Donna Martell
| Donna Martell | |
|---|---|
|
Marshall Reed and Donna Martell in The Lineup | |
| Born |
December 24, 1927 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Film actress |
| Years active | 1947–1983 |
| Spouse(s) | Gene Corso (1953-1996) (his death) (3 children)[1] |
Donna Martell (born December 24, 1927), is an American former actress in film and television.
Born on December 24, 1927 in Los Angeles, California, as Irene Palma de Maria to Louis and Margaret de Maria,[2] she began her film career in 1947 when she was cast in the Republic Pictures western Apache Rose, starring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. She continued making appearances throughout the late 1940s, signing a contract with Universal Studios.[3]
By the time the 1950s arrived, Martell's career shifted towards television shows such as Cavalcade of America, The Range Rider and Cheyenne.[4]
She was also in Project Moonbase (also known as Project Moon Base), a 1953 black-and-white science fiction film directed by Richard Talmadge. The film is unusual for its time in both attempting to portray space travel in a "realistic" manner, and for depicting a future in which women hold positions of authority and responsibility equal to men; in the script Martell's character, Briteis, is a colonel and outranks her fellow male astronaut, who is a major.
Donna Martell's acting career officially ended in 1963; but made a short comeback in the 1983 TV movie Grace Kelly.
She was presented one of the 2002 Golden Boot Awards for her contributions to western television and cinema.
Donna Martell married baseball player Gene Edgar Corso on June 27, 1953,[5] and are parents to three children.
Selected filmography
- Robin Hood of Monterey (1947)
- Apache Rose (1947) as Rosa Vega
- The Lost Moment (1947) as pretty girl
- The Woman from Tangier (1948)
- Secret Beyond the Door (1948) as young Mexican girl
- The Saxon Charm (1948) as flower girl
- Illegal Entry (film) (1949) as Maria
- Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949) as Betty Crandall
- Kim (1950) as Haikun
- The Golden Hawk (1952) as Emilie Savonez
- Project Moonbase (1953) as Colonel Briteis
- Give a Girl a Break (1953) as Janet Hallson
- Ten Wanted Men (1955) as Maria Segura
- Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955) as Suchen
- House of Numbers (1957) as Lois
References
- ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=MllCLkc3Q_EC&pg=PA137&lpg=PA137&dq=gene+corso+donna+martell&source=bl&ots=gC4SO0CVTU&sig=XSJcmkdtiOxZLpfqAY---vbo78U&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj35sLtreTOAhUFlx4KHYlhCMkQ6AEISjAL#v=onepage&q=gene%20corso%20donna%20martell&f=false
- ↑ "1930 U.S. Census". Familysearch.org. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- ↑ "Interview with Donna Martell". Western Clippings. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- ↑ "Donna Martell". Republican Pictures. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- ↑ "Certificate of Registry of Marriage". Familysearch.org. Retrieved 29 May 2016.