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Ida Lupino: Hollywood Walk
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Ida Lupino is unique in the history of Hollywood. A little blonde Briton playing Jean Harlow-style gold-diggers in the mid-30s, by the early-40s she had clawed her way up to stardom as a depression waif. By the early-50s she was one of only two women to have directed talkies in classical Hollywood.
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Perhaps better known for her performances in Hollywood, it is often forgotten that Ida Lupino was in fact English! She was born in London on February the 4th 1918, the daughter of the English stage and screen comedian Stanley Lupino.
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Born in London in 1914 to parents who were well-known theatrical performers, Lupino was able to date the stage tradition in her family back to Grimaldi, the Renaissance clown. She began writing and staging plays as a child, and in 1931 entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. After appearing in several films in England, the teenage Lupino came to Hollywood with her mother and became a contract player. After an ingénue phase and a battle with polio, Lupino asked Paramount to release her from her contract. She crafted a new image (including the return of her naturally dark hair) and sought serious dramatic roles. It was never easy, and even as a young actress, Lupino experienced a fallow period.
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From the mid-1950s on, Lupino practically disappeared from the screen. Of her scant celluloid roles during her last years, by far the best is Elvira Bonner, the estranged wife of Ace Bonner (Robert Preston), in Junior Bonner. Here she is acting with an intensity reminiscent of her strongest Hollywood roles. Age... had added a craggy naturalism to her looks and moves. Once again, critics hailed her acting achievement. Rather than catapult her into another round of first-rate parts, it turned out to be her last important role.
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While continuing to play the sultry roles the studios offered her, Lupino began writing, producing, directing and starring in films for her own production company in 1948. These noir films are well-regarded today, tackling issues that Hollywood wouldn't - like unwed mothers and rape.
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Born in England, Lupino came to Hollywood as an actress in her teens upon the invitation of Paramount Studios. She was only 18 when her performance in 1939’s “The Light that Failed” brought her into the spotlight. Then followed a number of starring roles that added to her delicate beauty a no-nonsense, tough dame persona.
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