Cathy O'Donnell

Cathy O'Donnell was born on Jul 06, 1923 in USA. Cathy O'Donnell's big-screen debut came with Wonder Man directed by H. Bruce Humberstone in 1945. Cathy O'Donnell is known for Ben-Hur directed by William Wyler, Charlton Heston stars as Judah Ben-Hur and Jack Hawkins as Quintus Arrius. The upcoming new movie Cathy O'Donnell plays is Ben-Hur which will be released on Nov 18, 1959.

Born and raised in Alabama as Ann Steely, O'Donnell attended high school and college in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, then worked as a stenographer to finance a trip to Hollywood, where she was spotted by a talent scout, leading to her being signed to a contract by producer Samuel Goldwyn.Recognizing her talent and appeal through a thick Southern accent, Goldwyn arranged rigorous voice & theatrical training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and elsewhere, bestowed on her a winsome Irish stage name, and cast her in Les Plus Belles Années de notre vie (1946). This film's success boded well for Cathy's career, and soon she was starred in the now-classic Les Amants de la nuit (1948). However, her rise in films was checked when, on Sunday, April 11th, 1948, at age 24, she married 48-year-old producer Robert Wyler, older brother of one of Hollywood's most accomplished directors, William Wyler, whose own long-term contract with Goldwyn had recently ended acrimoniously. The irate Goldwyn abruptly canceled her contract; thereafter she had no lasting association with any studio or producer. Her most memorable roles of the 1950s were in classic Films Noirs, such as Histoire de détective (1951), where her sincere, sweet girl-next-door persona was at odds with those films' dark, gritty milieu. Her last and most famous film was Ben-Hur (1959), after whose enormous success she worked on TV until 1961. Belying Goldwyn's opinion, her marriage to Wyler proved happy, though childless. Her death on their 22nd wedding anniversary, Saturday, April 11th, 1970, followed a long struggle with cancer.