Bonita Granville
Actor
Born February 2, 1923 in New York City, New York, USA
Daughter of Bernard 'Bunny' Granville and Rosina Timponi, Bonita Granville was born into an acting family on 2 Febuary 1923, in New York, New York. It's not surprising that she herself became a child actor, first on the stage and, at the age of 9, debuting in movies in Westward Passage (1932). She was regularly cast as a naughty little girl, as in These Three (1936) where she played Mary, an obnoxious girl spreading lies about her teachers. Her performance left an impression on the audience, and she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress award. In 1938-39 came the movies she is now best remembered for -- playing the bright and feisty detective/reporter Nancy Drew in the Nancy Drew series. She also appeared with Mickey Rooney in a few Andy Hardy movies. She never really had a movie breakthrough, and after marrying oil millionaire and later producer Jack Wrather, she retired from acting in the middle of the 1950s, although she went on to produce the Lassie (1954) TV series.
Filmography
Hollywood’s Children
Self
The Legend of the Lone Ranger
Woman (uncredited)
The Magic of Lassie
Lassie: Peace Is Our Profession
Lassie: The Adventures of Neeka
The Mike Douglas Show
Self
The Velvet Alley
Mrs. Kirkley
The Lone Ranger
Welcome Kilgore
Climax!
Laura Jordan
Lassie
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Ellen Morison
Guilty of Treason
Stephanie Varna
Strike It Rich
Julie Ann Brady
Studio One
Ann
The Guilty
Estelle Mitchell / Linda Mitchell
Love Laughs at Andy Hardy
Kay Wilson
Suspense
Ronnie
The Truth About Murder
Christine Allen
Breakfast in Hollywood
Dorothy Larson
Senorita from the West
Jeannie Blake
The Beautiful Cheat
Alice
Youth Runs Wild
Toddy Jones
Song of the Open Road
Bonnie
Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble
Kay Wilson
Hitler's Children
Anna Miller
Seven Miles from Alcatraz
Anne Porter
Now, Voyager
June Vale
The Glass Key
Opal 'Snip' Madvig
Syncopation
Kit Latimer
H.M. Pulham, Esq.
Mary Pulham
Screen Snapshots Series 21 No. 1
Self
Down in San Diego
Betty Haines
The People Vs. Dr. Kildare
Frances Marlowe
The Wild Man of Borneo
Francine 'Frankie' Diamond
Gallant Sons
Kate Pendleton
Escape
Ursula
Third Finger, Left Hand
Vicky Sherwood
Those Were the Days!
Martha Scroggs
The Mortal Storm
Elsa
Forty Little Mothers
Doris
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
Nancy Drew
Angels Wash Their Faces
Peggy Finnegan
Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter
Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew... Reporter
Nancy Drew
Breakdowns of 1938
Nancy Drew (archive footage) (uncredited)
Nancy Drew… Detective
Nancy Drew
Hard to Get
Connie Richards
My Bill
Gwen Colbrook
White Banners
Sally Ward
The Beloved Brat
Roberta Morgan
Merrily We Live
Marian Kilbourne
It's Love I'm After
Gracie Kane
Call It a Day
Ann Hilton
Quality Street
Isabella
Maid of Salem
Ann
The Plough and the Stars
Mollser Gogan
The Garden of Allah
Convent Girl (uncredited)
These Three
Mary Tilford
Song of the Saddle
Jen as a Child
Ah, Wilderness!
Mildred Miller
The Life of Vergie Winters
Joan Shadwell as a Child (uncredited)
Cradle Song
Carmen (uncredited)
Cavalcade
Young Fanny
Silver Dollar
Liddy (uncredited)
Westward Passage
Little Olivia Allen (age 9)