Juanita Quigley (24 June 1931 – 29 October 2017) was an American child actress in motion pictures of the 1930s and 1940s. She had a sister, Rita Quigley, who was also a child actress.[1]
Juanita Quigley | |
|---|---|
 Quigley at age 4 | |
| Born | June 24, 1931 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | October 29, 2017 (aged 86) Sudbury, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Other names | Sister Quentin Rita |
| Occupation(s) | Actress Religious sister |
| Years active | 1934–1950 (nun 1951–1964) |
| Spouse |
Dr. Donald Robert Schultz
(m. 1964; died 2012) |
| Children | 2 |
Career
editJuanita Quigley was billed as "Baby Jane" in several early roles.[2] Her screen debut was as Claudette Colbert's three-year-old daughter in Imitation of Life (1934).[3] She went on to play featured parts in several films, including The Man Who Reclaimed His Head (1934) and was Jean Harlow's niece in Riffraff (1936). Quigley became a familiar face to moviegoers of the era, but major roles for children so young were few and she often played bits as well as featured roles. She was one of the most popular child stars of her day, and was Universal Pictures' youngest star in 1934.[4]
Quigley was briefly involved in the Our Gang film series. In 1940, she was the guest-starring lead in The New Pupil when cast as Sally, who briefly takes "Alfalfa" (played by Carl Switzer) away from Darla Hood. Two years later, she reprised the character in Going to Press (1942), the only time in the MGM era where the female lead was played by someone other than Darla Hood (who had recently left the series) or Janet Burston.
Quigley acted alongside her older sister, Rita Quigley, in Whispering Footsteps (1943). Her last major role was in National Velvet (1944), in which she played Elizabeth Taylor's sister.[5]
Later career
editQuigley made only a handful of small appearances after National Velvet, her last being in 1950. At the age of 20, in August 1951, she became a Catholic religious sister, Sister Quentin Rita in the order of the Daughters of Mary and Joseph,[6] teaching at Precious Blood Catholic School.[3] After several years in her convent, she left the vocation and married Dr. Donald Robert Schultz in 1964.[5] The couple had two children, Erik and Marta, before his death in 2012.[7][8]
Inaccurate documentation exists that Juanita made an uncredited appearance as an extra in the locally filmed Porky's II: The Next Day.[9]
Juanita Quigley died in Sudbury, Massachusetts, on 29 October 2017, aged 86.[8] She and her husband Donald R. Schultz (1927–2012) are buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix.
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | In Love with Life | Little Girl with serving tray | Uncredited |
| We're Rich Again | Child with nanny | Uncredited | |
| Have a Heart | Rosy | Uncredited | |
| Imitation of Life | Baby Jessie Pullman | ||
| The Man Who Reclaimed His Head | Linette Verin | ||
| 1935 | Straight from the Heart | Maggie Haines | |
| Alias Mary Dow | Mary Dow | ||
| 1936 | Riffraff | Rosie | |
| Absolute Quiet | Young girl (in trailer only) | Uncredited | |
| The Devil-Doll | Marguerite Coulvet | ||
| Born to Dance | Sally Saks | ||
| 1938 | Hawaii Calls | Doris Milburn | |
| The Devil's Party | Helen McCoy, as a child | Uncredited | |
| You and Me | Nasty little girl | Uncredited | |
| Woman Against Woman | Ellen | ||
| Having Wonderful Time | Mabel | ||
| Men with Wings | Patricia Falconer, aged 6 | Uncredited | |
| That Certain Age | The pest | ||
| 1939 | The Family Next Door | Susan Pierce | |
| Code of the Streets | Cynthia | ||
| 1940 | Oh Johnny, How You Can Love | Junior | |
| The Blue Bird | Child | ||
| The New Pupil | Sally | Short | |
| 1941 | Bachelor Daddy | Girl with pigtails at movie | |
| Paper Bullets | Rita, as a child | Uncredited | |
| 1942 | The Vanishing Virginian | Caroline Yancey | |
| Going to Press | Sally | Short | |
| A Yank at Eton | Jane Dennis | ||
| 1943 | Assignment in Brittany | Jeannine | |
| Happy Land | Sally Pierce | Uncredited | |
| Whispering Footsteps | Rose Murphy | ||
| 1944 | The Lady and the Monster | Mary Lou | |
| National Velvet | Malvolia Brown | ||
| 1948 | Luxury Liner | Jean | Uncredited |
| 1950 | Mystery Street | Daughter | Uncredited |
| 1983 | Porky's II: The Next Day | Woman at Rally | (final film role) |
References
edit- ^ Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. (2 volume set). McFarland. p. 608. ISBN 9780786479924. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
- ^ "Movie Star Biography – Juanita Quigley". Premiere.com. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
- ^ a b "Former Child Star Now Working as Nun". The San Bernardino County Sun. California, San Bernardino. November 1, 1956. p. 21. Retrieved December 24, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Juanita Quigley Baby Jane page in Classic Movie Kids, a collection of rare photographs of the child actors and child actresses of yesteryear". Archived from the original on 2010-10-05. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
- ^ a b Staggs, Sam (2009). Born to Be Hurt: The Untold Story of Imitation of Life. Macmillan. p. 370. ISBN 9780312373368. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
- ^ "Eugene Register-Guard". news.google.com. Retrieved Aug 11, 2019 – via Google News Archive Search.
- ^ "Donald (Dutch) Robert Schultz (Dr.) – Arizona Obituary Directory". obits.arizonagravestones.org. Retrieved Aug 11, 2019.
- ^ a b "Obituary: Juanita Q. (Quigley) Schultz 1931–2017". Verde Independent. Retrieved Aug 11, 2019.
- ^ Hans J. Wollstein. "Juanita Quigley Biography". AllMovie.com. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
Bibliography
edit- Willson, Dixie (1935). Little Hollywood Stars. Akron, OH, and New York: Saalfield Pub. Co.