Ann Richards (actress)
| Ann Richards | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Shirley Ann Richards 13 December 1917 Sydney, Australia |
| Died | 25 August 2006 (aged 88) Torrance, California, United States |
| Years active | 1937-1960 |
| Spouse(s) | Edmond Angelo (1949-1983) (his death) (3 children) |
| Children | Juliet, Christopher, Mark |
Ann Richards (13 December 1917 – 25 August 2006) was an Australian actress and author, who achieved notability in a series of 1930s Australian films for Ken G. Hall as Shirley Ann Richards before moving to the United States, where she continued her career as a film actress, mainly as an MGM starlet. Her best known performances were in It Isn't Done (1937), Dad and Dave Come to Town (1938), An American Romance (1944), and Sorry, Wrong Number (1948). In the 1930s, she was the only Australian actor under a long-term contract to a film studio, Cinesound Productions. She subsequently became a lecturer and poet.
She was born Shirley Ann Richards in Sydney, Australia, to an American father and New Zealand mother, and was raised in Mosman and educated at Ascham School Edgecliff. Richards began acting on stage in amateur productions for the Sydney Players Club and was working as a receptionist at the photographic students of Russell Roberts.
She was spotted in an amateur theatre production when selected for Cinesound Productions' Talent School, where she worked for six months. This led to her casting as Cecil Kellaway's daughter in It Isn't Done (1937) for director Ken G. Hall at Cinesound Productions.
Richards was a success with the public and critics, and Stuart F. Doyle, head of Cinesound, ordered Hall to put her under long-term contract so she would not be poached by a rival filmmaker such as F. W. Thring or Charles Chauvell. Hall later said, "I think that Shirley Ann would be the only artist before or since to be placed under term contract by an Australian film company." The contract was for 12 months with options.
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