Elizabeth Ruth Grable (December 18, 1916 â€" July 2, 1973) was an
American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model, and singer. Her 42 films
during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million, for 10
consecutive years (1942â€"1951) she reigned in the Quigley Poll's Top
10 box office stars (a feat only matched by Doris Day and Barbra
Streisand). The U.S. Treasury Department in 1946 and 1947 listed her
as the highest-salaried American woman; she earned more than $3
million during her career.Grable began her film career in 1929 at age
12, after which she was fired from a contract when it was learned she
signed up under false identification. She had contracts with RKO and
Paramount Pictures during the 1930s, and appeared in a string of B
movies, mostly portraying college students. Grable came to prominence
in the Broadway musical DuBarry Was a Lady (1939), which brought her
to the attention of 20th Century-Fox.She replaced Alice Faye in Down
Argentine Way (1940), her first major Hollywood film, and became Fox's
biggest film star throughout the remaining decade. Fox cast Grable in
a succession of Technicolor musicals during the decade that were
immensely popular, co-starring with such leading men as Victor Mature,
Don Ameche, John Payne, and Tyrone Power. In 1943, she was the
number-one box-office draw in the world and, in 1947, she was the
highest-paid entertainer in the United States. Two of her biggest film
successes were the musical Mother Wore Tights (1947) and the comedy
How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), one of her last films. Grable
retired from screen acting in 1955 after she withdrew from her Fox
contract, although she continued to perform on the stage and on
television.Throughout her career, Grable was a celebrated sex symbol.
Her bathing suit poster made her the number-one pin-up girl of World
War II, surpassing Rita Hayworth. It was later included in the Life
magazine project "100 Photographs That Changed the World". Hosiery
specialists of the era often noted the ideal proportions of her legs
as thigh (18.5 in (47 cm)), calf (12 in (30 cm)), and ankle (7.5 in
(19 cm)). Grable's legs were insured by her studio for $1 million as a
publicity stunt. Describing her film career, Grable said "I became a
star for two reasons, and I'm standing on them."
American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model, and singer. Her 42 films
during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million, for 10
consecutive years (1942â€"1951) she reigned in the Quigley Poll's Top
10 box office stars (a feat only matched by Doris Day and Barbra
Streisand). The U.S. Treasury Department in 1946 and 1947 listed her
as the highest-salaried American woman; she earned more than $3
million during her career.Grable began her film career in 1929 at age
12, after which she was fired from a contract when it was learned she
signed up under false identification. She had contracts with RKO and
Paramount Pictures during the 1930s, and appeared in a string of B
movies, mostly portraying college students. Grable came to prominence
in the Broadway musical DuBarry Was a Lady (1939), which brought her
to the attention of 20th Century-Fox.She replaced Alice Faye in Down
Argentine Way (1940), her first major Hollywood film, and became Fox's
biggest film star throughout the remaining decade. Fox cast Grable in
a succession of Technicolor musicals during the decade that were
immensely popular, co-starring with such leading men as Victor Mature,
Don Ameche, John Payne, and Tyrone Power. In 1943, she was the
number-one box-office draw in the world and, in 1947, she was the
highest-paid entertainer in the United States. Two of her biggest film
successes were the musical Mother Wore Tights (1947) and the comedy
How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), one of her last films. Grable
retired from screen acting in 1955 after she withdrew from her Fox
contract, although she continued to perform on the stage and on
television.Throughout her career, Grable was a celebrated sex symbol.
Her bathing suit poster made her the number-one pin-up girl of World
War II, surpassing Rita Hayworth. It was later included in the Life
magazine project "100 Photographs That Changed the World". Hosiery
specialists of the era often noted the ideal proportions of her legs
as thigh (18.5 in (47 cm)), calf (12 in (30 cm)), and ankle (7.5 in
(19 cm)). Grable's legs were insured by her studio for $1 million as a
publicity stunt. Describing her film career, Grable said "I became a
star for two reasons, and I'm standing on them."
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