Anne Shirley, a gentle and gracious 1930s teen film actress, did not quite reach the zenith of front-rank stardom and retired at the age of 26. Born Dawn Evelyeen Paris on April 17, 1918, in Manhattan, she was christened Anne Shirley at age 16, after her schoolgirl heroine in Anne of Green Gables (1934).
As a toddler, Anne went through a small revolving door of stage names before settling on Anne Shirley. She began her career as a photographer's model at 16 months, using various monikers, including Lenn Fondre, Lindley Dawn, and Dawn O'Day. Her mother sought work for her daughter in films, and at 4, Anne made her first feature with The Hidden Woman (1922).
Anne showed promise in Moonshine Valley (1922),and her mother moved the family from New York to California. She found minor roles in The Rustle of Silk (1923) and The Spanish Dancer (1923) for Paramount Pictures. During her adolescence, she often appeared as the leading stars' daughter in films such as Mother Knows Best (1928) with Madge Bellamy and Sins of the Fathers (1928) starring Jean Arthur.
After a rash of unbilled parts, Anne was used by Vitaphone for a series of 1930s short subjects. By her teen years, she had developed into a petite and lovely young brunette, and casting agents took notice. Following roles in Rasputin and the Empress (1932) with the three Barrymores and The Life of Jimmy Dolan (1933) starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Loretta Young, Anne was tested among hundreds of young aspirants and captured the role of Anne Shirley in Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic novel Anne of Green Gables (1934).
Anne officially became a teen celebrity after changing her moniker for the final time in conjunction with the release of the film. Prominent misty-eyed ingénue leads came her way, including Steamboat Round the Bend (1935) alongside Will Rogers and M'Liss (1936) opposite John Beal. However, her resume became littered with meek B-level comedies and weak dramas, such as Chasing Yesterday (1935),Too Many Wives (1937),and Meet the Missus (1937),that did little to advance her career.
At age 19, she found a role to match her "Green Gables" success playing Barbara Stanwyck's daughter in the classic weeper Stella Dallas (1937). The interaction between the two was magical, and both Barbara and Anne were nominated for Oscars (Anne in the supporting category) for their superb portrayals. During this time of major success, Anne met and eventually married actor John Payne in 1937.
The popular Hollywood couple had one child, Julie Payne, who became an actress for a time in the 1970s. Anne's subsequent career was full of promise, but with every quality picture bestowed upon her, such as Vigil in the Night (1940) and The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941),came a faltering one that hurt her career, including Career (1939) and West Point Widow (1941). Especially disappointing was her long-anticipated "Green Gables" sequel Anne of Windy Poplars (1940),which received very lackluster reviews.
The still-young actress finished on top, however, opposite Dick Powell in the classic movie mystery Murder, My Sweet (1944). Divorced from John Payne in 1943 and tiring of the Hollywood rat race, Anne decided to end her career after her second marriage, to the movie's producer Adrian Scott, in 1945.
