Irene Dunn Biography | American Actress and Singer

Irene Marie Dunne

Born: December 20, 1898
Died: September 4, 1990
Place of Birth: Louisville, Kentucky

Major Notes:

Irene Dunne, nominated for five Oscars, is considered one of America's greatest actresses.
Dunne's father worked on steamboats and her mother was a concert pianist and music teacher.
Her mother taught Dunne to play piano at an early age and encouraged her to pursue music.
Her father's unexpected death forced the mother to move the family to Madison, Indiana, to live with grandparents.
In high school, Irene Dunne took voice and piano lessons and began earning money from singing.
After graduation, she entered a contest and won a scholarship to the Chicago Musical College.
Dunne auditioned for the Metropolitan Opera Company but was not accepted however, she did further her experience with a road theater company.
In 1926, she graduated from CMC and soon after was "discovered" by Florenz Ziegfeld, who cast Dunne in the theater production of "Show Boat."
Dunne was signed to a contract with the RKO movie studio and made her first movie, Leathernecking, in 1930.
Early in her movie career, Irene Dunne demonstrated her acting talents in a movie called Cimarron for which she received her first Oscar nomination.
She then did a movie version of Show Boat, now acclaimed as a Hollywood classic.
What followed were a series of movies where she starred with such actors as Charles Boyer, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, and Cary Grant.
In 1936, Dunne starred in a movie version of Show Boat, now acclaimed as a Hollywood classic.
Dunne proved that she had a natural instinct for performing musical and comedy roles.
Before Dunne left acting, she had been nominated for five best actress Academy Awards but was never a recipient of one.
In her later years, she devoted time to many charity causes and publicly supported the Republican Party.
Irene Dunn was honored in 1985 with a Lifetime Achievement award from the Kennedy Center.

For detailed research and more information, check out the following: Donna's Page Lenin Imports IMDb Wikipedia The Kennedy Center Actresses of the Silver Screen MSN Movies Please report any broken or incorrect links above to:
deejay@rogers.com

BACK HOME PAGE

Irene Dunne, nominated for five Oscars, is considered one of America's greatest actresses.

Dunne's father worked on steamboats and her mother was a concert pianist and music teacher.

Her mother taught Dunne to play piano at an early age and encouraged her to pursue music.

Her father's unexpected death forced the mother to move the family to Madison, Indiana, to live with grandparents.

In high school, Irene Dunne took voice and piano lessons and began earning money from singing.

After graduation, she entered a contest and won a scholarship to the Chicago Musical College.

Dunne auditioned for the Metropolitan Opera Company but was not accepted however, she did further her experience with a road theater company.

In 1926, she graduated from CMC and soon after was "discovered" by Florenz Ziegfeld, who cast Dunne in the theater production of "Show Boat."

Dunne was signed to a contract with the RKO movie studio and made her first movie, Leathernecking, in 1930.

Early in her movie career, Irene Dunne demonstrated her acting talents in a movie called Cimarron for which she received her first Oscar nomination.

She then did a movie version of Show Boat, now acclaimed as a Hollywood classic.

What followed were a series of movies where she starred with such actors as Charles Boyer, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, and Cary Grant.

In 1936, Dunne starred in a movie version of Show Boat, now acclaimed as a Hollywood classic.

Dunne proved that she had a natural instinct for performing musical and comedy roles.

Before Dunne left acting, she had been nominated for five best actress Academy Awards but was never a recipient of one.

In her later years, she devoted time to many charity causes and publicly supported the Republican Party.

Irene Dunn was honored in 1985 with a Lifetime Achievement award from the Kennedy Center.