Star of the month "Myrna Loy"

I didn't realize how popular Myrna loy was until I saw her biography from Biography channel a week ago. The year Clark Gable was named the King of Hollywood, Myrna Loy was the Queen. She started her career as a dancer, moved on into silent films and was typecast for a few years playing exotic women.

After 80 roles as exotics and vamps, Myrna became 'the perfect wife'. 1934 when she was cast opposite William Powell in The Thin Man, based on Dashiell Hammett's novel. It was an immediate success, and unbelievably filmed in only 16 days!

Men-Must-Marry-Myrna Clubs were formed and James Stewart apparently said "I shall only marry Myrna Loy"! "Some perfect wife I am," she often said. "I've been married four times, divorced four times, have no children and can't boil an egg. She was very active during WWII and gave up movie making during that time to devote herself to the war effort. After the war, she starred along with Frederick March in The Best Years of Our Lives which won the Oscar that year. She also fought the Hollywood blacklisting and witch hunts of the '50's and served on Civil Rights Commissions. Throughout her life she demonstrated a genuine concern for fellow human-beings

Myrna Loy began working for the American Association for The United Nations - an organisation which served as a link between the new UN and the public.

She also involved in UNESCO - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation,Throughout her life she demonstrated a genuine concern for fellow human-beings.

in 1990 she received and honorary Oscar in recognition of her "extraordinary qualities, both onscreen and off, with appreciation for a lifetime's worth of indelible performances"

link.

• The Kennedy Center: Biographical information for Myrna Loy
• Myrna Loy Center for the Creative and Performing Arts