Mildred Shay's star shone brightly for a brief moment, yet she was a familiar face in town and Tinseltown knew her well. Adrian, the renowned Hollywood costumer, designed her gowns and created a pair of false breasts for her. Interestingly, she got along with Joan Crawford, despite working together in George Cukor's 1939 film "The Women," where Mildred Shay stole every scene as Helene, the French maid to Crystal Allen.
Mildred dated several eligible bachelors in Hollywood and married three of them. She had a notable encounter with Errol Flynn, who held her captive in his apartment before she eventually succumbed to his advances. She also dined with Cecil B. DeMille at his Paradise Ranch, where he served her oysters with the pearls still attached.
Born into a wealthy Palm Beach family, Mildred was educated at a Swiss school for refined ladies in France. At the age of 14, her wealthy New York lawyer father, Joseph A. Shay, brought Mildred and her younger sister to London. From London, the family returned to their chateaux in Nice, then moved to Florence before finally settling in California.
Mildred's father worked as an actor, representing Hollywood powerbrokers at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, United Artists, and Fox. It was in the heart of Hollywood that young Mildred rang her father and declared her desire to become an actress. Within weeks, she made her first screen test for MGM.
Her first assignment was dubbing for Greta Garbo in "Grand Hotel" (1932). Later, she appeared in "The Women" (1939) alongside Joan Crawford, as well as "Balalaika" (1939) with Nelson Eddy and "All Women Have Secrets" (1939). The following year, Mildred headed East to New York, where she made her Broadway debut. It was during her time in New York that she met and eloped with Winthrop Gardner Junior, one of America's finest and wealthiest bachelors. Gardner showered her with diamonds and furs, prompting Walter Winchell to joke that she could house Manhattan on the enormous gem he gave her.
As long as Mildred remained in Hollywood, she was destined to make headlines. She had a torrid affair with Victor Mature and Roy Rogers. In 1940, she met Geoffrey Steele, an army Captain in the Blue and Royals, and married him the following year.
After becoming a mother, Mildred gave up her acting career, only to return in 1974 with a starring role in "The Great Gatsby." Two years later, Ken Russell asked her to appear in his new film "Valentino" (1976). At the age of 91, Mildred shows no signs of retirement. Recently, she was photographed alongside Kevin Spacey, Catherine Zeta Jones, Shirley Temple, Kirk Douglas, and Stephen Fry for an exhibition of film actors to be held in London and Beverly Hills during Oscar week in 2004.
