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Ella Wallace Raines (August 6, 1920 – May 30, 1988) was an American film and television actress active from the early 1940s through the mid-1950s. Described as "sultry" and "mysterious", the green-eyed star appeared frequently in crime film and film noir, but also in drama, comedy, Westerns, thrillers, and romance.
Among the leading men she starred with were John Wayne, Charles Laughton, William Powell, Randolph Scott, Franchot Tone, Brian Donlevy, George Raft, and Burt Lancaster. When film roles dwindled she turned to television. Her second marriage was to Robin Olds, a U.S. Air Force flying ace fighter pilot and Commandant of Cadets of the United States Air Force Academy and they had 2 children.
Raines appeared as a pin-up girl in the June 2 and June 16, 1944, issues of the G.I. magazine Yank, and on the cover of Life magazine twice, in 1944 for her work in Phantom Lady, and in 1947 for Brute Force.
Still in 1944 she appeared in the unusual Edwardian era noir The Suspect opposite Charles Laughton, then starred in films such as the romantic suspense The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry (1945) with Geraldine Fitzgerald and George Sanders, the thriller film The Web (1947) with Edmond O'Brien, and the prison drama Brute Force (1947) with Burt Lancaster. Some regard all of these as noirs.
Also in 1947 she starred in the comedy The Senator Was Indiscreet with William Powell. In 1949 she starred opposite Brian Donlevy in the noirish Impact, then took the lead role originally intended for Jean Wallace in the noir A Dangerous Profession, as Wallace had made a suicide attempt following her divorce from Franchot Tone. None of her later pictures were as successful as her earlier movies and her film career began to decline.
Following some years in television, her final film role was starring as the female lead in a British-made thriller The Man in the Road in 1956. Apart from a single television appearance in the 1980s, she retired from acting altogether the following year.
After a nearly three decade hiatus, Raines' final appearance as an actress was in a guest role in the crime drama series Matt Houston in 1984.
On February 6, 1947, Raines married then flying ace World War II fighter pilot Robin Olds, who went on to become a triple-ace during the Vietnam War, was eventually promoted to United States Air Force brigadier general, and served as commandant of the United States Air Force Academy from 1967 to 1971. The couple had two daughters, Christina and Susan. "Ella Raines, a Star of Westerns And Dramas in the 40's, Dies at 67" New York Times, June 9, 1988 She also suffered two miscarriages and a stillbirth. They separated in 1975 and divorced in 1976.
Known for her traditional family values, Raines was quoted at the height of her Hollywood career extolling them: "I am naturally captivated with the rewards that Hollywood bestows on those who are successful. But I’m going to do my best to see that these rewards never disturb the essential values in my life--love of husband, family, home; the things that really count."
Raines admired John Wayne. John Wayne, The Man Behind the Myth
She died from throat cancer in Sherman Oaks, California on May 30, 1988, aged 67.
Legacy
Raines has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for her contribution to motion pictures at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard, and for television at 6600 Hollywood Boulevard.
Filmography
See also
External links
Categories: 1920 Births, 1988 Deaths, Actresses From Washington, Actresses From Seattle, American Film Actresses, American Television Actresses, Deaths From Esophageal Cancer In California, California Republicans, People From King County, Washington, University Of Washington School Of Drama Alumni, Washington Republicans, 20th-century American Actresses
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