Deanna Durbin

Deanna Durbin

actress, soundtrack

Deanna Durbin was born on Dec 04, 1921 in Canada. Deanna Durbin's big-screen debut came with Every Sunday directed by Felix E. Feist in 1936. Deanna Durbin is known for Danny Boy: The Ballad That Bewitched the World directed by James Maycock, Brian Audley stars as Self and Harry Belafonte as Self. The most recent award Deanna Durbin achieved is Walk of Fame. The upcoming new movie Deanna Durbin plays is Danny Boy: The Ballad That Bewitched the World which will be released on Nov 11, 2013.

The girl who one day would be known as "Winnipeg's Sweetheart" was born at Grace Hospital on December 4, 1921, as Edna Mae Durbin. In her early childhood there were no obvious signs that one day she would be a bigger box office attraction than Shirley Temple. Renamed Deanna Durbin for show business purposes, by age 21 she was the most highly paid female star in the world. Her major motion pictures were Trois jeunes filles à la page (1936), Délicieuse (1938) and Cet âge ingrat (1938). By the time she was 18 her income was $250,000 a year. Her voice was often described as "natural and beautiful" and her version of "One Fine Day" from Madame Butterfly, became a classic. Deanna was a Hollywood star in every way. There were Deanna Durbin dolls and dresses. An engineering firm named its so-called dream home in her honor. Her first screen kiss was described in a headline story across the continent. What makes Deanna Durbin's story different is that she was never comfortable with adulation. When she was at the top of her career as Hollywood's leading actress and singer, she turned her back on that world for a life of seclusion. Her first two marriages had failed, and before she married her third husband, director Charles David, she set one condition: he had to promise that she could have what she yearned for - "the life of nobody". Her seclusion is incomplete. She lives in the French village of Neauphlé-le-Château, and for over 35 years has resisted every approach from film companies. Her husband has told journalists that "Mario Lanza pleaded with her for years to make a film with him. But she will never go back to that life." She granted only one interview since 1949 to film historian David Shipman in 1983.

  • Birthday

    Dec 04, 1921
  • Place of Birth

    Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Known For

Awards

2 wins & 0 nominations

Walk of Fame
1960
Motion Picture
Winner - Star on the Walk of Fame
Academy Awards, USA
1939
Shared with:
Winner - Juvenile Award

Movies & TV Shows

All
Movies