Dale Evans
Birth Name:
Frances Octavia Smith
Birth Place:
Uvalde, Texas, United States
Profession
Soundtrack, Actress
Fast Facts
- After her daughter Robin died from complications related to Down Syndrome, she wrote the book "Angel Unaware" in her honor and donated all profits from its sale to the National Association for Retarded Children, which is now known as the Arc
- Was named Texan of the Year by the Texas Press Association in 1970 and was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1995
- Gained popularity as an actress when she appeared opposite John Wayne in "In Old Oklahoma" in 1944
- Started out as a singer and piano player on radio stations in Memphis, Tennessee, where she was given her stage name by a station manager who had been a fan of the silent film actress Dale Winter
- Toured with a number of big bands as a vocalist and continued her radio work in Chicago before being offered a screen test by Paramount Studios
- Quote: "'Cowgirl' is an attitude really․ A pioneer spirit, a special American brand of courage․ The cowgirl faces life head-on, lives by her own lights, and makes no excuses․ Cowgirls take stands; they speak up․ They defend things they hold dear․"
- Quote: "(On her favorite role, in "Don't Fence Me In") "I like to be active in a role, and hate namby-pamby heroines․ Toni was a pleasant departure from the usual western role, in which the girl just stands around while men do violent and admirable things․""
- Best known as a singer and actress who appeared in several westerns with her husband, singing cowboy Roy Rogers, including the film "My Pal Trigger" and the TV series "The Roy Rogers Show․"
- Made a total of 28 films with Roy Rogers, the first being "The Cowboy and The Senorita" in 1944
- She and Roy Rogers were married at the Flying L Ranch in Davis, Okla․, where they had filmed "Home in Oklahoma" and where the ranch's owner, upon hearing that they were getting married, offered it as a wedding site