Cecil Beaton 1904-1980. Pencil portrait of Myrna Loy, signed, titled in coloured pencil lower right, 61cm x 47.5cm.
Myrna Loy 1905-1993 "The Queen of Hollywood"
American film, television and stage actress. Originally trained as a dancer, Loy devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films. She was originally typecast in exotic roles, often as a vamp or a woman of Asian descent, but her career prospects improved greatly following her portrayal of Nora Charles in The Thin Man (1934).
For a time in the 1930s, Myrna Loy was the biggest star in cinema.
Dubbed “The Queen of Hollywood,” she ruled the box office and the big screen.
Loy’s trademarks included her "Myrna-Lisa smile" and her pert, upturned nose. Film critics called it “a wonder of nature” and “a plastic surgeon’s paragon.” In the 1930s, scores of young women begged their doctors to give them Loy’s profile. One of her nicknames was "The Perfect Wife" Jimmy Stewart once said "There should be a law against any man who doesn't marry Myrna Loy."
Her role in The Thin Man helped elevate her reputation as a versatile actress, and she reprised the role five more times. Loy's performances peaked in the 1940s, with films such as The Best Years of Our Lives, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer and Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House.
Although Loy was never nominated for an Academy Award, in 1991 she received an Honorary Oscar in recognition of her life's work, both onscreen and off, including serving as assistant to the director of Military and Naval welfare for the Red Cross during the Second World War.
The Press named her one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award.
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