Almira Sessions (September , â€" August , ) was an American character
actress of stage, screen and television. Born in Washington, D.C., her
career took her through all the acting mediums of the th century. She
appeared in over films and television shows. She worked into her s,
finally retiring shortly before her death in in Los Angeles.Sessions
was born into a very well-known family in Washington D.C. on September
, . A debutante, she followed her coming out party with her
introduction into the acting profession, appearing in a performance
of the comic operetta The Sultan of Sulu by George Ade and Nathaniel
D. Mann. Her early career was spent performing in cabarets before she
moved to New York City, where she began performing on the stage and on
Bob Hope's radio show. During the s she appeared in many stage
productions, including several Broadway productions.While appearing on
the stage in New York during the s, Sessions made her film debut in
Edward Sloman's film Wayward. While this marked her debut in films,
it was not the true beginning to her career in film. Wayward was
filmed in New York at the Paramount Publix studios. Sessions did not
begin to appear regularly in feature films until eight years later, in
, with her appearance in Norman Taurog's Little Nellie Kelly, starring
Judy Garland. During the s she would occasionally appear in film
shorts, such as 's Two Boobs in a Balloon, starring Edgar
Bergen.During her film career, which spanned four decades from the s
to the s, she appeared in numerous notable films, including: Preston
Sturges's Sullivan's Travels (), starring Joel McCrea and Veronica
Lake; the William Wellman drama, The Ox-Bow Incident, starring Henry
Fonda, Dana Andrews, and Anthony Quinn; her performance as Hattie the
cook in the comedy, My Kingdom for a Cook, starring Charles Coburn,
garnered her notice for her comedic talent; another Preston Sturges
film, the comedy The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, with Eddie Bracken
and Betty Hutton; the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical State Fair ();
the Cole Porter biopic, Night and Day (), starring Cary Grant and
Alexis Smith; Monsieur Verdoux, Charlie Chaplin's comedy-drama in
which she had one of her infrequent featured roles; saw her dramatic
performance in the film noir Fear highlighted in reviews; the iconic
It's a Wonderful Life (), directed by Frank Capra and starring James
Stewart; the Christmas classic The Bishop's Wife (), which stars Cary
Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven and was directed by Henry
Koster; the period comedy Take Me Out to the Ball Game, starring Frank
Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Esther Williams; and King Vidor's production
of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, starring Gary Cooper and Patricia
Neal.
actress of stage, screen and television. Born in Washington, D.C., her
career took her through all the acting mediums of the th century. She
appeared in over films and television shows. She worked into her s,
finally retiring shortly before her death in in Los Angeles.Sessions
was born into a very well-known family in Washington D.C. on September
, . A debutante, she followed her coming out party with her
introduction into the acting profession, appearing in a performance
of the comic operetta The Sultan of Sulu by George Ade and Nathaniel
D. Mann. Her early career was spent performing in cabarets before she
moved to New York City, where she began performing on the stage and on
Bob Hope's radio show. During the s she appeared in many stage
productions, including several Broadway productions.While appearing on
the stage in New York during the s, Sessions made her film debut in
Edward Sloman's film Wayward. While this marked her debut in films,
it was not the true beginning to her career in film. Wayward was
filmed in New York at the Paramount Publix studios. Sessions did not
begin to appear regularly in feature films until eight years later, in
, with her appearance in Norman Taurog's Little Nellie Kelly, starring
Judy Garland. During the s she would occasionally appear in film
shorts, such as 's Two Boobs in a Balloon, starring Edgar
Bergen.During her film career, which spanned four decades from the s
to the s, she appeared in numerous notable films, including: Preston
Sturges's Sullivan's Travels (), starring Joel McCrea and Veronica
Lake; the William Wellman drama, The Ox-Bow Incident, starring Henry
Fonda, Dana Andrews, and Anthony Quinn; her performance as Hattie the
cook in the comedy, My Kingdom for a Cook, starring Charles Coburn,
garnered her notice for her comedic talent; another Preston Sturges
film, the comedy The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, with Eddie Bracken
and Betty Hutton; the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical State Fair ();
the Cole Porter biopic, Night and Day (), starring Cary Grant and
Alexis Smith; Monsieur Verdoux, Charlie Chaplin's comedy-drama in
which she had one of her infrequent featured roles; saw her dramatic
performance in the film noir Fear highlighted in reviews; the iconic
It's a Wonderful Life (), directed by Frank Capra and starring James
Stewart; the Christmas classic The Bishop's Wife (), which stars Cary
Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven and was directed by Henry
Koster; the period comedy Take Me Out to the Ball Game, starring Frank
Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Esther Williams; and King Vidor's production
of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, starring Gary Cooper and Patricia
Neal.
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