Dorris Bowdon

American actress

Nunnally Johnson

(m. 1939; died 1977)

Children3

Dorris Estelle Bowdon (December 27, 1914 – August 9, 2005) was an American actress, best known for her role as Rosasharn in The Grapes of Wrath^[1]

Early life

Dorris Estelle Bowdon was born on December 27, 1914, in Coldwater, Mississippi, one of seven children of Lillian and James Bowdon. She attended Louisiana State University.^[1]

Career

Bowdon was an actress in the 1930s and 1940s. When she was 20 years old, talent scout Ivan Kahn found her in Memphis, Tennessee, and brought her to Hollywood, California, for a screen test with 20th Century Fox. She "didn't fare so well" in her first test, so she was given another try.^[2]

Personal life

She was married to Nunnally Johnson from 1939 until his death in 1977, and they had three children together, the first of whom was born in 1942, which prematurely ended Bowden's acting career. They resided in a mansion located at 625 Mountain Drive in Beverly Hills, California.^[3] It was designed by architect Paul R. Williams and built from 1937 to 1938 by O' Neal and Son.^[3] Actor Jack Johnson is her grandson.^{[citation needed]}

Death

Bowdon died in Los Angeles at the age of 90 of a stroke and heart failure. She was cremated and a portion of her ashes were scattered at sea and another portion interred with her husband Nunnally Johnson in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1938	Always Goodbye	Minor Role	Uncredited
1938	Down on the Farm	Tessie Moody
1939	Young Mr. Lincoln	Carrie Sue	Uncredited
1939	Drums Along the Mohawk	Mary Reall
1940	The Grapes of Wrath	Rosasharn
1940	Jennie	Lottie Schermer
1943	The Moon Is Down	Molly Morden	(final film role)

References

^ ^a ^b Nelson, Valerie J. (August 12, 2005). "Dorris Bowdon, 90; Actress Best Known for 'Grapes of Wrath'". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
^ "Talent Scouts Scouring Country for New Faces to Go Into Movie Mills". The San Bernardino County Sun. California, San Bernardino. Associated Press. March 20, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved July 3, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b Victoria Talbot, 'Beverly Hills Cultural Heritage Commission Splits 2 To 2 on Mountain Drive Landmark Vote', The Beverly Hills Courier, October 03, 2014, Vol. XXXXVIIII, No. 39, p. 4