A brunette soprano who trilled her way to fame at MGM in the mid-1940s, Kathryn Grayson enjoyed a decade of stardom in operettas and musical comedies. Her best-remembered early role was as the female lead in "Anchors Aweigh" (1945) opposite Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra. Full-figured and ladylike, Grayson teamed with baritone Howard Keel for three films, including the lavish remake of "Show Boat" (1951) and one of her best films, an enjoyable adaptation of Cole Porter's Broadway hit, "Kiss Me, Kate" (1953). She later performed occasionally onstage and in nightclubs.
- Also Credited As:
Zelma Kathryn Elizabeth Hedrick
- Born:
February 9, 1922 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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Job Titles:
Actor, Singer, Radio performer
Family
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Father: Clarence Hedrick.
Significant Others
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Companion: Robert Evans. dated in the late 1950s
Education
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Chicago Civic Opera, Chicago, Illinois
Milestones
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1937 Signed to a recording contract by RCA at age 15 (date approximate)
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1941 First film, MGM's "Andy Hardy's Private Secretary"
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1942 First romantic leads, in "Rio Rita" and "Seven Sweethearts"
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1951 First film opposite Howard Keel, "Show Boat"
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1953 Last film for MGM, "Kiss Me, Kate"
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1956 Last film, "The Vagabond King", made for Paramount
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1960 Made operatic debut in "Madame Butterfly", "La Boheme" and "La Traviata"
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1978 Appeared on TV in "Gene Kelly...An American in Pasadena" along with a half dozen of the actor-dancer's former leading ladies
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1982 Played first dramatic stage role in "Night Watch"
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1987 Had recurring role of Ideal Malloy on "Murder, She Wrote" (CBS)
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1987 Starred in a stage production of the British farce "Noises Off"
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1989 Made TV appearance on "America's All-Star Tribute to Elizabeth Taylor"
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1997 Featured in the stage production "A Celebration of the Glorious MGM Musicals" at NYC's Carnegie Hall
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Appeared on TV in early 1950s in "General Electric Theater"
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Born in North Carolina
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Put under contract by MGM; abandoned recording career
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Raised in St Louis, Missouri
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Replaced Julie Andrews as Guinevere in the Broadway production of "Camelot"; later toured the USA in the role
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Studied voice at the Chicago Civic Opera