Yolande Donlan

Yolande Donlan
Yolande Donlan in The Devil Bat (1940)
Born	June 2, 1920 Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Died	December 30, 2014 (aged 94) London, England, United Kingdom
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1940–1981
Spouse(s)	Phillip Truex (1944-1954) (divorced) Val Guest 1954–2006 (his death)

Yolande Donlan (June 2, 1920 – December 30, 2014) was an American-British actress who worked extensively in the United Kingdom.

The daughter of James Donlan, a character actor in Hollywood films of the 1930s, it is speculated by some that she had uncredited roles in films such as Pennies From Heaven (1936) and Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938), but this has not been confirmed.

Her early credited roles include Frenchy, the maid in the horror film The Devil Bat (1940), with Bela Lugosi, and other small roles often as similar French-accented maid characters. She played Carole Landis' maid in Turnabout (also 1940) and one of Red Skelton's concubines in DuBarry Was a Lady (1942).

Donlan was a success as Billie Dawn in a touring production of Born Yesterday by Garson Kanin. It was the start of bigger things for Donlan. Laurence Olivier flew to Boston to confirm the opinion of American reviewers and chose Donlan to star in his production of the play to be staged in London's West End. The production opened at the Garrick Theatre in January 1947 and was very well received. Donlan was initially denied a work permit to star in the lead in Peter Pan due to complaints from Equity, the actor's union, who felt that a British star should have the lead.

After her run in Peter Pan ended, Donlan remained in the United Kingdom and began accepting film work. After Traveller's Joy (1949), Donlan worked for the director Val Guest as the female lead in several films including Miss Pilgrim's Progress (1949) with Michael Rennie, The Body Said No! (1950), with Michael Rennie; Mister Drake's Duck (1951), with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and Penny Princess (1952) in the title role co-starring with Dirk Bogarde. In 1950 British exhibitors voted her the most promising female newcomer.