Grayson, Kathryn (1922–)

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Grayson, Kathryn (1922–)

American actress and singer. Born Zelma Kathryn Hedrick, Feb 9, 1922, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; m. John Shelton (actor), 1940 (div. 1946); m. Johnny Johnston (singeractor), 1947 (div. 1951).

A petite brunette, with a heart-shaped face and a coloratura voice, was headed for an operatic career when she was offered a movie contract by Louis B. Mayer; made an auspicious debut in Andy Hardy's Private Secretary (1941), in which she sang an aria from an opera; captured attention in next movie, The Vanishing Virginians (1942), with a lilting rendition of "The World Was Made for You"; teamed in 2 films with Mario Lanza: That Midnight Kiss (1949) and The Toast of New Orleans (1950); appeared opposite Howard Keel in the hit remake of Show Boat (1951), followed by a remake of Roberta, retitled Lovely to Look At (1952), and Kiss Me Kate (1953), perhaps the best of her brief career; made tv debut in "Shadows of the Heart" on the "General Electric Theater" series (1955), for which she was nominated for an Emmy; also appeared on the concert stage and in the operas Madame Butterfly, La Bohème and La Traviata (1960).

See also Women in World History.