Donna Reed
Biography
Donna Reed was an American actress from Denison, Iowa, born Donna Belle Mullenger, whose career lasted more than 40 years and took in over 40 films. She studied at Los Angeles City College before signing with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and her first screen part came in 1941 in The Get-Away. Supporting roles followed in Shadow of the Thin Man (1941) and The Courtship of Andy Hardy (1942), and she later appeared in The Human Comedy (1943) and They Were Expendable (1945). Her best-known film role was Mary Hatch Bailey in Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946), and she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for From Here to Eternity (1953). From 1958 to 1966 she starred as Donna Stone in The Donna Reed Show, earning four Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe, and in the 1984 to 1985 season of Dallas she played Miss Ellie Ewing. She died in 1986.
64years old at death
- Born Denison
- Died Beverly Hills
- Star sign: AquariusThe sign runs January 20 to February 18
- Donna Belle Mullenger (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 17
- Career span
- 15 years1941 to 1956
First and latest
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First role
Reed's first film role came in 1941 in The Get-Away opposite Robert Sterling, and she was billed at the time as Donna Adams.
About the name
MGM disliked Reed's real name and a studio publicist gave her the name Donna Reed, which she said she never liked.
Getting ready for a role
Reed was lent by MGM to RKO to play Mary Bailey in Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, a film she called the most difficult she ever did.
A role that slipped away
For two Alan Ladd films, Reed was borrowed by Paramount. She stepped in for Joan Caulfield at the last minute on Beyond Glory (1948), and she was also in Chicago Deadline (1949).
Donna Reed movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Two actors appear in three of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Henry O'Neill's page
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Ward Bond's page
Mickey Rooney's page
Lee Marvin's page
Also two films together12 more actors
- Harry MorganBacklash (1956) and Scandal Sheet (1952)
- Murray AlperTrouble Along the Way (1953) and They Were Expendable (1945)
- Frank FaylenHangman's Knot (1952) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
- Van JohnsonThe Last Time I Saw Paris (1954) and The Human Comedy (1943)
- Marshall ThompsonThe Caddy (1953) and They Were Expendable (1945)
- Frank MorganGreen Dolphin Street (1947) and The Human Comedy (1943)
- Lester MatthewsThe Far Horizons (1955) and Trouble Along the Way (1953)
- William EdmundsThe Caddy (1953) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
- Phil ChambersBacklash (1956) and Trouble Along the Way (1953)
- Moyna MacGillGreen Dolphin Street (1947) and The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)
- Tim RyanFrom Here to Eternity (1953) and The Courtship of Andy Hardy (1942)
- Todd KarnsIt's a Wonderful Life (1946) and The Courtship of Andy Hardy (1942)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Box office
What Donna Reed's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$51.3 million
5 of the 17 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 17 films: 5 worldwide figure; 3 us gross only; 9 figure not found.
- 5Worldwide figure
- 3US gross only
- 9Figure not found
Highest grossing
The five biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$31M59.5% of the total
- 2$9.6M18.8% of the total
- 3$4.9M9.6% of the total
- 4$3.9M7.6% of the total
- 5$2.3M4.5% of the total
Awards
Four awards and honors from 1954 to 2021, two of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | |||
| 1954 | Best Supporting Actress | From Here to Eternity | Won |
| Golden Globes | |||
| 1962 | Best Actress – Television Series Drama | The Donna Reed Show | Won |
| Other honors | |||
| 2021 | Iowa Women's Hall of Fame (posthumous) | Won | |
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.