Judy Holliday Biography

Fast Facts

• Passed away two weeks before her 44th birthday after battling breast cancer
• Got her very first taste of the entertainment industry after accepting a job as a switchboard operator for the Mercury Theatre that was run by Orson Welles and John Houseman
• Quote: "You have to be smart to play dumb blondes over and over and keep the audience's attention without extraordinary physical equipment․"
• Fought to regain her initial success after being blacklisted from radio and television for several years following an investigation by the U․S․ government that uncovered details relating to her involvement in Communist dealings
• After appearances in various night clubs in New York, she would make her Broadway debut in 1945 before formally pursuing film roles by the end of the decade
• Friend and co-star Katharine Hepburn helped her land numerous parts after convincing Columbia Pictures chief Harry Cohn that she was the best actress for "Born Yesterday" by leaking phony gossip stories
• Well-known for being one of Hollywood's smartest starlets, as she tested with an IQ of 172 since her teenage years