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Yolande Donlan

Yolande Donlan (born June 2, 1920 in Jersey City, New Jersey) is an American actress who has worked extensively in the United Kingdom. She is the daughter of James Donlan, who was a hard working character actor in Hollywood films of the 1930s. It is thought that she had some uncredited roles in films including Pennies From Heaven and Love Finds Andy Hardy immediately following her father's death in 1938, but these have not been confirmed. Her early credited roles include Frenchy the maid in the horror film The Devil Bat in 1940 and she followed this up with several small roles, generally as similar French-accented maid characters. A notable stage success as Billie Dawn in a Boston production of Born Yesterday by Garson Kanin was the start of bigger things for Donlan. The production transferred to London's West End for a long run. Donlan was initially denied a work permit to star in the lead in Peter Pan due to complaints from Actors Equity who felt that a British star should have the lead. After it ended, Donlan remained in the United Kingdom and began accepting film work. After Traveller's Joy in 1949, Donlan worked for the director Val Guest in several films including Mister Drake's Duck, Penny Princess (in the title role) and The Body Said No. Donlan married Guest in 1954 and afterwards her film work included many of her husband's films such as Expresso Bongo and 80,000 Suspects, as well as a small number of films for other directors. In 1955 she penned the autobiographical travelogue, Sand in my Mink an amusing tale of adventures taken with her husband, across Europe, which makes a light hearted read of how travel used to be. A further stage success came in 1959 in Jack Popplewell's And Suddenly It's Spring opposite Margaret Lockwood. Her most recent film credit is Seven Nights in Japan from 1976. The same year saw publication of her autobiography, Shake the Stars Down, which concentrates on her childhood years growing up in the Hollywood of the 1930s. Guest retired from directing in 1985 and the couple moved back to the United States of America in the late 1980s, where they resided in Palm Springs until his death in 2006. Donlan now lives in Belgravia, London.


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Born:
Jun 2, 1920 In Jersey City, New Jersey, USA
Movie/TV Credits:
17
First Appeared:
In the movie Turnabout 1940-05-17
Latest Project:
Movie Seven Nights in Japan 1976-08-05
Known For
Poster of Seven Nights in Japan
Poster of They Can't Hang Me
Poster of Penny Princess
Poster of The Body Said No!
Filmography
Movie Seven Nights in Japan American Wife 1976-08-05
Movie The Adventurers Mrs. Erickson 1970-03-25
Movie 80,000 Suspects Ruth Preston 1963-08-15
Movie Jigsaw Jean Sherman 1962-08-21
Movie Expresso Bongo Dixie Collins 1959-12-01
Movie Tarzan and the Lost Safari Gamage Dean 1957-04-12
Movie They Can't Hang Me Jill Wilson 1955-10-01
Movie Penny Princess Lindy Smith 1952-03-24
Movie Mr. Drake's Duck Penny Drake 1951-09-21
Movie Traveller's Joy Lil Fowler 1950-12-25
Movie The Body Said No! 1950-04-30
Movie Miss Pilgrim's Progress Laramie Pilgrim 1949-11-29
Movie Under Age Lily Fletcher 1941-04-23
Movie Turnabout Marie (as Yolande Mollot) 1940-05-17
Movie Cross-Country Romance Jennie 1940-07-12
Movie Dark Streets of Cairo Maggie Malone, aka Margo Molina 1940-12-01
Movie The Devil Bat Maxine 1940-12-13