Irene Ware (born Irene Catherine Ahlberg; November 6, 1910 â€" March
11, 1993) was an American actress. She was a beauty queen and showgirl
before appearing in 29 films between 1932 and 1940, and is mostly
remembered for her roles as Princess Nadji in Chandu the Magician
(1932) with Edmund Lowe and Bela Lugosi, and as Boris Karloff's and
Lugosi's leading lady in 1935's The Raven.Irene Catherine Ahlberg was
born November 6, 1910, in Albany, New York. Her father, Ernest
Ahlberg, born in Sweden, managed a saloon. Her mother, Anna Freya,
born in New York of Austrian parents, was a real estate agent. She
lived in New York and Los Angeles. Her sister, Anita, was an artist.As
an 18-year-old stenographer, (5`6"/1.68 cm tall), Ware was crowned
Miss Greater New York, then Miss United States in 1929, and the same
year was first runner-up for the title of Miss Universe at a pageant
held in Galveston, Texas. She also won $1,000. The winner, Austria's
Lisl Goldarbeiter, was the subject of a TV documentary, "A Queen In
Wien", released in 2006 and directed by Hungarian Peter Forgacs.
("Miss United States" was an unofficial alternative to the Miss
America Pageant, which was not held in 1929. The Miss Universe contest
of the 1920s was not connected to the current Miss Universe system,
which was launched in 1952.)Ware debuted on stage in a revue at the
Metropolitan Theatre Boston in July 1929, She performed in Early
Carroll's Sketch Book (1929) and in the 1930 and 1931 versions of Earl
Carroll's Vanities on Broadway. She was then contracted to Fox Studios
and moved to Hollywood, changing her name to Irene Ware. Her first
movie was Society Girl, in 1932 at Fox Film Corporation as uncredited
together with names like James Dunn, Peggy Shannon and Spencer Tracy.
The second film, which quickly made her a star, was Chandu the
Magician, also released in 1932 and directed by Marcel Varnel.
11, 1993) was an American actress. She was a beauty queen and showgirl
before appearing in 29 films between 1932 and 1940, and is mostly
remembered for her roles as Princess Nadji in Chandu the Magician
(1932) with Edmund Lowe and Bela Lugosi, and as Boris Karloff's and
Lugosi's leading lady in 1935's The Raven.Irene Catherine Ahlberg was
born November 6, 1910, in Albany, New York. Her father, Ernest
Ahlberg, born in Sweden, managed a saloon. Her mother, Anna Freya,
born in New York of Austrian parents, was a real estate agent. She
lived in New York and Los Angeles. Her sister, Anita, was an artist.As
an 18-year-old stenographer, (5`6"/1.68 cm tall), Ware was crowned
Miss Greater New York, then Miss United States in 1929, and the same
year was first runner-up for the title of Miss Universe at a pageant
held in Galveston, Texas. She also won $1,000. The winner, Austria's
Lisl Goldarbeiter, was the subject of a TV documentary, "A Queen In
Wien", released in 2006 and directed by Hungarian Peter Forgacs.
("Miss United States" was an unofficial alternative to the Miss
America Pageant, which was not held in 1929. The Miss Universe contest
of the 1920s was not connected to the current Miss Universe system,
which was launched in 1952.)Ware debuted on stage in a revue at the
Metropolitan Theatre Boston in July 1929, She performed in Early
Carroll's Sketch Book (1929) and in the 1930 and 1931 versions of Earl
Carroll's Vanities on Broadway. She was then contracted to Fox Studios
and moved to Hollywood, changing her name to Irene Ware. Her first
movie was Society Girl, in 1932 at Fox Film Corporation as uncredited
together with names like James Dunn, Peggy Shannon and Spencer Tracy.
The second film, which quickly made her a star, was Chandu the
Magician, also released in 1932 and directed by Marcel Varnel.
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