Juanita Quigley, born on June 24, 1931, in Los Angeles, began her film career at the tender age of three, appearing in small roles as an extra child, often uncredited, with her name credited as "Baby Jane". This pseudonym stuck until around 1935, when she started being credited by her real name.
Her breakthrough role came in 1934 as Baby Jessie Pullman in Imitation of Life, which catapulted her to fame. Her subsequent film, The Man Who Reclaimed His Head, saw her receive fourth billing and a significant part. Over the next several years, she starred in numerous popular films, solidifying her status as a child star.
By 1938, Quigley was one of the most famous child stars in Hollywood, with starring roles in many films. However, her career began to slow down in the early 1940s, and she started receiving smaller roles and appearing as an extra in films such as The Blue Bird, Bachelor Daddy, and Paper Bullets.
In 1943, Quigley acted alongside her older sister, Rita Quigley, in Whispering Footsteps. Her last notable performances were in 1944, in The Lady and the Monster and the classic film National Velvet, where she played the sister of Elizabeth Taylor and Angela Lansbury.
Quigley left Hollywood in 1951, but her journey didn't end there. As an adult, she became a nun in the order of the Daughters of Mary and Joseph, only to leave the vocation and marry after several years. In 1983, Quigley made a final film appearance as an uncredited extra in Porky's II: The Next Day, marking the end of her Hollywood career.
