Ida Lupino (February 4, 1918 – August 3, 1995) was a film actress, director, and a pioneer in the field of women filmmakers.
Early life
She was born in Camberwell, London, England, (allegedly under a table during a World War I zeppelin raid), the daughter of actress Connie O'Shea (aka: Connie Emerald) and music hall entertainer, Stanley Lupino, whose distant Italian ancestry can be traced to 17th century Italian immigrants to England.
Career rise
Encouraged to enter show business by both her parents and an uncle, Lupino Lane, Ida Lupino made her first film appearance in 1931, in The Love Race and worked for several years playing unsubstantial roles.
It was after her appearance in The Light That Failed in 1939 that she was taken seriously as a dramatic actress.
Her parts improved during the 1940s and she began to describe herself as "the poor man's Bette Davis". While working for Warner Brothers, she would also refuse parts that Davis had rejected, and earned herself suspensions.
During this period she became known for her hard boiled roles and appeared in such films as They Drive by Night (1940) and High Sierra (1941). She acted regularly and was in demand throughout the 40s without becoming a major star.
In 1947, Lupino left Warner Brothers to become a freelance actress. Notable films around that time include Road House and On Dangerous Ground.
Directing
It was during a suspension in the late 1940s that she began studying the processes behind the camera. Her first directing job came when Elmer Clifton became ill during Not Wanted, a 1949 movie which she co-wrote.
Lupino often joked that if she had been the "poor man's Bette Davis" as an actress, then she had become the "poor man's Don Siegel" as a director. From the early '50s she began directing films, mostly melodramas and was one of the few women of her era to achieve success in this field.
She directed Outrage in 1950, and tackled the extremely controversial subject (at that time) of rape. In addition to acting in many films noir, she also directed The Hitch-Hiker (1953). The film was the first film noir directed by a woman.
She continued acting throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and her directing efforts during these years were almost exclusively television productions such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, The Donna Reed Show, Gilligan's Island, 77 Sunset Strip, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, The Rifleman, The Untouchables, The Fugitive, and Bewitched.
After guest starring in popular TV shows, she retired after making her final film appearance in 1978.
Awards
The second woman to be admitted to the Director's Guild (following Dorothy Arzner), Ida Lupino has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to the fields of television and motion pictures. They are located at 1724 Vine Street and 6821 Hollywood Boulevard.
Personal life
Ida Lupino was born in 1918 (and not 1914 as other biographies have it) as per her birth reference (see below).
She married and divorced three times:
- Louis Hayward, actor (November 1938 – 11 May 1945)
- Collier Young, producer (1948 London–1951)
- Howard Duff, actor, (October 1951 – 1984)
- one daughter, actress Bridget Duff (b. April 23, 1952)
Lupino was never a public figure, and kept her private affairs separate from her work.
Ida Lupino died from a stroke while undergoing treatment for colon cancer in Los Angeles, California. She is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
References
- General Register Office, Register of Births - Lupino, Ida: JAN-MAR Qtr 1918 1d 1019 CAMBERWELL, mother's maiden name = O'Shea
External links
- Ida Lupino Photo Gallery
- Ida Lupino at IMDb (which uses the wrong date of birth)