NetflixMovies
Cathy O'Donnell

Cathy O'Donnell

7 movies on Netflix

Biography

Cathy O'Donnell was an American actress born Ann Steely in Siluria, Alabama. She took acting classes at Oklahoma City University and played Juliet in a campus Romeo and Juliet, then went to Hollywood, where a talent agent noticed her and Samuel Goldwyn signed her. After appearing in Life with Father on the Boston stage in 1944, she made an uncredited film debut in Wonder Man (1945). Her first major role was Wilma Cameron in The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). RKO borrowed her for They Live by Night (1949), in which Farley Granger was her co-star, and the two worked together again on Side Street (1950). Other films included Detective Story (1951) with Kirk Douglas, The Man from Laramie (1955), and Ben-Hur (1959), where she played Tirzah, Judah Ben-Hur's sister, her final film. Her 1960s television work included Man Without a Gun, The Rebel and Perry Mason, and she finished with an episode of Bonanza in 1964.

46years old at death

  • Born Shelby County
  • Died Los Angeles
  • Star sign: CancerThe sign runs June 21 to July 22
  • Also credited as Ann Steely

Movie Career

Films
7
Career span
13 years1946 to 1959

Genres

Photos

  • Cathy O'Donnell, photo 1 of 3
  • Cathy O'Donnell, photo 2 of 3
  • Cathy O'Donnell, photo 3 of 3

Share

Did you know?!

  1. Big break

    While on a brief trip to Hollywood, O'Donnell was spotted at a drugstore by an agent of Samuel Goldwyn. A screen test showed her thick Southern accent, but Goldwyn liked her appearance and signed her.

Cathy O'Donnell movies on Netflix

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

Top of the page, the section list
  1. Ben-Hur1959 Adventure, Drama, Historyas Tirzah

    IMDb rating 8.1274K votes

  2. The Best Years of Our Lives1946 Drama, Romance, Waras Wilma Cameron

    IMDb rating 8.177K votes

  3. They Live by Night1949as Catherine "Keechie" Mobley

    IMDb rating 7.411K votes

  4. The Man From Laramie1955as Barbara Waggoman

    IMDb rating 7.313K votes

  5. Detective Story1951as Susan Carmichael

    IMDb rating 7.511K votes

  6. Side Street1950as Ellen Norson

    IMDb rating 7.13.9K votes

  7. The Amazing Mr. X1948as Janet Burke

    IMDb rating 6.42.7K votes

Worked with

Cathy O'Donnell shares two films with Farley Granger, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

Top of the page, the section list

Films together

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

Top of the page, the section list