Carole Landis
Forest Lawn Glendale
Actress Carole Landis moved to California from the Midwest in 1934,
and first found work as a hula dancer and a Big Band singer in San Francisco.
After signing a studio contract with Warner Bros., she appeared in more than
20 films in 1937 and 1938, including "A Star is Born" with Janet Gaynor
and Fredric March, and "A Day at the Races" with the Marx Brothers.
But Landis usually played bit parts -- cashiers, hat-check girls, secretaries
and party guests.
Her big break came when director Hal Roach cast her with
Victor Mature in "One Million Years B.C." (1940). She followed that with
"Turnabout" (1941), co-starring with Adolph Menjou, and "I Wake Up Screaming"
(1941), with Mature and Betty Grable. Landis continued to star in small
Landis toured extensively with the USO during World War II,
helping to sell War Bonds and entertaining the troops, both in the United
States and overseas. She wrote about her experiences in a best-selling book
titled, "Four Jills in a Jeep," and also starred in the film version of
the book, playing herself.
In the late 1940s, with her fourth marriage ending in divorce,
Landis had slipped back to playing supporting roles in smaller films. She
was eventually dropped by 20th Century-Fox studio, and was involved in
a fairly well-publicized affair with married actor Rex Harrison. When
Harrison decided to end the relationship, and with her career slumping,
Landis committed suicide by taking an overdose of sleeping pills in 1948.
Though only 29 when she died, Landis was a talented singer, dancer and
actress who could handle both dramatic and comedic roles. She appeared
in more than 50 films.
Carole Landis was born Frances Lillian Mary Ridste on Jan.
1, 1919, in Fairchild, WI. She died July 5, 1948, in Pacific Palisades, CA.
1919 - 1948
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