Claire Dodd facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Claire Dodd
Dodd in 1933
Born	Dorothy Arlene Dodd (1911-12-29)December 29, 1911 Baxter, Iowa, U.S.
Died	November 23, 1973(1973-11-23) (aged 61) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Resting place	Brand Family Cemetery, Glendale, California
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1930–1942
Spouse(s)	Jack Milton Strauss ​ ​ (m. 1931; div. 1938)​ H. Brand Cooper ​ ​ (m. 1942)​
Children	5

Claire Dodd (born Dorothy Arlene Dodd; December 29, 1911 – November 23, 1973) was an American film actress. She starred in over sixty movies during the 1930s and early 1940s. Claire was known for her roles in films like Footlight Parade and In the Navy.

Claire Dodd's Life and Career

Early Life and Start in Hollywood

Dorothy Arlene Dodd was born on December 29, 1911, in Baxter, Iowa. Her father, Walter Willard Dodd, was a farmer from a very old family in Jasper County. Her mother was Ethel Viola Dodd. Claire's parents got married in June 1911.

As she grew up, her family moved around a lot. They lived in places like Denver, Kansas City, Phoenix, St. Louis, and Missoula, Montana. Her parents later separated in Montana. Around 1927, young Dorothy moved to California. There, she worked as a model in Los Angeles and tried out for small parts in movies.

Claire Dodd

Dodd in 1935

Dodd in 1933

Dodd with Bernard Nedell in Slightly Honorable (1939)

Dodd in Footlight Parade (1933)

While modeling in Los Angeles, Claire got a small role in the movie Whoopee!. This movie starred Eddie Cantor and was produced by Florenz Ziegfeld. Ziegfeld was so impressed that he offered Dodd a part in his next Broadway musical, Smiles. She then joined the famous Ziegfeld Follies and moved to New York City. There, she took lessons in singing and dancing. After Smiles finished, she signed a five-year contract with Paramount Pictures. After playing small roles in several films, she signed a contract with Warner Bros. thanks to Darryl F. Zanuck.

A Small Town Uproar

There was once some confusion about where Claire Dodd was born. Early in her career, she applied for a passport to travel to Europe. She reportedly said she only knew she was born in Iowa, but couldn't remember the exact town. This caused a bit of a stir in her home state!

"My early childhood is just a blur to me," she once said. "I don't remember a thing about Iowa, I'm sorry to say. I was so small when I left there." Many of her relatives still lived near Baxter when this story came out in a newspaper in 1935. People in Baxter were upset, feeling it was an insult to their small town. To clear things up, the Deputy Jasper County Clerk quickly sent Claire a copy of her birth certificate.

Her Film Career

Claire Dodd worked for major studios like Warner Brothers, Paramount, and Universal. She appeared in more than sixty films over twelve years, from 1930 to 1942. She often played characters who were smart, stylish, and sometimes a bit sneaky.

She famously played Della Street twice. Della Street was the secretary to the detective Perry Mason. Claire played Della in The Case of the Curious Bride (1935) and The Case of the Velvet Claws (1936). In the second movie, her character Della Street actually married Perry Mason, which was unique! One of her last movies was In the Navy (1941), starring the comedy duo Abbott and Costello.

Personal Life and Retirement

Claire Dodd was known in Hollywood for keeping her private life separate from her acting career. In 1931, she married John Milton Strauss, who was an investment banker. In 1936, she gave birth to her first child, Jon Michael Strauss. Many people in Hollywood were surprised because they didn't even know she was married! The couple later divorced in 1938.

Claire retired from acting in 1942. She then married her second husband, H. Brand Cooper. They had four children together: a daughter named Austeene, and three sons named John T., Brand, and Peter.

Later Life and Passing

Claire Dodd passed away at her home in Beverly Hills, California, from cancer. She was 61 years old. She is buried in the Brand Family Cemetery, which is located on the grounds of the Brand Library and Art Center in Glendale, California.

Claire Dodd's Movies

Here is a list of some of the movies Claire Dodd appeared in:

Sources

• "When Dorothy forgot: 'There's no place like home'", Sunday Times-Republican Past Times, November 17, 1996, Marshalltown, Iowa.

See also

In Spanish: Claire Dodd para niños