Diana Lewis

Diana Lewis

Born: September 18, 1919
Died: January 18, 1997
in Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA
Diana Lewis was born on September 18, 1919 in Ashbury Park, New Jersey. Her parents were vaudeville performers. The family moved to Hollywood and Diana, her sister Maxine, and her brother J.C. all went into show business. Diana made her film debut in the 1934 comedy It's A Gift. At the age of sixteen she married actor Jay Faye. She landed a contract with MGM and appeared in movies like Andy Hardy Meets Debutante and Bitter Sweet. While making Gold Diggers In Paris she became close friends with actress Carole Landis. Diana's marriage to Jay ended in 1939. That same year she met actor William Powell who was more than twenty years older than she. After a whirlwind courtship, the couple eloped on January 6, 1940. Diana had supporting roles in the films Johnny Eager and Cry Havoc. She decided to quit acting in 1943 and devoted herself to being a full-time wife. By all accounts Diana and William enjoyed one of Hollywood's happiest marriages. He gave her the nickname "Mousie" because she was so petite. They had no children but Diana was very close to her stepson William David Powell. She spent much of her time doing charity work and playing golf. In 1984 William passed away at the age of ninety-one. Diana continued to live a quiet life in Palm Springs. She died from pancreatic cancer on January 18, 1997. Diana is buried with William at Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California.

Movies for Diana Lewis...

The Big Parade of Comedy
Title: The Big Parade of Comedy
Character: Eve Wilson in 'Go West' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: September 2, 1964
Type: Movie
Film clips highlight the funniest scenes and brightest comic stars in MGM's history.
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Cry 'Havoc'
Title: Cry 'Havoc'
Character: Nydia
Released: November 23, 1943
Type: Movie
The Army nurses on Bataan need help badly, but when it arrives, it sure isn't what they expected. A motley crew, including a Southern belle, a waitress, and a stripper, show up. Many conflicts arise among these women who are thrown together in what is a desperate and ultimately hopeless situation.
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Whistling in Dixie
Title: Whistling in Dixie
Character: Ellamae Downs
Released: December 31, 1942
Type: Movie
Radio sleuth Wally 'The Fox' Benton travels to Georgia with his fiancé Carol to be married; and to help Carol's college chum, Ellamae Downs, solve a mystery involving a murdered man, old Fort Dixon, and buried treasure.
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Seven Sweethearts
Title: Seven Sweethearts
Character: Mrs. Nugent, a Newlywed
Released: November 13, 1942
Type: Movie
Little Delft, Michigan follows the customs of old-world Holland and is known for its Tulip Festival. The owner of the hotel insists that his seven daughters marry in order, from eldest to youngest.
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Johnny Eager
Title: Johnny Eager
Character: Judy Sanford
Released: December 9, 1941
Type: Movie
A charming racketeer seduces the DA's stepdaughter for revenge, then falls in love.
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The People Vs. Dr. Kildare
Title: The People Vs. Dr. Kildare
Character: Fay Lennox
Released: May 2, 1941
Type: Movie
An ice skater sues Kildare (Lew Ayres) for malpractice after his roadside first aid leaves her paralyzed.
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Go West
Title: Go West
Character: Eve Wilson
Released: December 6, 1940
Type: Movie
Embezzler, shill, all around confidence man S. Quentin Quale is heading west to find his fortune; he meets the crafty but simple brothers Joseph and Rusty Panello in a train station, where they steal all his money. They're heading west, too, because they've heard you can just pick the gold off the ground. Once there, they befriend an old miner named Dan Wilson whose property, Dead Man's Gulch, has no gold. They loan him their last ten dollars so he can go start life anew, and for collateral, he gives them the deed to the Gulch. Unbeknownst to Wilson, the son of his longtime rival, Terry Turner (who's also in love with his daughter, Eva), has contacted the railroad to arrange for them to build through the land, making the old man rich and hopefully resolving the feud. But the evil Red Baxter, owner of a saloon, tricks the boys out of the deed, and it's up to them - as well as Quale, who naturally finds his way out west anyway - to save the day.
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Bitter Sweet
Title: Bitter Sweet
Character: Jane
Released: November 8, 1940
Type: Movie
In order to avoid an arranged marriage with a man she doesn't love, Sarah Millick runs off to Vienna with her music teacher, Carl Linden, whom she does love. They are married. In Vienna, they struggle to make a living by making music. Carl writes an operetta and tries to get it produced. They are helped along by Viennese Baron, but his intentions are not honorable. He kills Carl in a sword fight. A big producer does put on the operetta, with Sari in the lead -- but without her husband, it is a bittersweet victory.
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Andy Hardy Meets Debutante
Title: Andy Hardy Meets Debutante
Character: Daphne Fowler
Released: July 5, 1940
Type: Movie
Judge Hardy takes his family to New York City, where Andy quickly falls in love with a socialite. He finds the high society life too expensive, and eventually decides that he liked it better back home.
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Forty Little Mothers
Title: Forty Little Mothers
Character: Marcia
Released: April 26, 1940
Type: Movie
An out-of-work professor gets a break from an old college buddy to teach at an exclusive girl's school. But events conspire against him: he finds an abandoned child which he takes under his wing, despite the school's rules against teachers having a family; and the girls in the school resent his replacing a handsome and popular teacher, and do everything in their power to get him fired.
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First Offenders
Title: First Offenders
Character: Ann Blakeley
Released: April 12, 1939
Type: Movie
A crusading and reform-minded District Attorney gives up his position in order to open establish a farm that gives juvenile delinquents and first-offenders a place to straighten out their lives before they reach the point of no return. He meets much resistance from various segments of the law and the citizens.
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Gold Diggers in Paris
Title: Gold Diggers in Paris
Character: Golddigger
Released: June 11, 1938
Type: Movie
When the representative of the Paris International Dance Exposition arrives in New York to invite the Academy Ballet of America to compete for monetary prizes, the taxi driver mistakenly brings him to the Club Ballé, a nightclub on the brink of declaring bankruptcy. The owners, Terry Moore and Duke Dennis, jump at the chance to go, despite being aware of the mistake. They hire ballet teacher, Luis Leoni, and his only pupil, Kay Morrow, to join the group, hoping to teach their two dozen show girls ballet en route to Paris by ship. Also going along and rooming with Kay is Mona, Terry's ex-wife, who wants to keep an eye on her alimony checks. Naturally, Kay and Terry fall in love.
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He Couldn't Say No
Title: He Couldn't Say No
Character: Iris Mabby
Released: March 19, 1938
Type: Movie
A lowly office clerk angers his fiancee and future mother-in-law by spending money intended for marriage furniture on a statue of a pretty girl, which he refuses to part with at any cost.
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Love Nest on Wheels
Title: Love Nest on Wheels
Character: The Bride
Released: March 26, 1937
Type: Movie
Buster, the eldest son in a family of hillbillies who manage a hotel, attempts to raise money to save the hotel from foreclosure.
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Grand Slam Opera
Title: Grand Slam Opera
Character: The Girl Downstairs
Released: February 21, 1936
Type: Movie
Elmer Butts is a contestant in a radio amateur hour show hoping to win the first price -- by dancing and juggling!
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Enter Madame
Title: Enter Madame
Character: Operator
Released: January 4, 1935
Type: Movie
Man marries opera singer, winds up taking back seat to her career.
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It's a Gift
Title: It's a Gift
Character: Miss Dunk
Released: November 30, 1934
Type: Movie
After he inherits some money, Harold Bissonette ("pronounced bis-on-ay") decides to give up the grocery business, move to California and run an orange grove. Despite his family's objections and the news that the land he bought is worthless, Bissonette packs up and drives out to California with his nagging wife Amelia and children.