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Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

72

Gender

Female

Birthday

1923-02-02

Day of Death

1988-10-11 (65 years old)

Place of Birth

New York City, New York, USA

Also Known As

Bonita Granville Wrather

Bonita Gloria Granville Wrather

Bonita Granville

Biography

Daughter of Bernard 'Bunny' Granville and Rosina Timponi, Bonita Granville was born into an acting family on 2 Febuary 1923, in New York, New York. It's not surprising that she herself became a child actor, first on the stage and, at the age of 9, debuting in movies in Westward Passage (1932). She was regularly cast as a naughty little girl, as in These Three (1936) where she played Mary, an obnoxious girl spreading lies about her teachers. Her performance left an impression on the audience, and she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress award. In 1938-39 came the movies she is now best remembered for -- playing the bright and feisty detective/reporter Nancy Drew in the Nancy Drew series. She also appeared with Mickey Rooney in a few Andy Hardy movies. She never really had a movie breakthrough, and after marrying oil millionaire and later producer Jack Wrather, she retired from acting in the middle of the 1950s, although she went on to produce the Lassie (1954) TV series. After her marriage to oil millionaire Jack Wrather in 1947, she appeared in only three more movies. She became an executive in the Wrather Corp., and first associate producer, then executive producer of the Lassie (1954) TV series. After Wrather's death in 1984, she took over as chairman of the board. She was also involved in many civic and cultural groups, and she was chair of American Film Institute, trustee of John F. Kennedy Center, as well as other well known organizations and charities. Walt Disney personally convinced the Wrathers to build the Disneyland Hotel when Disney could not raise the money to do so -- his credit was all tied up in building the theme park itself. After the phenomenal success of Disneyland, Disney attempted to buy the hotel; but the Wrathers steadfastly refused to sell. Long after Jack and Bonita Wrather's and Walt Disney's deaths, the Disney Company bought the Wrather Corporation. The Disney Company thus acquired the Disneyland Hotel, the Queen Mary and Spruce Goose attractions in Long Beach, California, the rights to The Lone Ranger (1949) TV series, as well as other properties. Bonita Granville Rather died of cancer on 11 October 1988, in Santa Monica, California. She and Wrather had four children (two from Wrather's first marriage).

Known For

Acting

Nancy Drew... Reporter

1939

Nancy Drew... Reporter

as

Nancy Drew

Suspense

1946

Suspense

as

Ronnie

Now, Voyager

1942

Now, Voyager

as

June Vale

The Guilty

1947

The Guilty

as

Estelle Mitchell / Linda Mitchell

The Glass Key

1942

The Glass Key

as

Opal 'Snip' Madvig

Nancy Drew… Detective

1938

Nancy Drew… Detective

as

Nancy Drew

Little Women

1933

Little Women

as

Amy's Classmate (uncredited)

Third Finger, Left Hand

1940

Third Finger, Left Hand

as

Vicky Sherwood

These Three

1936

These Three

as

Mary Tilford

Cavalcade

1933

Cavalcade

as

Young Fanny

Youth Runs Wild

1944

Youth Runs Wild

as

Toddy Jones

H.M. Pulham, Esq.

1941

H.M. Pulham, Esq.

as

Mary Pulham

Syncopation

1942

Syncopation

as

Kit Latimer

Hitler's Children

1943

Hitler's Children

as

Anna Miller

It's Love I'm After

1937

It's Love I'm After

as

Gracie Kane

The Lone Ranger

1956

The Lone Ranger

as

Welcome Kilgore

Angels Wash Their Faces

1939

Angels Wash Their Faces

as

Peggy Finnegan

White Banners

1938

White Banners

as

Sally Ward

Escape

1940

Escape

as

Ursula

Seven Miles from Alcatraz

1942

Seven Miles from Alcatraz

as

Anne Porter

Merrily We Live

1938

Merrily We Live

as

Marian Kilbourne

The People Vs. Dr. Kildare

1941

The People Vs. Dr. Kildare

as

Frances Marlowe

Breakfast in Hollywood

1946

Breakfast in Hollywood

as

Dorothy Larson

Call It a Day

1937

Call It a Day

as

Ann Hilton

Song of the Saddle

1936

Song of the Saddle

as

Jen as a Child

The Wild Man of Borneo

1941

The Wild Man of Borneo

as

Francine 'Frankie' Diamond

Those Were the Days!

1940

Those Were the Days!

as

Martha Scroggs

The Beloved Brat

1938

The Beloved Brat

as

Roberta Morgan

Gallant Sons

1940

Gallant Sons

as

Kate Pendleton

The Truth About Murder

1946

The Truth About Murder

as

Christine Allen

Hard to Get

1938

Hard to Get

as

Connie Richards

Westward Passage

1932

Westward Passage

as

Little Olivia Allen (age 9)

My Bill

1938

My Bill

as

Gwen Colbrook

Guilty of Treason

1950

Guilty of Treason

as

Stephanie Varna

The Life of Vergie Winters

1934

The Life of Vergie Winters

as

Joan Shadwell as a Child (uncredited)

Maid of Salem

1937

Maid of Salem

as

Ann

Soaring Stars

1942

Soaring Stars

as

Passenger

The Plough and the Stars

1936

The Plough and the Stars

as

Mollser Gogan

Strike It Rich

1948

Strike It Rich

as

Julie Ann Brady

Ah, Wilderness!

1935

Ah, Wilderness!

as

Mildred Miller

Quality Street

1937

Quality Street

as

Isabella

Senorita from the West

1945

Senorita from the West

as

Jeannie Blake

Down in San Diego

1941

Down in San Diego

as

Betty Haines

The Legend of the Lone Ranger

1981

The Legend of the Lone Ranger

as

Woman (uncredited)

Cradle Song

1933

Cradle Song

as

Carmen (uncredited)

The Garden of Allah

1936

The Garden of Allah

as

Convent Girl (uncredited)

Silver Dollar

1932

Silver Dollar

as

Liddy (uncredited)

The Velvet Alley

1959

The Velvet Alley

as

Mrs. Kirkley

Breakdowns of 1938

1938

Breakdowns of 1938

as

Nancy Drew (archive footage) (uncredited)

Climax!

Climax!

as

Laura Jordan

Climax!

Climax!

as

Molly

Production

Crew

Directing