Sheree North

During the 1950s, 20th Century Fox groomed Sheree North as the studio's next <a href="spotify:artist:5sEocv1pFst7o3pam69obY">Marilyn Monroe</a>. Although she never took Monroe's place, North forged a fine acting career in her own right. She even managed to bridge the gap between others' perception of her as a ditzy blonde bombshell and a "real" actress.

In addition to her acting skills, North also distinguished herself as a comedian and a dancer. In fact, she began working as a dancer in the early '40s when she was only ten years old, and she wasn't too much older when she found work in clubs. It was her dancing that caught the eye of movie executives when she appeared in Hazel Flagg on Broadway. When the musical made it to the silver screen in 1954 as Living It Up, North went with it in the same role.

North's screen credits from the early Hollywood years include The Trouble With Girls starring <a href="spotify:artist:43ZHCT0cAZBISjO8DG9PnE">Elvis Presley</a>, the <a href="spotify:artist:3dvIPsJH7o9xnBwFxowzof">Gordon MacRae</a> film The Best Things in Life Are Free, and the Richard Widmark and Henry Fonda film Madigan. By the end of the '50s, the ditzy bombshell roles dried up for North and she moved on to work in television and theater. By the end of the '60s she returned to movies, among them <a href="spotify:artist:0HvzuhtjsgvEQAt1EiqDCg">John Wayne</a>'s The Shootist, Charles Bronson's Breakout, Maniac Cop, Susan's Plan, and Defenseless. She also appeared in Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend. The actress' television work includes appearances on Seinfeld, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Untouchables, Marcus Welby, M.D., and Archie Bunker's Place. Among her stage roles are The Madwoman of Chaillot, Amanda in The Glass Menagerie, and a touring production of Breaking Up the Act, which co-starred <a href="spotify:artist:5H2SmWlJAuebbHm6gzVq80">Gale Storm</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:5IJwd9vokleLKDk161Z7L7">Betty Garrett</a>. ~ Linda Seida, Rovi