Donna Reed, who starred as Mary Hatch Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life," died in 1986 at age 64 from cancer. Her daughter Mary Owen is helping to keep the star's legacy alive.
Turner Classic Movies
Donna Reed, the legendary Hollywood actress and Iowa native, is often remembered for playing charming and tender characters throughout her television and film career.
Her success in Hollywood earned her an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and four Emmy nominations.
She was born 100 years ago today, on Jan. 27, 1921, on a farm near Denison, Iowa. From those humble beginnings, she became a film icon, celebrated for her skill as an actress and for her charitable foundation supporting the performing arts.
Her decades-long acting career started in 1941, when she appeared in three movies, including “Shadow of the Thin Man,” with William Powell and Myrna Loy. She soon shared the screen with other Hollywood legends, including Lionel Barrymore, Mickey Rooney and John Wayne (another Iowa native) before she made a lasting impression alongside Jimmy Stewart in Frank Capra’s 1946 Christmas classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life.”