Tyra Vaughn (March 13, 1923 – August 9, 2015) was an American actress, model, and showgirl, who appeared in motion pictures and television throughout the 1940s and late 1950s, and who later found a second career as a professional dance instructor.
Tyra Vaughn | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | March 13, 1923 Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | August 9, 2015 (aged 92) Northridge, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, dance instructor |
| Years active | 1941–88 |
Early life edit
She was born on March 13, 1923, in Scranton, Pennsylvania.[1] Her father was a police sergeant who was highly respected and she was the oldest of four children.[2] She attended West Scranton High School from which was she was active in the drama club and graduated in June 1941. With the outbreak of World War II, she moved to Los Angeles and joined the USO as a professional dancer.[1]
In 1943, she joined other variety showgirls in protesting a waiters' strike at Earl Carroll's Theater-Restaurant in Hollywood.[3] She was a swimsuit model,[4][5] named "Miss Springtime of 1944"[6] by the Blue Book modeling agency, run by Emmeline Snively.[7] Later in 1944 she appeared as an artist's model in a segment for NBC's People are Funny program.[8]
Career edit
After World War II, Vaughn was a dance instructor for the Hollywood Athletic Club, before producer Samuel Goldwyn selected her for his 1940s Goldwyn Girls ensemble.[1][9] She later appeared (without credits) in such movies as The Harvey Girls (1946), The Kid from Brooklyn (1946), Down to Earth (1947), Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), Duchess of Idaho (1950), and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953).[10][11] As a friend of actress and swimmer Esther Williams, she landed a recurring role on the Lux Video Theatre with Williams' help, appearing in several episodes between 1950 and 1957. When the series ended, Vaughn left acting and lived in Southern California, teaching dance until her 1988 retirement.[1]
Personal life edit
Vaughn died aged 92 on August 9, 2015, in Northridge, California, from natural causes.[1] Her remains were donated to medical science at the UCLA Medical Center.[12] Vaughn never married. In 1947, she adopted and raised a son.[13]
Upon her passing, she was survived by her son, a daughter-in-law, one younger sister, and several nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Vaughn, who was of Irish descent, was a self-described lifelong Roman Catholic and a conservative minded Republican.[13]
Filmography edit
| Year | Program (episode) | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Lux Video Theatre (Judge Not) | Noreen |
| 1957 | Lux Video Theatre (The Softest Music) | Emmaline |
| 1957 | Lux Video Theatre (Edge of Doubt) | Violet |
| 1957 | Lux Video Theatre (Stand-In for Murder) | Connie |
| 1956 | Lux Video Theatre (Only Yesterday) | Helen |
| 1956 | Lux Video Theatre (Hired Wife) | Lynn |
| 1955 | Lux Video Theatre (The Nine-Penny Dream) | Jane |
| 1954 | Lux Video Theatre (Imperfect Lady) | Beverly |
| 1954 | Lux Video Theatre (A Visit from Evelyn) | Myrna |
| 1954 | Lux Video Theatre (Call Off the Wedding) | Dorothy |
| 1953 | Lux Video Theatre (Two for Tea) | Charlotte |
| 1952 | Lux Video Theatre (The Orchard) | Elizabeth |
| 1951 | Lux Video Theatre (Dames Are Poison) | Patricia |
| 1951 | Lux Video Theatre (The Shiny People) | Carol |
| 1950 | Lux Video Theatre (The Lovely Menace) | Party Extra |
| 1950 | Lux Video Theatre (Mine to Have) | Sally |
| 1953 | How to Marry a Millionaire | Model (uncredited) |
| 1953 | Gentlemen Prefer Blondes | Chorus Girl (uncredited) |
| 1952 | April in Paris | Chorine (uncredited) |
| 1952 | Singin' in the Rain | Chorus Girl (uncredited) |
| 1951 | Starlift | Nurse (uncredited) |
| 1951 | Meet Me After the Show | Gold Digger (uncredited) |
| 1951 | On the Riviera | Specialty Dancer (uncredited) |
| 1950 | Duchess of Idaho | Diane (uncredited) |
| 1949 | Samson and Delilah | Temple Spectator (uncredited) |
| 1949 | On the Town | Dancer in "Day in New York" Ballet (uncredited) |
| 1949 | Fighting Man of the Plains | Saloon Girl (uncredited) |
| 1948 | Romance on the High Seas | Ship Passenger (uncredited) |
| 1948 | Up in Central Park | Young Lady (uncredited) |
| 1948 | Letter from an Unknown Woman | Ballet Dancer (uncredited) |
| 1947 | Escape Me Never | Girl (uncredited) |
| 1947 | Down to Earth | Muse (uncredited) |
| 1947 | Trail Street | Dance Hall Girl (uncredited) |
| 1946 | The Razor's Edge | Showgirl (uncredited) |
| 1946 | Three Little Girls in Blue | Minor Role (uncredited) |
| 1946 | Shadows Over Chinatown | Miss Chalmers |
| 1946 | The Kid from Brooklyn | Goldwyn Girl (uncredited) |
| 1946 | The Harvey Girls | Dance-Hall Girl (uncredited) |
References edit
- ^ a b c d e Lentz, Harris M. III (2016). "Vaughn, Tyra". Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2015. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. pp. 357–358. ISBN 978-0-7864-7667-1.
- ^ An Interview with Tyra Vaughn, Skip E. Lowe, 1995
- ^ "Carroll's Showgirls Demand End of Strike" Los Angeles Times (December 2, 1943): 17. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Showgirl 'Rebuked'", Atlanta Constitution (December 9, 1943): 13. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Past, Present, and Future", The Herald-Press (January 4, 1944): 6. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Miss Springtime" Wilkes-Barre Record (March 28, 1944): 9. via Newspapers.com
- ^ Astrid Franse, Michelle Morgan, Before Marilyn: The Blue Book Modeling Years (Macmillan, 2015): 31. ISBN 978-1-250-08590-0.
- ^ "Some Fun!" Wilmington Daily Press Journal (August 21, 1944): 5. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "These Are Hollywood's Dream Girls" The Capital Journal (June 21, 1945): 15. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "There are Irish in 'My Wild Irish Rose'", Daily Press (December 15, 1946): 18. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Beauty Line" Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (February 3, 1947): 23. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Tyra Vaughn (1923 – 2015) - Find A Grave Memorial". www.findagrave.com. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
- ^ a b An Interview with Tyra Vaughn, Skip E. Lowe, 1995
External links edit
- Tyra Vaughn at IMDb