Joan Marsh

Although many a silent player did not make the successful transition to talkies, Marsh was one of the lucky ones. Petite with delicate features and platinum hair, she also possessed a lilting voice and was signed by Universal as an adult. Although she played prominent secondary parts and occasional leads, Marsh never quite achieved true stardom. Still, she remained active for much of the 30s, often playing chorines with names like Toots, Cuddles and Dimples. There were also the rare dramatic roles as in "Anna Karenina" (1935) but they were relatively few. Divorced from screenwriter Charles Belden, Marsh married John D.W. Morrill in 1943 and retired from the screen the following year. There was a brief flurry of interest in her when archival clips of her appeared in the compilation film "That's Entertainment" (1974), but she remained content operating a successful stationery business in Southern California.