Category: Academy Awards History

Born Maria Magdalene Dietrich on December 27, 1901, the actress/singer who would re-invent herself many times in the course of her 90 year lifespan was only 11 when she changed her name, combining her first and middle names to form the then novel name of “Marlene”. She began in German films in bit parts in…

Born on February 29, 1896 in Brookline, Massachusetts, William A. Wellman was a descendant of Francis Lewis of New York, who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. The leap year baby was known as “Wild Bill” in his aviator days during World War I. The name persisted throughout his Hollywood career…