Deanna Durbin

A hugely successful singer and actress, Deanna Durbin was primarily known for her musical comedies through the 1930s and 1940s - and her perceived rivalry with Judy Garland - and was described by film producer Joe Pasternak as "a genius". Durbin was born in Canada but she was just one when her English parents took her to live in Hollywood and by the age of 10 she was taking singing lessons and appearing in local shows. Considered a future opera star, she was signed to MGM in 1935 at the age of 14, making her first movie appearance the following year in Every Sunday alongside Judy Garland, thus beginning a long-running personal rivalry. After signing to Universal, Durbin found stardom in the 1936 film Three Smart Girls and the success of her subsequent movies reportedly saved Universal from bankruptcy. Her musical comedies remained massively popular with the public and she received much praise for her performance in the 1944 film Can't Help Singing - her only colour movie - singing songs by Jerome Kern and E.Y.Harburg. She also established a successful recording career, mostly based on tracks from her movies but other hits included standards like Annie Laurie, Poor Butterfly, Love's Old Sweet Song and God Bless America. Her attempts to be taken more seriously in dramatic roles were less successful and after a contractual dispute with Universal Durbin announced her retirement in 1949 while still in her twenties. Subsequently she consistently refused lucrative offers to return - turning down roles in the movies Kiss Me Kate and The Student Prince and the London stage production of My Fair Lady - because she hated the razzmatazz of Hollywood and fiercely protected her privacy until her death in Paris at 91 in 2013.

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