Ann Dvorak

About Ann Dvorak

Ann Dvorak (born Anna McKim, August 2, 1911 – December 10, 1979) was an American stage and film actress known for her striking screen presence, rebellious independence, and early stardom during Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Dvorak was the daughter and only child of silent film actress Anna Lehr and director Edwin McKim. While in New York, she attended St. Catherine's Convent. After moving to California, she attended Page School for Girls in Hollywood.

She made her film debut when she was five years old in the silent film version of Ramona (1916), credited as "Baby Anna Lehr." She continued in children's roles in The Man Hater (1917) and Five Dollar Plate (1920), but then stopped acting in films. Her parents separated in 1916 and divorced in 1920; she did not see her father again until 13 years later, when she made a public plea to the press to help her find him.

She got her start at MGM as an assistant chorus girl to Sammy Lee and dance instructor in the late 1920s. As an adult actress, Ann would get her big acting break in an acclaimed performance in the film Scarface (1932), which brought her international attention.

A sort of a Hollywood rebel, Ann was known for challenging the studio system—she famously clashed with Warner Bros. over roles and contracts.

Her 1936 lawsuit against the studio was considered a bold act of defiance in an era when actors had little power.

Ann, at age 19, eloped with actor Leslie Fenton; they would marry in 1932. With her then-husband Fenton, Dvorak traveled to England where she supported the war effort by working as an ambulance driver and acted in several British films. Unfortunately, their marriage would end in divorce in 1947.

She later married Igor Dega and then Nicholas Wade, with whom she remained with until his death in 1975. She did not have any children.

Ann officialy retired from film in the early 1950s and lived a quieter life in Hawaii until her death in 1979.