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Dana Andrews Filmography
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Dana Andrews (January 1, 1909 - December 17, 1992) was an American actor. He was born in Covington County, Mississippi as one of 13 children. His father was a Baptist minister. Soon his family moved to Kentucky, and later to Texas, where they settled in Huntsville. After school, Andrews studied business administration in Houston.
In 1931, Andrews felt that his interest was acting, and went to California to seek his opportunity in cinema. There he did all kind of jobs to earn his living. One of his employers believed in him and paid for his studies in opera and also at the Pasadena Playhouse, a prestigious theater and acting school. Andrews started to play on this stage and finally signed a contract with Samuel Goldwyn. It was two years later that he was offered his first movie role in
William Wyler's
The Westerner which starred
Gary Cooper.
His roles in the 1944 film Laura with Gene Tierney and the 1946 film The Best Years Of Our Lives, co-starring
Fredric March and
Myrna Loy made him a star, but his popularity was short-lived. With a few exceptions such as
Elephant Walk, starring
Elizabeth Taylor and
Peter Finch, after the 40's and mid 50's he had little success. In addition, Andrews suffered from alcoholism for many years. He eventually overcame his addiction and became one of the first celebrities to do a public service announcement for AA.
In 1963 Andrews became president of the Screen Actors Guild. A few years later he left acting being aware that he would not be offered enough roles to continue his career. He began working in his own business.
Andrews was married twice. He married his first wife Janet Murray in 1932 but she died three years later. His second wife was actress Mary Todd, whom he wed in 1939. From his first marriage he had a son who died while Andrews was still alive. From his second marriage he had a son and two daughters. During the last years of his life, Andrews suffered from Alzheimer's disease. He died in 1992 in Los Alamitos, California from heart failure.
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