Bonita Granville

Daughter of Bernard 'Bunny' Granville and Rosina Timponi, Bonita Granville was born into an acting family on 2 Febuary 1923, in New York, New York. It's not surprising that she herself became a child actor, first on the stage and, at the age of 9, debuting in movies in Westward Passage (1932). She was regularly cast as a naughty little girl, as in These Three (1936) where she played Mary, an obnoxious girl spreading lies about her teachers. Her performance left an impression on the audience, and she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress award. In 1938-39 came the movies she is now best remembered for -- playing the bright and feisty detective/reporter Nancy Drew in the Nancy Drew series. She also appeared with Mickey Rooney in a few Andy Hardy movies. She never really had a movie breakthrough, and after marrying oil millionaire and later producer Jack Wrather, she retired from acting in the middle of the 1950s, although she went on to produce the Lassie (1954) TV series. After her marriage to oil millionaire Jack Wrather in 1947, she appeared in only three more movies. She became an executive in the Wrather Corp., and first associate producer, then executive producer of the Lassie (1954) TV series. After Wrather's death in 1984, she took over as chairman of the board. She was also involved in many civic and cultural groups, and she was chair of American Film Institute, trustee of John F. Kennedy Center, as well as other well known organizations and charities. Walt Disney personally convinced the Wrathers to build the Disneyland Hotel when Disney could not raise the money to do so -- his credit was all tied up in building the theme park itself. After the phenomenal success of Disneyland, Disney attempted to buy the hotel; but the Wrathers steadfastly refused to sell. Long after Jack and Bonita Wrather's and Walt Disney's deaths, the Disney Company bought the Wrather Corporation. The Disney Company thus acquired the Disneyland Hotel, the Queen Mary and Spruce Goose attractions in Long Beach, California, the rights to The Lone Ranger (1949) TV series, as well as other properties. Bonita Granville Rather died of cancer on 11 October 1988, in Santa Monica, California. She and Wrather had four children (two from Wrather's first marriage).

Known For	Acting
Most Rating	10.966
Birthday	1923-02-02
Place of Birth	New York City, New York, USA
Also Known As	Bonita Granville Wrather, Bonita Gloria Granville Wrather,

The Mortal Storm

Nancy Drew... Reporter

Suspense

Now, Voyager

The Guilty

Cradle Song

Down in San Diego

The Glass Key

Little Women

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase

Nancy Drew… Detective

Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter

Third Finger, Left Hand

These Three

Silver Dollar

Cavalcade

Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble

Youth Runs Wild

H.M. Pulham, Esq.

Syncopation

Angels Wash Their Faces

It's Love I'm After

Forty Little Mothers

White Banners

The Lone Ranger

Escape

Seven Miles from Alcatraz

Merrily We Live

The People Vs. Dr. Kildare

Breakfast in Hollywood

Song of the Saddle

Call It a Day

The Wild Man of Borneo

Those Were the Days!

The Beloved Brat

Gallant Sons

Song of the Open Road

The Truth About Murder

Hard to Get

Hitler's Children

Westward Passage

Love Laughs at Andy Hardy

My Bill

Guilty of Treason

The Life of Vergie Winters

Maid of Salem

The Beautiful Cheat

The Plough and the Stars

Strike It Rich

Ah, Wilderness!

Quality Street

The Garden of Allah

Senorita from the West

The Legend of the Lone Ranger

The Velvet Alley

Breakdowns of 1938

Hollywood’s Children

Screen Snapshots Series 21 No. 1

Soaring Stars