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Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

111

Gender

Female

Birthday

1909-01-22

Day of Death

2001-03-15 (92 years old)

Place of Birth

Valley City, North Dakota, USA

Also Known As

Harriet Byron

Harriette Lake

Joan Larrabee

Foxy McNamara

Ann Southern

Harriette Arlene Lake

Ann Sothern

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ann Sothern (born Harriette Arlene Lake; January 22, 1909 – March 15, 2001) was an American actress who worked on stage, radio, film, and television, in a career that spanned nearly six decades. Sothern began her career in the late 1920s in bit parts in films. In 1930, she made her Broadway stage debut and soon worked her way up to starring roles. In 1939, MGM cast her as Maisie Ravier, a brash yet lovable Brooklyn showgirl. The character, based on the Maisie short stories by Nell Martin, proved to be popular and spawned a successful film series (Congo Maisie, Gold Rush Maisie, Up Goes Maisie, etc.) and a network radio series (The Adventures of Maisie). In 1953, Sothern moved into television as the star of her own sitcom Private Secretary. The series aired for five seasons on CBS and earned Sothern three Primetime Emmy Award nominations. In 1958, she starred in another sitcom for CBS, The Ann Sothern Show, which aired for three seasons. From 1965 to 1966, Sothern provided the voice of Gladys Crabtree, the title character in the sitcom My Mother the Car. She continued her career throughout the late 1960s with stage and film appearances and guest-starring roles on television. Due to health issues, she worked sporadically during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1987, Sothern appeared in her final film The Whales of August, starring Bette Davis and Lillian Gish. Sothern earned her first and only Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film. After filming concluded, she retired to Ketchum, Idaho, where she spent her remaining years before her death from heart failure in March 2001. Lucille Ball called Sothern "the best comedian in the business, bar none."

Known For

Acting

The Blue Gardenia

1953

The Blue Gardenia

as

Crystal Carpenter

Shadow on the Wall

1950

Shadow on the Wall

as

Dell Faring

Brother Orchid

1940

Brother Orchid

as

Florence 'Flo' Addams

The Manitou

1978

The Manitou

as

Mrs. Karmann

Lady in a Cage

1964

Lady in a Cage

as

Sade

The Best Man

1964

The Best Man

as

Sue Ellen Gamadge

Thousands Cheer

1943

Thousands Cheer

as

Ann Sothern

Lady Be Good

1941

Lady Be Good

as

Dixie Donegan Crane

A Letter to Three Wives

1949

A Letter to Three Wives

as

Rita Phipps

The Killing Kind

1974

The Killing Kind

as

Thelma Lambert

The Whales of August

1987

The Whales of August

as

Tisha Doughty

Maisie

1939

Maisie

as

Maisie Ravier / Mary Anastasia O'Connor

Congo Maisie

1940

Congo Maisie

as

Maisie Ravier

Grand Exit

1935

Grand Exit

as

Adrienne Martin / Adeline Maxwell

Cry 'Havoc'

1943

Cry 'Havoc'

as

Pat

Swing Shift Maisie

1943

Swing Shift Maisie

as

Maisie Ravier

Sylvia

1965

Sylvia

as

Mrs. Argona / Grace Argona

Maisie Gets Her Man

1942

Maisie Gets Her Man

as

Maisie Ravier

Crazy Mama

1975

Crazy Mama

as

Sheba

Panama Hattie

1942

Panama Hattie

as

Hattie Maloney

Fol-de-Rol

1972

Fol-de-Rol

as

Queen Gertrude

Gold Rush Maisie

1940

Gold Rush Maisie

as

Maisie Ravier

Maisie Was a Lady

1941

Maisie Was a Lady

as

Maisie Ravier

Ringside Maisie

1941

Ringside Maisie

as

Maisie Ravier

The March of Time

1930

The March of Time

as

Chorus Girl (uncredited)

Nancy Goes to Rio

1950

Nancy Goes to Rio

as

Frances Elliott

Danger – Love at Work

1937

Danger – Love at Work

as

Antoinette "Toni" Pemberton

April Showers

1948

April Showers

as

June Tyme

Dulcy

1940

Dulcy

as

Dulcy Ward

Super-Sleuth

1937

Super-Sleuth

as

Mary Strand

Fast and Furious

1939

Fast and Furious

as

Garda Sloane

The Girl Friend

1935

The Girl Friend

as

Linda Henry

You May Be Next!

1936

You May Be Next!

as

Fay Stevens

Trade Winds

1938

Trade Winds

as

Jean Livingstone

My American Wife

1936

My American Wife

as

Mary Cantillon

Folies Bergère

1935

Folies Bergère

as

Mimi

She's Got Everything

1937

She's Got Everything

as

Carol Rogers

Hotel for Women

1939

Hotel for Women

as

Ellen Connelly

Undercover Maisie

1947

Undercover Maisie

as

Maisie Ravier

Maisie Goes to Reno

1944

Maisie Goes to Reno

as

Maisie Ravier

Up Goes Maisie

1946

Up Goes Maisie

as

Maisie Ravier

You, John Jones!

1943

You, John Jones!

as

Mary Jones

Smartest Girl in Town

1936

Smartest Girl in Town

as

Frances Cooke

The Weekend Nun

1972

The Weekend Nun

as

Mother Bonaventure

There Goes the Groom

1937

There Goes the Groom

as

Bettina Louise "Betty" Russell

Chubasco

1968

Chubasco

as

Angela

Song of the West

1930

Song of the West

as

Bit Part

The Hell Cat

1934

The Hell Cat

as

Geraldine Sloane

Blind Date

1934

Blind Date

as

Kitty Taylor

There Goes My Girl

1937

There Goes My Girl

as

Connie Taylor

Walking on Air

1936

Walking on Air

as

Kit Bennett

Kid Millions

1934

Kid Millions

as

Joan Larrabee

Three Hearts for Julia

1943

Three Hearts for Julia

as

Julia Seabrook

Words and Music

1948

Words and Music

as

Joyce Harmon

Good News

1930

Good News

as

Student

Hooray for Love

1935

Hooray for Love

as

Patricia Thatcher

Dangerous Number

1937

Dangerous Number

as

Eleanor

Eight Bells

1935

Eight Bells

as

Marge Walker

Whoopee!

1930

Whoopee!

as

Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)

The Outsider

1967

The Outsider

as

Mrs. Kozzek

Show of Shows

1929

Show of Shows

as

Performer in 'Meet My Sister' & 'Bicycle Built for Two' Numbers (as Harriet Lake)

That's Entertainment! III

1994

That's Entertainment! III

as

(archive footage)

Don't Gamble with Love

1936

Don't Gamble with Love

as

Ann Edwards

Golden Needles

1974

Golden Needles

as

Fenzie

Madam Satan

1930

Madam Satan

as

Zeppelin Reveler (uncredited)

Broadway Nights

1927

Broadway Nights

as

Showgirl (uncredited)

Melody in Spring

1934

Melody in Spring

as

Jane Blodgett

That's Entertainment, Part II

1976

That's Entertainment, Part II

as

(archive footage)

Twenty Years After

1944

Twenty Years After

as

(archive footage)

The Party's Over

1934

The Party's Over

as

Ruth Walker

Fifty Roads to Town

1937

Fifty Roads to Town

as

Millicent Kendall

A Death of Innocence

1971

A Death of Innocence

as

Annie La Cossit

Hell-Ship Morgan

1936

Hell-Ship Morgan

as

Mary Taylor

The Great Man's Whiskers

1972

The Great Man's Whiskers

as

Aunt Margaret Bancroft

The Lucy Show

The Lucy Show

as

Rosie Harrigan

My Mother the Car

My Mother the Car

as

Gladys Crabtree

Private Secretary

Private Secretary

as

Susie McNamara

The Ann Sothern Show

The Ann Sothern Show

as

Katy O'Connor

The Steve Allen Show

The Steve Allen Show

as

Self - Guest

Letter to Loretta

Letter to Loretta

as

Self - Guest Host

The Ford Television Theatre

The Ford Television Theatre

as

Christine Emerson

The Virginian

The Virginian

as

Della Spencer

Production

Crew

Directing