Born in Bemidji, Minnesota, she pursued piano lessons, modeling, and drama at Van Nuys High School before studying acting with Max Reinhardt’s Theatrical Workshop and coach Maria Ouspenskaya. After signing a seven-year contract with Howard Hughes, she debuted in The Outlaw (1943), a film that highlighted her figure and launched her as a leading sex symbol of the 1940s-50s. Subsequent screen succes…
