Born Gretchen Young in Salt Lake City, Utah on January 6, 1913, Loretta was appearing on screen as a child extra by the time she was four. She joined her elder sisters, Polly Ann Young and Elizabeth Jane Young (later known as Sally Blane), as child players. She was billed as Gretchen Young in the silent film ”Sirens of the Sea” (1917) and was first billed as Loretta Young in “The Whip Woman” (1928). That same year, she co-starred with Lon Chaney in “Laugh, Clown, Laugh” (1928). In 1934 she co-starred with Cary Grant in “Born to be Bad”, and in 1935 was billed with Clark Gable in “The Call of the Wild” (1935). They had an affair, and Loretta became pregnant. Because of the strict morality clauses in their contracts - and the fact that Clark Gable was married - they could not tell anybody except Loretta’s mother. Loretta and her mother left for Europe after filming on “The Crusades” finished. On November 6, 1935, Loretta delivered a healthy baby girl whom she named Judith. In 1938, Loretta starred as Sally Goodwin in the Technicolor film “Kentucky” (1938), a big success. She reached the pinnacle of her career however during the 1940s, when she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in “The Farmer’s Daughter” (1947). The same year, she starred in the delightful fantasy “The Bishop’s Wife” with David Niven and Cary Grant. In 1949, Loretta starred in the well-received film, “Mother Is a Freshman” (1949) with Van Johnson and Rudy Vallee and “Come to the Stable” (1949). In 1953, Loretta made “It Happens Every Thursday” (1953), which was to be her final big screen role. She retired from films and began a second, equally successful career as hostess of “The Loretta Young Show” (1953), a half-hour television drama anthology series which ran on NBC from 1953 to 1961. By 1960, Loretta was a grandmother. Her daughter Judy Lewis had married about three years before and had a daughter in 1959, whom they named Maria. Loretta lived a quiet retirement in Palm Springs, California until her passing on August 12, 2000 from ovarian cancer
Jean Harlow
A young 16-year old Loretta Young from 1929.
Born Gretchen Young in Salt Lake City, Utah on January 6, 1913, Loretta was appearing on screen as a child extra by the time she was four. She joined her elder sisters, Polly Ann Young and Elizabeth Jane Young (later known as Sally Blane), as child players. She was billed as Gretchen Young in the silent film ”Sirens of the Sea” (1917) and was first billed as Loretta Young in “The Whip Woman” (1928). That same year, she co-starred with Lon Chaney in “Laugh, Clown, Laugh” (1928). In 1934 she co-starred with Cary Grant in “Born to be Bad”, and in 1935 was billed with Clark Gable in “The Call of the Wild” (1935). They had an affair, and Loretta became pregnant. Because of the strict morality clauses in their contracts - and the fact that Clark Gable was married - they could not tell anybody except Loretta’s mother. Loretta and her mother left for Europe after filming on “The Crusades” finished. On November 6, 1935, Loretta delivered a healthy baby girl whom she named Judith. In 1938, Loretta starred as Sally Goodwin in the Technicolor film “Kentucky” (1938), a big success. She reached the pinnacle of her career however during the 1940s, when she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in “The Farmer’s Daughter” (1947). The same year, she starred in the delightful fantasy “The Bishop’s Wife” with David Niven and Cary Grant. In 1949, Loretta starred in the well-received film, “Mother Is a Freshman” (1949) with Van Johnson and Rudy Vallee and “Come to the Stable” (1949). In 1953, Loretta made “It Happens Every Thursday” (1953), which was to be her final big screen role. She retired from films and began a second, equally successful career as hostess of “The Loretta Young Show” (1953), a half-hour television drama anthology series which ran on NBC from 1953 to 1961. By 1960, Loretta was a grandmother. Her daughter Judy Lewis had married about three years before and had a daughter in 1959, whom they named Maria. Loretta lived a quiet retirement in Palm Springs, California until her passing on August 12, 2000 from ovarian cancer