Claire Trevor
Known for Acting · 88 credits
- Born
- 1910-03-08
- Died
- 2000-04-08
- Place of birth
- Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
- Also known as
- Claire Wemlinger · The Queen of Film Noir
Biography
Claire Trevor (née Wemlinger; March 8, 1910 – April 8, 2000) was an American actress. She appeared in 65 feature films from 1933 to 1982, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Key Largo (1948), and received nominations for her roles in The High and the Mighty (1954) and Dead End (1937). Trevor received top billing, ahead of John Wayne, for Stagecoach (1939).
Trevor's acting career spanned more than seven decades and included successes in stage, radio, television, and film. She often played the hard-boiled blonde, and every conceivable type of 'bad girl' role.
She made her stage debut in the summer of 1929 with a repertory company in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She subsequently returned to New York, where she appeared in a number of Brooklyn-filmed Vitaphone short films and performed in summer stock theatre. In 1932, she starred on Broadway as the female lead in Whistling in the Dark.
Trevor made her film debut in Jimmy and Sally (1933). From 1933 to 1938, Trevor starred in 29 films, often having either the lead role or the role of heroine. In 1937, she was the second lead actress (after top-billed Sylvia Sidney) in Dead End, with Humphrey Bogart, which led to her nomination for Best Supporting Actress. From 1937 to 1940, she appeared with Edward G. Robinson in the popular radio series Big Town, while continuing to make movies. In the early 1940s, she also was a regular on The Old Gold Don Ameche Show on the NBC Red Radio Network, starring with Ameche in presentations of plays by Mark Hellinger. In 1939, she was well established as a solid leading lady. One of her more memorable performances during this period includes the Western Stagecoach (1939).
Two of Trevor's most memorable roles were opposite Dick Powell in Murder, My Sweet (1944) and with Lawrence Tierney in Born to Kill (1947). In Key Largo (1948), Trevor played Gaye Dawn, a washed-up, alcoholic nightclub singer and gangster's moll. For that role, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her third and final Oscar nomination was for her performance in The High and the Mighty (1954). In 1957, she won an Emmy for her role in the Producers' Showcase episode entitled "Dodsworth". Trevor moved into supporting roles in the 1950s, with her appearances becoming very rare after the mid-1960s. She played Charlotte, the mother of Kay (Sally Field) in Kiss Me Goodbye (1982). Her final television role was for the 1987 television film, Norman Rockwell's Breaking Home Ties. Trevor made a guest appearance at the 70th Academy Awards in 1998.
Known For
TV Shows (13)
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self
Murder, She Wrote
1984
as Judith Harlan
Wagon Train
1957
as C.L. Harding
The Merv Griffin Show
1962
as Self
Climax!
1954
as Phyllis Talbot
Dr. Kildare
1961
as Nurse Veronica Johnson
The Oscars
1953
as Self
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955
as Mary Prescott / Mrs. Meade
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1958
Lux Video Theatre
1950
as Ellen Creed / Mary Scott
The Investigators
1961
as Kitty Harper
General Electric Theater
1953
as Cora Leslie
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
as Mary Hunter
Movies (75)
Stagecoach
1939
as Dallas
The Desperadoes
1943
as Countess Maletta
The High and the Mighty
1954
as May Holst
Dead End
1937
as Francey
How to Murder Your Wife
1965
as Edna
Murder, My Sweet
1944
as Helen Grayle
Key Largo
1948
as Gaye Dawn
Spring Tonic
1935
as Betty Ingals
Crossroads
1942
as Michelle Allaine
Honky Tonk
1941
as "Gold Dust" Nelson
Best of the Badmen
1951
as Lily
The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse
1938
as Jo Keller
Crack-Up
1946
as Terry Cordell
Johnny Angel
1945
as Lilah 'Lily' Gustafson
Texas
1941
as Michael 'Mike' King
The Stripper
1963
as Helen Baird
Man Without a Star
1955
as Idonee
The Mountain
1956
as Marie
A Star Is Born World Premiere
1954
as Self
Dark Command
1940
as Miss Mary McCloud
Two Weeks in Another Town
1962
as Clara Kruger
Time Out for Romance
1937
as Barbara Blanchard
The Stranger Wore a Gun
1953
as Josie Sullivan
You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story
2008
as Self
Kiss Me Goodbye
1982
as Charlotte
Lucy Gallant
1955
as Lady MacBeth
My Man and I
1952
as Mrs. Elena Ames
Borderline
1950
as Madeleine Haley
Going Hollywood: The '30s
1984
as (archive footage)
Dante's Inferno
1935
as Elizabeth "Betty" McWade Carter
Born to Kill
1947
as Helen Brent
The Velvet Touch
1948
as Marian Webster
Allegheny Uprising
1939
as Janie MacDougall
Street of Chance
1942
as Ruth Dillon
Raw Deal
1948
as Pat Cameron
Marjorie Morningstar
1958
as Rose Morgenstern
Human Cargo
1936
as Bonnie Brewster
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
2009
as Self (archive footage)
Big Town Girl
1937
as Fay Loring
Hoodlum Empire
1952
as Connie Williams
Black Sheep
1935
as Janette Foster
Valley of the Giants
1938
as Lee Roberts
Stop, You're Killing Me
1952
as Nora Marko
Hard, Fast and Beautiful!
1951
as Millie Farley
Baby Take a Bow
1934
as Kay Ellison
15 Maiden Lane
1936
as Jane Martin
Career Woman
1936
as Carroll Aiken
Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs
1936
Five of a Kind
1938
as Christine Nelson
My Marriage
1936
as Carol Barton
The Lucky Stiff
1949
as Marguerite Seaton
Walking Down Broadway
1938
as Joan Bradley
Life in the Raw
1933
as Judy Halloway
The Cape Town Affair
1967
as Sam Williams
Breaking Home Ties
1987
as Grace Porter
One Mile from Heaven
1937
as Lucy 'Tex' Warren
The Woman of the Town
1943
as Dora Hand
The Adventures of Martin Eden
1942
as Connie Dawson
I Stole a Million
1939
as Laura Benson
The Babe Ruth Story
1948
as Claire Hodgson Ruth
Second Honeymoon
1937
as Marcia
The Bachelor's Daughters
1946
as Cynthia Davis
Hold That Girl
1934
as Tonie Bellamy
The Mad Game
1933
as Jane Lee
Star for a Night
1936
as Nina Lind
Navy Wife
1935
as Vicky Blake
Good Luck, Mr. Yates
1943
as Ruth Jones
King of Gamblers
1937
as Dixie Moore
Jimmy and Sally
1933
as Sally Johnson
Song and Dance Man
1936
as Julia Carroll
Elinor Norton
1934
as Elinor Norton
To Mary - with Love
1936
as Kitty Brant
The Last Trail
1933
as Patricia Carter
Wild Gold
1934
as Jerry Jordan
If You Knew Elizabeth
1957
as Elizabeth Owen
About Claire Trevor
Claire Trevor (née Wemlinger; March 8, 1910 – April 8, 2000) was an American actress. She appeared in 65 feature films from 1933 to 1982, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Key Largo (1948), and received nominations for her roles in The High and the Mighty (1954) and Dead End (1937). Trevor received top billing, ahead of John Wayne, for Stagecoach (1939). Trevor's acting career spanned more than seven decades and included successes in stage, radio, television, and film. She often played the hard-boiled blonde… With 88 credits spanning from 1933 to 2009, Claire Trevor has appeared in 75 films and 13 TV shows.
Fans searching for Claire Trevor movies, Claire Trevor filmography, or the latest projects starring Claire Trevor can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Claire Trevor Movies
- Stagecoach (1939) — as Dallas
- The Desperadoes (1943) — as Countess Maletta
- The High and the Mighty (1954) — as May Holst
- Dead End (1937) — as Francey
- How to Murder Your Wife (1965) — as Edna
Where to Watch Claire Trevor Films
Most Claire Trevor movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Claire Trevor, check our movies catalogue and browse page.