GENE TIERNEY

Gene Tierney was born in Brooklyn in 1920 to a wealthy family, and she became a stage actress, but this tall (5'7" actress) who was very beautiful (and could act!) was soon "discovered" by Darryl F. Zanuck (who had a thing for beautiful young actresses). She made 9 movies in 1941 and 1942 alone. Her best two roles (and most memorable) came in 1944 and 1945, when she played the leads in Laura and in Leave Her To Heaven (nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award for this film). Her personal life was very troubled. She had many failed marriages and relationships (including Oleg Cassini, Tyrone Power Jr., John Kennedy, and others), a mentally handicapped daughter (Tierney was pregnant when exposed to rubella by a fan who broke quarantine), and suffered from depression, and she was treated with electroshock therapy. She passed away in 1991 at the age of 70.