Catherine N. Downs (March 3, 1926 – December 8, 1976) was an American film actress.
Biography Downs was born in Port Jefferson, New York. She was the daughter of James Nelson Downs and Edna Elizabeth Newman.
A model for the Walter Thornton Agency, she was brought to Hollywood in 1944 by a 20th Century Fox talent scout.Women in the Films of John Ford The studio initially used her as a model, giving her limited opportunities to act.
Career Downs began her film career with small roles in State Fair (1945) and The Dolly Sisters (1945). In 1946, she played the title role in My Darling Clementine and Clifton Webb's unfaithful wife in The Dark Corner. Following the success of My Darling Clementine, Downs was cast in a prison drama For You I Die (1947), an Abbott and Costello comedy The Noose Hangs High, and several Western films.
In 1947, Downs was dropped by Fox for unknown reasons and was never employed by another major studio.
In 1949, she participated in a later famous Life photo layout, in which she posed with other up-and-coming actresses, Marilyn Monroe, Lois Maxwell, Suzanne Dalbert, Laurette Luez, Jane Nigh, and Enrica Soma. By the early 1950s, she was appearing in low-budget films, including some science-fiction (sci-fi) stories, including the 1958 sci-fi/fantasy Missile to the Moon. She appeared in a television episode of The Lone Ranger in 1952.
She portrayed Ann Howe in the syndicated TV series The Joe Palooka Story (1954). In 1959, she portrayed Amelia Roberts in the episode "Marked Deck" of the Western TV series Bat Masterson. Downs worked sporadically on TV during the 1960s, with her final appearance in 1965 on Perry Mason as murder victim and title character Millicent Barton in "The Case of the Hasty Honeymooner".
Downs has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to television, at 6646 Hollywood Boulevard.
Personal life On October 8, 1949, in Las Vegas, Downs married Joe Kirkwood Jr., who played the character Joe Palooka in films and on TV.Downs' biodata at The New York Times The couple divorced on February 24, 1955. On July 21, 1956, Downs married Robert M. Brunson, an electronics executive. They divorced on July 29, 1963.
Downs died of cancer on December 8, 1976, in Los Angeles, California. She is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery, Santa Monica, California.
Filmography Year Film Role Other notes1945Diamond HorseshoeMiss Cream PuffUncreditedState FairGirl on carouselUncreditedThe Dolly SistersMiss MascaraUncredited1946The Dark CornerMari CathcartDo You Love MeClothes modelUncreditedMy Darling ClementineClementine Carter1947For You I DieHope Novak1948The Noose Hangs HighCarol ScottPanhandleJean 'Dusty' Stewart1949Massacre RiverKatherine 'Kitty' Reid1950The SundownersKathleen BoyceShort GrassSharon Lynch1951Joe Palooka in Triple CrossAnne Palooka1952Best Laid PlansMary SeatonGobs and GalsBetty Lou Prentice1953Bandits of the WestJoanne CollierThe Flaming UrgeCharlotte Cruickshank1955The Big Tip OffSister Mary Joan of ArcKentucky RifleAmy ConnorsThe Phantom from 10,000 LeaguesLois King1956The Oklahoma WomanSusan GrantThe She CreatureDorothy Chappel1957Curfew BreakersMrs. BowmanThe Amazing Colossal ManCarol Forrest1958Missile to the MoonJune Saxton1958Tombstone TerritoryPatricia Camden
Television Year Title Role Notes1961 Rawhide Jenny Stone S3:E27, "Incident Before Black Pass"
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