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Donna Reed Biography

(1921–1986)

Related Works

1951 Saturday's Hero
1945 The Picture of Dorian Gray
1953 Trouble Along the Way

1946 It's a Wonderful Life
1942 The Courtship of Andy Hardy
1956 Ransom!
1979 The Best Place to Be (TV Movie)
1953 Raiders of 7 Seas
1944 Gentle Annie
1983 Deadly Lessons (TV Movie)
1946 Faithful in My Fashion
1941 The Bugle Sounds
1954 The Last Time I Saw Paris
1954 Three Hours to Kill
1955 The Far Horizons
1942 Eyes in the Night
1942 Calling Dr. Gillespie
1974 Yellow-Headed Summer
1959 Ride Lonesome
1953 Gun Fury
1944 See Here, Private Hargrove
1956 Backlash
1941 Shadow of the Thin Man
1941 Babes on Broadway
1955 The Benny Goodman Story
1947 Green Dolphin Street
1943 The Human Comedy
1943 The Man from Down Under
1949 Chicago Deadline
1942 Apache Trail
1941 The Get-Away
1953 The Caddy
1948 Beyond Glory
1943 Thousands Cheer
1942 Mokey
1958 The Whole Truth
1945 They Were Expendable
1984 Dallas (TV Series)
1952 Hangman's Knot
1960 Pepe
1953 From Here to Eternity
1943 Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case
1953 USSR Today
1952 Scandal Sheet
1956 Beyond Mombasa
1958 The Donna Reed Show (TV Series)
1954 They Rode West
1944 Mrs. Parkington

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Actress. Born Donna Belle Mullenger (she would later change it to Donna Reed), on January 27, 1921, in Denison, Iowa. The oldest of five children, the 16-year-old Reed left America's heartland to attend secretarial school at Los Angeles City College. When she was named Campus Queen of the local college, her photograph appeared on the front page of the Los Angeles Times. The striking beauty was inundated with offers from agents and studio executives. Reed signed with the prestigious Feldman-Blum agency, after which she gave an impressive screen test for MGM, who signed her to a studio contract.

Reed first gained a foothold in show business, in 1941, with supporting roles in the thriller Shadow of the Thin Man, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy; and the musical Babes on Broadway, featuring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. The two projects proved to be auspicious debuts, winning Reed attention and positive notice. Shortly after, she landed a succession of more substantial parts in popular features, such as Calling Dr. Gillespie (1942) and See Here, Private Hargrove (1944). In 1945, she was featured in her first mainstream role as Gladys Hallward in the film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's haunting novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was a box office success despite mixed reviews from critics.

After several years of grooming by MGM in bland studio fare, Reed was lent out to Frank Capra's Liberty Films for the independent picture, It's a Wonderful Life (1946). The film, which featured Reed as Jimmy Stewart's wife (Mary Hatch Bailey), barely got off the ground at the box office, but went on to become a perennial holiday favorite.

Limited to squeaky-clean parts, Reed endured several more years of unrewarding projects. However in 1956, she staged a remarkable comeback when she was cast in the prized role of Alma, the dancehall prostitute in From Here to Eternity (1953). Featuring the stellar cast of Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr and Frank Sinatra, the film swept the 1954 Oscars securing a total of eight wins, including a Best Supporting Actress Award for Reed.

In spite of Hollywood's prestigious acknowledgement, Reed's career remained stagnant. As a result, Donna and her husband Tony Owens decided to launch their own production company, Todon Productions. The ambitious couple sought to translate Reed's film talent into success in the increasingly influential medium of television. With the demise of her motion picture career, Todon Productions launched The Donna Reed Show (1958-66), which provided the perfect vehicle to display the actress as the picture of sophisticated charm. In 1958, the family sitcom premiered and Reed came to personify the quintessential mother of suburban America. The series enjoyed an eight-year run, during which she received four Emmy nominations.

After ABC retired the series in 1966, Reed's career predominantly consisted of minor parts in forgettable TV projects. However in 1984, she signed a three-year contract to play the juicy role of Miss Ellie on the popular TV series Dallas. After only one season, she was unceremoniously fired from the hit show. Infuriated by her abrupt dismissal, she successfully sued the production company for breech of contract.