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Beginning her Career as a child actress under the stage name Dawn O'Day, Shirley adopted the name of the character she played in the film adaptation of Anne of Green Gables in 1934, and achieved a successful career in supporting roles. Among her films is Stella Dallas (1937), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
She retired from acting in 1944, at the age of 26. She remained in Los Angeles, where she died at the age of 75.
Early life
Born as Dawn Evelyeen Paris, in New York City, Shirley began acting under the name of Dawn O'Day. As a baby she began modeling, and made her film debut with a featured role in 1922's Moonshine Valley. Shirley began acting at the age of five, and had a highly successful child star career in Pre-Code movies, appearing in such films as Liliom, Tom Mix's Riders of the Purple Sage, So Big, Three on a Match and Rasputin and the Empress.
Career
In 1934 she starred as the character of Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables, and took that character's name as her stage name.
Later roles were in such movies as Vigil in the Night, Anne of Windy Poplars, The Devil and Daniel Webster and Murder, My Sweet, her final film. Of Shirley's portrayal in Saturday's Children, The New York Times commented that she "endows the little wife with heroic integrity and strength of character."
Personal life
Shirley married actor John Payne August 22, 1937, in Montecito, California. They had a daughter, former actress Julie Payne.
Her second husband was film producer and screenwriter Adrian Scott. When he was blacklisted and decided to move the family to Europe, at the last minute she wrote him a "Dear John" letter saying she'd rather stay behind and divorce him. Her third husband was Charles Lederer, nephew of Marion Davies. They had a son named Daniel Lederer. Shirley had also a brief relationship with younger western star Rory Calhoun and another with French movie star Jean-Pierre Aumont.
Shirley died from lung cancer in Los Angeles, aged 75 on July 4, 1993 and was cremated. For her contributions to the motion picture industry, she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7020 Hollywood Blvd.
Filmography
Actress
1944
Murder, My Sweet as
Ann Grayle
1944
Music in Manhattan as
Frankie Foster
1944
Man from Frisco as
Diana Kennedy
1943
Government Girl as
May Harness Blake
1943
Bombardier as
Burton Hughes
1943
The Powers Girl as
Ellen Evans
1943
Lady Bodyguard as
A.C. Baker
1942
The Mayor of 44th Street as
Jessey Lee
1942
Four Jacks and a Jill as
Karanina 'Nina' Novak
1941
All That Money Can Buy as
Mary Stone
1941
Unexpected Uncle as
Kathleen Brown
1941
West Point Widow as
Nancy Hull
1940
Anne of Windy Poplars as
Anne Shirley
1940
Saturday's Children as
Bobby Halevy
1940
Vigil in the Night as
Lucy Lee
1939
Career as
Sylvia Bartholomew
1939
Sorority House as
Alice Fisher
1939
Boy Slaves as
Annie
1938
A Man to Remember as
Jean Johnson
1938
Girls' School as
Natalie Freeman
1938
Mother Carey's Chickens as
Nancy Carey
1938
Law of the Underworld as
Annabelle Porter
1938
Condemned Women as
Millie Anson
1937
Stella Dallas as
Laurel Dallas
1937
Meet the Missus as
Louise Foster
1937
Too Many Wives as
Betty Jackson
1936
Make Way for a Lady as
June Drew
1936
So and Sew (Short)(uncredited)
1936
M'Liss as
M'liss Smith
1936
Chatterbox as
Jenny Yates
1935
Steamboat Round the Bend as
Fleety Belle
1935
A Night at the Biltmore Bowl (Short) as
Anne Shirley
1935
Chasing Yesterday as
Jeanne Alexandre
1934
Anne of Green Gables as
Anne Shirley
1934
Bachelor Bait as
Miriam Ann Johnson, Marriage License Applicant (uncredited)
1934
The Key as
Flower Girl (as Dawn O'Day)
1934
Finishing School as
Billie (as Dawn O'Day)
1934
School for Girls as
Catherine Fogarty (as Dawn O'Day)
1934
This Side of Heaven as
Flower Girl (scenes deleted, as Dawn O'Day)
1933
The Life of Jimmy Dolan as
Mary Lou (as Dawn O'Day)
1932
Rasputin and the Empress as
Princess Anastasia (uncredited)
1932
Three on a Match as
Vivian Revere as a Child (as Dawn O'Day)
1932
The Purchase Price as
Sarah Tipton - The Daughter (uncredited)
1932
So Big! as
Selina Peake, as a Child (uncredited)
1932
Young America as
Mabel Saunders (as Dawn O'Day)
1932
Emma as
Isabelle as a Child (uncredited)
1931
Rich Man's Folly as
Anne, as a child (as Dawn O'Day)
1931
Hello Napoleon (Short) as
The Little Girl (as Dawn O'Day)
1931
Howdy Mate (Short)(as Dawn O'Day)
1931
Gun Smoke as
Horton's Daughter (as Dawn O'Day)
1930
Liliom as
Louise (as Dawn O'Day)
1930
City Girl as
Marie Tustine (as Dawn O'Day)
1928
Sins of the Fathers as
Mary, as a child (as Dawn O'Day)
1928
4 Devils as
Marion - as a Girl (as Dawn O'Day)
1928
Mother Knows Best as
Sally - as a Child (as Dawn O'Day)
1927
Night Life as
Daughter of War Profiteer (as Dawn O'Day)
1927
The Callahans and the Murphys as
Mary Callahan (as Dawn O'Day)
1925
His Wooden Wedding (Short) as
Little Girl Train-Bearer (uncredited)
1925
Alice's Egg Plant (Short) as
Alice (as Dawn O'Day)
1925
Riders of the Purple Sage as
Fay Larkin (as Dawn O'Day)
1924
The Fast Set as
Little Margaret Sones (as Dawn O'Day)
1924
The Man Who Fights Alone as
Dorothy (as Dawn O'Day)
1924
The Rich Pup (Short)(as Baby Dawn O'Day)
1923
The Spanish Dancer as
Don Balthazar Carlos (as Dawn O'Day)
1923
The Rustle of Silk as
Girl (as Dawn O'Day)
1922
Moonshine Valley as
Nancy (as Dawn O'Day)
1922
The Hidden Woman as
Girl (as Dawn O'Day)
Soundtrack
1942
The Mayor of 44th Street (performer: "There's a Breeze on Lake Louise" - uncredited)
1942
Four Jacks and a Jill (performer: "Karanina", "Wherever You Go", "You Go Your Way" - uncredited)
1941
Unexpected Uncle ("Strolling Through the Park One Day" (1884), uncredited) / (performer: "Wishing (Will Make It So)" (1939) - uncredited)
1936
M'Liss (performer: "There Is a Tavern in the Town" (1891) - uncredited)
Self
2018
The History Chicks (Podcast Series) as
Self - Actress
- Anne Frank (2018) - Self - Actress
1941
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 2 (Documentary short) as
Self - Premiere Attendee (uncredited)
1941
Picture People No. 1: Stars in Defense (Short) as
Self
1938
The World Is Ours (Short) as
The Daughter
Archive Footage
1997
Twentieth Century Fox: The First 50 Years (TV Movie documentary) as
Actress 'Steamboat Round the Bend' (uncredited)
1995
Biography (TV Series documentary) as
Fleety Belle
- Darryl F. Zanuck: 20th Century Filmmaker (1995) - Fleety Belle (uncredited)
1995
American Cinema (TV Series documentary) as
Ann Grayle (clip from Murder, My Sweet (1944))
- Film Noir (1995) - Ann Grayle (clip from Murder, My Sweet (1944)) (uncredited)
1988
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind (TV Movie documentary) as
