in Budapest" (1933); "Grand Slam" (1933); "Employees' Entrance" (1933); "They Call It Sin" (1932); "Life Begins" (1932); "Week-End Marriage" (1932); "Play Girl" (1932); "The Hatchet Man" (1932); "Taxi" (1932); "The Ruling Voice" (1931); "Platinum Blonde" (1931); "I Like Your Nerve" (1931); "Big Business Girl" (1931); "Too Young to Marry" (1931); "Three Girls Lost" (1931); "The Right of Way" (1931); "Beau Ideal" (1931); "The Devil to Pay!" (1930); "The Truth About Youth" (1930); "Kismet" (1930); "Road to Paradise" (1930); "The Second Floor Mystery" (1930); "The Man from Blankley's" (1930); "Loose Ankles" (1930); "Show of Shows" (1929); "The Forward Pass" (1929); "The Careless Age" (1929); "Fast Life" (1929); "The Girl in the Glass Cage" (1929); "The Squall" (1929); "Scarlet Seas" (1928); "The Head Man" (1928); "The Magnificent Flirt" (1928); "Laugh, Clown, Laugh" (1928); "The Whip Woman" (1928); "The Only Way" (1919); "Sirens of the Sea" (1917)

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Loretta Young (born January 6, 1913, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.—died August 12, 2000, Los Angeles, California) was a motion picture actress noted for her ethereal beauty and refined, controlled portrayals of virtuous and wholesome women.

Young began her career at age four as a child extra. She later attended convent school, and at age14 she landed a part in the film Naughty but Nice (1927) that was originally intended for her sister Polly Ann. Her career blossomed as she moved quickly from bit parts to ingenues and leading ladies. She later made a smooth transition to sound films.

After a Hollywood career of more than 20 years, Young silenced many critics who regarded her as little more than a bland beauty of modest talent when she won an Oscar in 1947 for her performance in The Farmer’s Daughter. She received a second nomination for best actress in 1949 for her role as a nun in Come to the Stable. Her other notable films include The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939), The Stranger (1946), and The Bishop’s Wife (1947).

Empty movie theater and blank screen (theatre, motion pictures, cinema).

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Oscar-Worthy Movie Trivia

Retiring from films in 1953, Young hosted the Emmy Award-winning The Loretta Young Show on NBC television from 1953 to 1961, making her the first entertainer to receive both an Oscar and an Emmy. Though she acted in the majority of the episodes of the sentimental drama anthology, the show is remembered primarily for Young’s signature swirling entrances in which she displayed all sides of her glamorous contemporary gowns.

Young retired from acting at age 50, though she did make a brief comeback in two made-for-TV films in the late 1980s. A lifelong Catholic, Young devoted herself to religious charities throughout her career and into retirement. She was the mother of actress Judy Lewis, the daughter of Clark Gable.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.