Hazel Brooks
Hazel Brooks (September 8, 1924 – September 18, 2002) was an American actress.
Hazel Brooks | |
---|---|
Born | Cape Town, South Africa | September 8, 1924
Died | September 18, 2002 78) (aged Bel Air, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Other names | Hazel Brooks Ross Hazel Brooks Gibbons |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1943-1955 |
Spouse(s) | Rex Ross
(m. 1967; died 1999) |
Early years
The daughter of a sea captain, Brooks was born in Cape Town, South Africa.[1] Her father died when she was three years old, and she moved with her mother to Brooklyn, New York. Her mother remarried and then divorced, resulting in custody battles over Brooks' half-brother. Brooks described her childhood as "very unhappy", noting that she attended 14 schools.[2]
Career
Brooks became a model for Harry Conover when she was 16. A talent scout picked her and five other models to appear in the MGM film Du Barry Was a Lady (1943).[2] She made a series of pictures at the studio during the 1940s, culminating with a supporting role in the 1947 film Body and Soul with John Garfield.
She had captured almost as much attention three years earlier in 1944 when, at age 19, she married the long-time head of her studio's fabled art department, Cedric Gibbons, then 51. The wedding occurred on October 25, 1944.[3] Although the age difference inspired a certain amount of winking in the gossip columns at the time, the marriage proved a strong one and lasted until Gibbons' death in 1960. Brooks subsequently married Dr. Rex Ross (1908-1999), a surgeon and founder of the Non-invasive Vascular Clinic at Hollywood Hospital.
According to long-time friend Maria Cooper Janis, Gary Cooper's daughter, Ross in the years after her retirement from films became a skilled still photographer. She also worked actively for a number of children's charities.
She had subsequent roles in Arch of Triumph and Sleep, My Love in 1948, as well as The Basketball Fix (1951) and The I Don't Care Girl (1953).
Death
Brooks died in 2002, aged 78, in the Bel Air residential district of Los Angeles.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1943 | Du Barry Was a Lady' | Miss June | Uncredited |
1943 | Girl Crazy | Showgirl | Uncredited |
1944 | Rationing | Information Girl | Uncredited |
1944 | Meet the People | Show Girl | Uncredited |
1944 | Marriage Is a Private Affair | Bridesmaid | Uncredited |
1944 | Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo | Girl in Officers' Club | Uncredited |
1945 | Without Love | Girl on Elevator | Uncredited |
1945 | Ziegfeld Follies | Dancer | Uncredited |
1946 | The Harvey Girls | Dance-Hall Girl | Uncredited |
1947 | Body and Soul | Alice | |
1948 | Sleep, My Love | Daphne | |
1948 | Arch of Triumph | Sybil | Uncredited |
1951 | The Basketball Fix | Lily Courtney | |
1953 | The I Don't Care Girl | Stella Forrest |
References
- Dighton, Ralph (June 22, 1947). "Man Who Invented 'Oomph' To Make Hazel Brooks a Star". The Courier-Journal. Kentucky, Louisville. Associated Press. p. 25. Retrieved October 11, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- Graham, Sheilah (March 2, 1947). "Watch the Smoke Of Hazel Brooks, A Sure-Fire Star". The Courier-Journal. Kentucky, Louisville. p. 28. Retrieved October 12, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- Hopper, Hedda (October 27, 1944). "Cedric Gibbons marries actress Hazel Brooks". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. p. 13. Retrieved October 11, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
External links