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Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

39

Gender

Female

Birthday

1913-08-13

Day of Death

1965-10-31 (52 years old)

Place of Birth

Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

Also Known As

Рита Джонсон

Rita Ann Johnson

Rita Johnson

Biography

Rita Ann Johnson (August 13, 1913 – October 31, 1965) was an American actress. Early in her career, Johnson was busy in radio. Johnson began acting on Broadway in 1935 and started her film career two years later. She played a murderer in Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) and a doomed wife in the RKO film noir They Won't Believe Me (1947). In an incident that was never fully explained, Johnson suffered a head trauma on September 6, 1948 that required brain surgery. Unsubstantiated rumors promulgated by gossip columnists such as Walter Winchell suggested she might have been abused by a boyfriend, but the only explanation she offered was that a large, industrial-grade hair dryer at her apartment had fallen on her. She was in a coma for two weeks and it was reported it took her a year to recover. Her left side was paralyzed temporarily and for a while she couldn't walk. The injury put a virtual halt to her film career. Her screen time in movies after that was limited due to her reduced mobility and powers of concentration. Johnson suffered from alcoholism from the time of her injuries until her death of a brain hemorrhage at age 52. From Wikipedia.

Known For

Acting

Man-Proof

1938

Man-Proof

as

Florence (dialogue scenes deleted)

The Naughty Nineties

1945

The Naughty Nineties

as

Bonita Farrow

They Won't Believe Me

1947

They Won't Believe Me

as

Greta Ballentine

Within the Law

1939

Within the Law

as

Agnes Lynch

Edison, the Man

1940

Edison, the Man

as

Mary Stilwell

Honolulu

1939

Honolulu

as

Cecelia Grayson

Here Comes Mr. Jordan

1941

Here Comes Mr. Jordan

as

Julia Farnsworth

The Major and the Minor

1942

The Major and the Minor

as

Pamela Hill

My Friend Flicka

1943

My Friend Flicka

as

Nell McLaughlin

The Big Clock

1948

The Big Clock

as

Pauline York

Congo Maisie

1940

Congo Maisie

as

Kay McWade

All Mine to Give

1957

All Mine to Give

as

Katie Tyler

Susan Slept Here

1954

Susan Slept Here

as

Dr. Rawley

Thunderhead: Son of Flicka

1945

Thunderhead: Son of Flicka

as

Nelle McLaughlin

Sleep, My Love

1948

Sleep, My Love

as

Barby

Family Honeymoon

1948

Family Honeymoon

as

Minna Fenster

Forty Little Mothers

1940

Forty Little Mothers

as

Marian Edwards

The Second Face

1950

The Second Face

as

Claire Elwood

Broadway Serenade

1939

Broadway Serenade

as

Judith 'Judy' Tyrrell

The Golden Fleecing

1940

The Golden Fleecing

as

Mary Blake

My Dear Miss Aldrich

1937

My Dear Miss Aldrich

as

Ellen Warfield

The Affairs of Susan

1945

The Affairs of Susan

as

Mona Kent

Stronger Than Desire

1939

Stronger Than Desire

as

Barbara Winter

Smashing the Rackets

1938

Smashing the Rackets

as

Leticia "Letty" Lane

The Girl Downstairs

1938

The Girl Downstairs

as

Rosalind Brown

Pardon My Past

1945

Pardon My Past

as

Mary Pemberton

Rich Man, Poor Girl

1938

Rich Man, Poor Girl

as

Sally Harrison

London by Night

1937

London by Night

as

Patricia Herrick

An Innocent Affair

1948

An Innocent Affair

as

Eve Lawrence

Appointment for Love

1941

Appointment for Love

as

Nancy Benson

6,000 Enemies

1939

6,000 Enemies

as

Anne Barry

Emergency Hospital

1956

Emergency Hospital

as

Head Nurse Norma Mullen

The Perfect Marriage

1947

The Perfect Marriage

as

Mabel Manning

The Art Director

1949

The Art Director

as

Self - from 'The Big Clock' (archive footage) (uncredited)

Michigan Kid

1947

Michigan Kid

as

Sue Dawson

Production

Crew

Directing