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Diana Lewis

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Diana Lewis
Trailer for Cry 'Havoc' (1943)
Born(1919-09-18)September 18, 1919
DiedJanuary 18, 1997(1997-01-18) (aged 77)
Resting placeDesert Memorial Park, Cathedral City, California
OccupationActress
Years active1934–1943
Spouses
Jay Raye
(m. 1935; div. 1939)
(m. 1940; died 1984)

Diana Lewis (September 18, 1919 – January 18, 1997)[1] was an American film actress and a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player.

Early years

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The daughter of vaudeville performers,[2] Lewis was born in Asbury Park, New Jersey. She attended Fairfax High School in Los Angeles.[2][3]

Career

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Lewis was a singer with the orchestra led by Larry Leeds.[4]

She began her film career in It's a Gift (1934) and worked steadily over the next few years, usually in minor roles. Her more notable films include It's a Gift, Gold Diggers in Paris (1938), Go West (1940), and Johnny Eager (1941). She was the love interest of Andy Hardy as Daphne Fowler in Andy Hardy Meets Debutante (1940).[5]

Marriage

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Lewis met actor William Powell, who was 27 years her senior, at MGM in 1939.[6] They married at a dude ranch in Nevada on January 5, 1940,[7] after a courtship of less than a month.[6] She retired from acting in 1943. Lewis became known as Mousie Powell after her marriage.[8]

Death

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Lewis died from pancreatic cancer in Rancho Mirage, California, aged 77. She was interred at Cathedral City's Desert Memorial Park in Riverside County, California, alongside Powell, and her stepson, William David Powell.[9]

Affiliations and honors

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Lewis was an active supporter of women's golf and the LPGA. The LPGA's William and Mousie Powell Award is named in honor of the Powells.[citation needed]

In 2000, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to her.[10]

Complete filmography

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Year Film Role Director Notes
1934 It's a Gift Betty Dunk Norman Z. McLeod
1935 One Hour Late Sick Woman's Daughter Ralph Murphy Uncredited
Enter Madame Operator Elliott Nugent
All the King's Horses Aggressive Chorine on Train Frank Tuttle Uncredited
Choose Your Partners Short
1936 Grand Slam Opera The Girl Downstairs Charles Lamont Short
1937 Love Nest on Wheels The Bride Charles Lamont Short
1938 He Couldn't Say No Iris Mabby Lewis Seiler
Gold Diggers in Paris Golddigger Busby Berkeley
1939 First Offenders Ann Blakeley
1940 Forty Little Mothers Marcia Busby Berkeley
Andy Hardy Meets Debutante Daphne Fowler George B. Seitz
Bitter Sweet Jane
Go West Eve Wilson Edward Buzzell
1941 The People vs. Dr. Kildare Fay Lennox Harold S. Bucquet
Johnny Eager Judy Sanford Mervyn LeRoy
1942 Whistling in Dixie Ellamae Downs S. Sylvan Simon
Seven Sweethearts Mrs. Nugent Frank Borzage
1943 Cry 'Havoc' Nydia Richard Thorpe

References

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  1. ^ Palm Springs Cemetery District "Interments of Interest"
  2. ^ a b Vosburgh, Dick (January 31, 1997). "Obituary: Diana Lewis". The Independent. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  3. ^ "Fairfax Senior High School". schooldirectory.lausd.net. Los Angeles Unified School District.
  4. ^ "William Powell, 47, Film Star, Weds Diana Lewis, Rising Young Actress". The Dispatch. Illinois, Moline. Associated Press. January 6, 1940. p. 11. Retrieved September 11, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Andy Hardy films website". Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2008.
  6. ^ a b "The 3rd Mrs Powell". Photoplay. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  7. ^ "William Powell Marries Girl 21 Years Old". The Courier-Journal. Kentucky, Louisville. Associated Press. January 6, 1940. p. 10. Retrieved September 11, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "How Diana Lewis became Mousie Powell".
  9. ^ Brooks, Patricia; Brooks, Jonathan (2006). "Chapter 8: East L.A. and the Desert". Laid to Rest in California: a guide to the cemeteries and grave sites of the rich and famous. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot Press. p. 243. ISBN 978-0762741014. OCLC 70284362.
  10. ^ Palm Springs Walk of Stars by date dedicated
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