Bonita Granville

Bonita Granville

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. After her marriage to oil millionaire Jack Wrather in 1947, she appeared in only three more movies. She became an executive in the Wrather Corp., and first associate producer, then executive producer of the Lassie (1954) TV series. After Wrather's death in 1984, she took over as chairman of the board. She was also involved in many civic and cultural groups, and she was chair of American Film Institute, trustee of John F. Kennedy Center, as well as other well known organizations and charities. Walt Disney personally convinced the Wrathers to build the Disneyland Hotel when Disney could not raise the money to do so -- his credit was all tied up in building the theme park itself. After the phenomenal success of Disneyland, Disney attempted to buy the hotel; but the Wrathers steadfastly refused to sell. Long after Jack and Bonita Wrather's and Walt Disney's deaths, the Disney Company bought the Wrather Corporation. The Disney Company thus acquired the Disneyland Hotel, the Queen Mary and Spruce Goose attractions in Long Beach, California, the rights to The Lone Ranger (1949) TV series, as well as other properties. Bonita Granville Rather died of cancer on 11 October 1988, in Santa Monica, California. She and Wrather had four children (two from Wrather's first marriage).
Known For: Acting
Birthday: 1923-02-02
Place of Birth: New York City, New York, USA
Also Known As: Bonita Granville Wrather, Bonita Gloria Granville Wrather

Movies List of Bonita Granville

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The Mortal Storm

1940 Movie
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Suspense

1946 Movie
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Now, Voyager

1942 Movie
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The Guilty

1947 Movie
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The Glass Key

1942 Movie
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Little Women

1933 Movie
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These Three

1936 Movie
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Cavalcade

1933 Movie
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Youth Runs Wild

1944 Movie
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H.M. Pulham, Esq.

1941 Movie
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Syncopation

1942 Movie
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Hitler's Children

1943 Movie
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It's Love I'm After

1937 Movie
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Forty Little Mothers

1940 Movie
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The Lone Ranger

1956 Movie
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White Banners

1938 Movie
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Escape

1940 Movie
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Merrily We Live

1938 Movie
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Call It a Day

1937 Movie
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Song of the Saddle

1936 Movie
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Those Were the Days!

1940 Movie
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The Beloved Brat

1938 Movie
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Gallant Sons

1940 Movie
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Song of the Open Road

1944 Movie
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Hard to Get

1938 Movie
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Westward Passage

1932 Movie
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My Bill

1938 Movie
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Guilty of Treason

1950 Movie
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Maid of Salem

1937 Movie
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The Beautiful Cheat

1945 Movie
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Soaring Stars

1942 Movie
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Strike It Rich

1948 Movie
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Ah, Wilderness!

1935 Movie
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Quality Street

1937 Movie
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Down in San Diego

1941 Movie
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Cradle Song

1933 Movie
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The Garden of Allah

1936 Movie
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Silver Dollar

1932 Movie
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The Velvet Alley

1959 Movie
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Breakdowns of 1938

1938 Movie