Joan Marsh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Dorothy Rosher[a] July 10, 1914 Porterville, California, U.S. |
| Died | August 10, 2000 (aged 86) Ojai, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Dorothy D. Rosher |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1915–1944 |
| Spouses | Charles S. Belden
(m. 1938; div. 1943)John D. W. Morrill (m. 1943) |
Joan Marsh (July 10, 1914[a] – August 10, 2000) was an American child actress in silent films between 1915 and 1921. Later, during the sound era, she resumed her acting career and performed in a variety of films during the 1930s and 1940s.
Marsh, born Dorothy D. Rosher,[a] was the daughter of Lolita and Charles Rosher. Her parents later divorced.[5]
In 1915, Marsh made her first film appearance, an uncredited one, in the short The Mad Maid of the Forest, which her father was filming.[6] Later that same year she was also cast in Hearts Aflame and then billed as Dorothy Rosher.[6] In 1917 she appeared too in A Little Princess and in no less than five other productions in 1918, including the comedy-drama Women's Weapons for Paramount Pictures.[7] After these minor roles as a baby and toddler, Marsh finally became a star in Mary Pickford films such as Daddy-Long-Legs (1919) and Pollyanna (1920).[6]
Marsh made her last film appearance as a child in 1921 but returned to films nine years later with a role in King of Jazz, in which she sang with Bing Crosby. She subsequently worked in a series of shorts and other feature films before she played W. C. Fields's daughter in You're Telling Me! in 1934. She continued performing on-screen in small roles for the next decade.[6] In 1936, she sang on the CBS radio program Flying Red Horse Tavern.[8]
In 1931, Marsh was one of 13 actresses named as WAMPAS baby stars.[9]
She made her final film appearance in 1944 in Follow the Leader.[6]
During the filming of Charlie Chan on Broadway, Marsh met writer Charles Belden, who had co-written the film's screenplay.[citation needed] They married on December 2, 1938, in Beverly Hills, California.[10] Their marriage ended in divorce in 1943—first in Los Angeles, California, on August 26, 1943, followed by a second divorce October 23, 1943, "so she won't have to wait a year before remarrying."[11]
In 1943, Marsh married Army Captain John D. W. Morrill in Santa Monica, California.[12]
Marsh later managed a stationery shop. She died at age 86 in Ojai, California[6] on August 10, 2000.[13]
