Actress. She was the daughter of Rose (née Winter), a singer with St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre ("The Muny"), and Jonas Schrift, a designer of men's clothing. From the age of nine, she grew up in New York City, where she appeared in high school plays. Her professional career began as a nightclub chorus girl and garment district model, but she landed a role on Broadway in 1941, making her debut in 'The Night Before Christmas,' which ran for about two weeks. In 1942, she was appearing on stage in 'Rosalinda' when she was offered a screen test by Columbia Pictures. She won a contract and a new name. Her film debut was an uncredited bit part in 'The Racket Man' in 1943. Other early films included 'Knickerbocker Holiday,' 'Cover Girl,' and 'Red River.' At the end of her contract, she returned to Broadway, landing the role of Ado Annie in 'Oklahoma!' in the fifth year of its run. The bombshell period of her career came with a contract at Universal Studios, where she produced potboilers such as 'South Sea Sinner' and 'Frenchie.' Her transition film might well have been 1948's 'A Double Life.' She then fought for and won a role in 'A Place in the Sun' in 1951 and earned her first Academy Award (Oscar) nomination. In 1959, she playedPetronella Van Daan in 'The Diary of Anne Frank,' for which she won an Oscar and donated it to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. Her second Oscar was awarded for her portrayal of a harridan in 1965's 'Patch of Blue.' She received another Oscar nomination for 1972's 'The Poseidon Adventure.' She also appeared as 'Lena "Ma" Gogan' in Disney's 1977 film, 'Pete's Dragon.' Her last appearance on Broadway was 'The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds," which ran for sixteen performances in 1978. Winters also made the news with her three stormy marriages, the last of which was to actorTony Franciosa and lasted only three years, and her numerous affairs with men likeBurt Lancaster,Marlon Brando, andWilliam Holden, which she documented in two autobiographies; 'Shelley Also Known as Shirley' published in 1980 and 'Shelley II: The Middle of My Century' published in 1989. Her last film appearance was 'La Bomba,' in 1999. She appeared in over 100 films in her career. She was hospitalized in October 2005, after suffering a heart attack, and succumbed three months later to heart failure at the Rehabilitation Centre of Beverly Hills. She was 85 years old.

Actress. She was the daughter of Rose (née Winter), a singer with St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre ("The Muny"), and Jonas Schrift, a designer of men's clothing. From the age of nine, she grew up in New York City, where she appeared in high school plays. Her professional career began as a nightclub chorus girl and garment district model, but she landed a role on Broadway in 1941, making her debut in 'The Night Before Christmas,' which ran for about two weeks. In 1942, she was appearing on stage in 'Rosalinda' when she was offered a screen test by Columbia Pictures. She won a contract and a new name. Her film debut was an uncredited bit part in 'The Racket Man' in 1943. Other early films included 'Knickerbocker Holiday,' 'Cover Girl,' and 'Red River.' At the end of her contract, she returned to Broadway, landing the role of Ado Annie in 'Oklahoma!' in the fifth year of its run. The bombshell period of her career came with a contract at Universal Studios, where she produced potboilers such as 'South Sea Sinner' and 'Frenchie.' Her transition film might well have been 1948's 'A Double Life.' She then fought for and won a role in 'A Place in the Sun' in 1951 and earned her first Academy Award (Oscar) nomination. In 1959, she playedPetronella Van Daan in 'The Diary of Anne Frank,' for which she won an Oscar and donated it to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. Her second Oscar was awarded for her portrayal of a harridan in 1965's 'Patch of Blue.' She received another Oscar nomination for 1972's 'The Poseidon Adventure.' She also appeared as 'Lena "Ma" Gogan' in Disney's 1977 film, 'Pete's Dragon.' Her last appearance on Broadway was 'The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds," which ran for sixteen performances in 1978. Winters also made the news with her three stormy marriages, the last of which was to actorTony Franciosa and lasted only three years, and her numerous affairs with men likeBurt Lancaster,Marlon Brando, andWilliam Holden, which she documented in two autobiographies; 'Shelley Also Known as Shirley' published in 1980 and 'Shelley II: The Middle of My Century' published in 1989. Her last film appearance was 'La Bomba,' in 1999. She appeared in over 100 films in her career. She was hospitalized in October 2005, after suffering a heart attack, and succumbed three months later to heart failure at the Rehabilitation Centre of Beverly Hills. She was 85 years old.

What was Shelley famous for?