Happy Birthday, Ann Sheridan (1915-1967)

Ann Sheridan in Navy Blues (1941)

Okay, I will admit it. I am absolutely crazy about Ann Sheridan. This down-to-earth Texas girl was as comfortable playing the girl next door as the tough-as-nails femme fatale.

Murder at the Vanities (1934)

When Clara Lou Sheridan was 18, her sister sent a picture of Clara Lou in a bathing suit to Paramount Studios' "Search for Beauty" contest, which carried, as the prize, a screen test and a bit part in a movie.

Car 99 (1935)

Ann Sheridan in Car 99 (1935) with Fred MacMurray and William Frawley

Clara Lou was signed to a contract and had bit parts in 13 movies under her real name in 1934, followed by 12 more in 1935. By the time she landed her first female lead role, in Car 99 (1935), she had changed her name to Ann.

Fighting Youth (1935)

The Great O'Malley (1937)

with Dick Purcell in Mystery House (1938)

Ann worked steadily for the next few years and the public liked her. The critics started to take notice when she was cast in Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) opposite James Cagney, Pat O'Brien and Humphrey Bogart.

Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)

Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)



Dodge City (1939)


Dodge City (1939) with Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Victor Jory


Indianapolis Speedway (1939)


Winter Carnival (1939)


Winter Carnival (1939)


Winter Carnival (1939)


Castle on the Hudson (1940)


Castle on the Hudson (1940) with John Garfield



It All Came True (1940)


It All Came True (1940)


They Drive by Night (1940)


with George Raft in They Drive by Night (1940)


City for Conquest (1940)


City for Conquest (1940)


with director Anatole Litvak on the set of City for Conquest (1940)


Navy Blues (1941)


Navy Blues (1941)


The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)


Ann Sheridan, Richard Travis, Bette Davis and Monty Woolley
The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)


with Jimmy Durante on the set of The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)


with a co-star on the set of The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)


Kings Row (1942)


with Ronald Reagan on the set of Kings Row (1942)


Juke Girl (1942)


with Ronald Reagan in Juke Girl (1942)


Juke Girl (1942)


with Ronald Reagan in Juke Girl (1942)


Juke Girl (1942)


Edge of Darkness (1943)


with Errol Flynn on the set of Edge of Darkness (1943)


Edge of Darkness (1943)


One More Tomorrow (1946)


with Jane Wyman in One More Tomorrow (1946)


Nora Prentiss (1947)


Nora Prentiss (1947)


Nora Prentiss (1947)


with Kent Smith in Nora Prentiss (1947)


The Unfaithful (1947)


The Unfaithful (1947)


wrap party on the set of The Unfaithful (1947)


Good Sam (1948)


Woman on the Run (1950)


Woman on the Run (1950)


Ann Sheridan, Leslie Nielsen, Dolores Gray, Bill Goodwin
The Opposite Sex (1956)


Just Across the Street (1952) with John Lund

Ann's Film Noir credits include Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), They Drive by Night (1940), City for Conquest (1940), Nora Prentiss (1947), The Unfaithful (1947) and Woman on the Run (1950).

Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)

In 1952, Ann was included by the Fashion Academy of New York in the list of eight best dressed women of America.

Like many Hollywood stars during World War II, Ann gave freely of herself for the sake of the American fighting man. She traveled throughout the far east, visiting hospitals and military installations. [above] Ann poses with a B-26 that was named the "Sheridan Express" in her honor. [below] Ann visits a military hospital in Agra, India.