Ann Sothern
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ann Sothern (born Harriette Arlene Lake; January 22, 1909 – March 15, 2001) was an American actress who worked on stage, radio, film, and television, in a career that spanned nearly six decades. Sothern began her career in the late 1920s in bit parts in films. In 1930, she made her Broadway stage debut and soon worked her way up to starring roles. In 1939, MGM cast her as Maisie Ravier, a brash yet lovable Brooklyn showgirl. The character, based on the Maisie short stories by Nell Martin, proved to be popular and spawned a successful film series (Congo Maisie, Gold Rush Maisie, Up Goes Maisie, etc.) and a network radio series (The Adventures of Maisie). In 1953, Sothern moved into television as the star of her own sitcom Private Secretary. The series aired for five seasons on CBS and earned Sothern three Primetime Emmy Award nominations. In 1958, she starred in another sitcom for CBS, The Ann Sothern Show, which aired for three seasons. From 1965 to 1966, Sothern provided the voice of Gladys Crabtree, the title character in the sitcom My Mother the Car. She continued her career throughout the late 1960s with stage and film appearances and guest-starring roles on television. Due to health issues, she worked sporadically during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1987, Sothern appeared in her final film The Whales of August, starring Bette Davis and Lillian Gish. Sothern earned her first and only Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film. After filming concluded, she retired to Ketchum, Idaho, where she spent her remaining years before her death from heart failure in March 2001. Lucille Ball called Sothern "the best comedian in the business, bar none."
Known For
Crystal Carpenter
The Blue Gardenia
Dell Faring
Shadow on the Wall
Florence 'Flo' Addams
Brother Orchid
Mrs. Karmann
The Manitou
Sade
Lady in a Cage
Sue Ellen Gamadge
The Best Man
Ann Sothern
Thousands Cheer
Dixie Donegan Crane
Lady Be Good
Rita Phipps
A Letter to Three Wives
Thelma Lambert
The Killing Kind
Tisha Doughty
The Whales of August
Maisie Ravier / Mary Anastasia O'Connor
Maisie
Maisie Ravier
Congo Maisie
Adrienne Martin / Adeline Maxwell
Grand Exit
Pat
Cry 'Havoc'
Maisie Ravier
Swing Shift Maisie
Mrs. Argona / Grace Argona
Sylvia
Maisie Ravier
Maisie Gets Her Man
Sheba
Crazy Mama
Hattie Maloney
Panama Hattie
Queen Gertrude
Fol-de-Rol
Maisie Ravier
Gold Rush Maisie
Maisie Ravier
Maisie Was a Lady
Maisie Ravier
Ringside Maisie
Chorus Girl (uncredited)
The March of Time
Frances Elliott
Nancy Goes to Rio
Antoinette "Toni" Pemberton
Danger – Love at Work
June Tyme
April Showers
Dulcy Ward
Dulcy
Mary Strand
Super-Sleuth
Garda Sloane
Fast and Furious
Linda Henry
The Girl Friend
Fay Stevens
You May Be Next!
Jean Livingstone
Trade Winds
Mary Cantillon
My American Wife
Mimi
Folies Bergère de Paris
Carol Rogers
She's Got Everything
Ellen Connelly
Hotel for Women
Maisie Ravier
Undercover Maisie
Maisie Ravier
Maisie Goes to Reno
Maisie Ravier
Up Goes Maisie
Mary Jones
You, John Jones!
Ethel Gaines
Congratulations, It's a Boy!
Frances Cooke
Smartest Girl in Town
Mother Bonaventure
The Weekend Nun
Angel
The Little Dragons
Bettina Louise "Betty" Russell
There Goes the Groom
Jean
Let's Fall in Love
Angela
Chubasco
Bit Part
Song of the West
Geraldine Sloane
The Hell Cat
Kitty Taylor
Blind Date
Connie Taylor
There Goes My Girl
Kit Bennett
Walking on Air
Joan Larrabee
Kid Millions
Julia Seabrook
Three Hearts for Julia
Joyce Harmon
Words and Music
Student
Good News
Patricia Thatcher
Hooray for Love
Eleanor
Dangerous Number
Peggy
The Judge Steps Out
Marge Walker
Eight Bells
Singer
Broadway Thru a Keyhole
Ma Finney
A Letter to Three Wives
Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Whoopee!
Ethel Turp
Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President
Mrs. Kozzek
The Outsider
Self
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
Performer in 'Meet My Sister' & 'Bicycle Built for Two' Numbers (as Harriet Lake)
The Show of Shows
(archive footage)
That's Entertainment! III
Ann Edwards
Don't Gamble with Love
Zeppelin Reveler (uncredited)
Madam Satan
Showgirl (uncredited)
Broadway Nights
Jane Blodgett
Melody in Spring
Self
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
Liza
Lady in the Dark
(archive footage)
That's Entertainment, Part II
(archive footage)
Twenty Years After
Ruth Walker
The Party's Over
Millicent Kendall
Fifty Roads to Town
Annie La Cossit
A Death of Innocence
Mary Taylor
Hell-Ship Morgan
Aunt Margaret Bancroft
The Great Man's Whiskers
Dolly Murdock
The Greatest Mother of 'em All
Herself
Ali Baba Goes to Town
Finzie
Golden Needles
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
86
Gender
Female
Birthday
1909-01-22
Place of Birth
Valley City, North Dakota, USA
Also Known As
Harriet Byron