Priscilla Jones Shortridge, born on March 8, 1914, in Indianapolis, was the daughter of a locomotive mechanic. She began her career as a professional model in her early twenties, earning the title of "Miss Miami Beach" in 1935 and working as an Earl Carroll chorus girl in a casino. This led to her being noticed by Universal Pictures, who offered her a contract.
As a starlet, Priscilla appeared in numerous films, mostly in small roles, playing characters such as nurses, hat check girls, native girls, switchboard operators, and secretaries. She earned occasional featured parts in a few films, including Rose Bowl, Double Wedding, The Girl of the Golden West, Test Pilot, and Heroes of the Hills.
Priscilla's most notable role was as Princess Aura, daughter of Ming the Merciless, in the classic cliffhanger Rocket Ship. This role made her a minor cult figure, but her career with Universal was short-lived, and she was dropped by the studio within a year. MGM picked her up in 1937, but her movie career was over within a few years, with her last appearances being walk-ons in The Women and Billy the Kid.
Priscilla married briefly at age 18 and later married actor Alan Curtis, her second husband. However, the marriage was short-lived. She joined the Women's Army Corps under her married name during World War II and is believed to have lost a leg in a jeep accident. After leaving active service, she managed a stationary shop in Los Angeles.
Priscilla's ex-husband, Curtis, died on February 2, 1953, at the age of 43. Priscilla herself died on August 27, 1958, at the age of 44, due to cirrhosis of the liver and upper gastrointestinal bleeding from a duodenal ulcer, in the Veterans' Administration hospital in Los Angeles.
