Loretta Young (January 6, 1913 - August 12, 2000) was an Academy Award-winning American actress.

A&E's Biography recently summed up Loretta Young this way: "She remains a symbol of beauty, serenity, and grace. But behind the glamor and stardom is a woman of substance whose true beauty lies in her dedication to her family, her faith, and her quest to live life with a purpose." That statement, in a nutshell, summed up Loretta who entered the world in Salt Lake City, Utah on January 6, 1913. Her parents separated when Loretta was three years old. Her mother moved the rest of the family to Southern California. Mrs. Young's brother-in-law was an assistant director and managed to get the young Loretta a small role in the film, Only Way, The (1914). The role consisted nothing more than a small, weeping child lying on an operating table. Later that year she appeared in another small role in Primrose Ring, The (1917). The film starred Mae Murray who was taken with the little Loretta. She even wished to adopt her, but Mrs. Young said no. Loretta did wind up staying with the Murrays for a year and a half. She would not be in another film again until 1921 when she had a brief scene in Sheik, The (1921). She and her sisters were educated in parochial schools. Afterwards she went back to helping her mother run the boarding house Mrs. Young started when they had first moved west. In 1927, Loretta returned to the silver screen in a small part in Naughty But Nice (1927). She was all of fourteen, but anxious to get started in a film career for real. As Denise Laverne in Magnificent Flirt, The (1928), she began to shape any character she had with total dedication. It was the first of many outstanding roles for her. Later in the year she received second billing in Head Man, The (1928). Loretta continued to toil in many roles as the 20s turned into the 30s. She was appearing in anywhere from six to nine films per year. Her two older sisters were also involved in the acting profession, but they weren't making as many films their younger sister was - Loretta's career overtook theirs early on. It seemed that Loretta's natural beauty was a distinct advantage for her. By the mid-30's Loretta had switched studios, leaving First National to go to rival Fox Studios. She had worked for Fox before, but only on a loan-out basis. It was at Fox that Loretta became one of the premiere leading ladies of Hollywood. In 1938, Loretta starred in Kentucky (1938) as Sally Goodwin. The film was an outstanding success. Although she was not nominated for an award, her co-star, Walter Brennan, won for best supporting actor for his role as Peter Goodwin. It was only a matter of time before Loretta would get the accolades she so deserved. By the time the 40s dawned, Loretta was still churning out quality films. Newcomers were now hitting the big screen, but Loretta's star never dimmed. She was still one of the most beautiful ladies in the film world. Loretta, finally, was given her due when she won an Academy Award for best actress in Farmer's Daughter, The (1947), the tale of a farm girl who rises through the ranks and becomes a congresswoman. The film was a smash and one for which she is best remembered. With the win she had reached the pinnacle of her career. That same year, she starred in the delightful fantasy, Bishop's Wife, The (1947)with David Niven (I) and Cary Grant. It was a hit then as well as today. It continues to be a staple of television during the Christmas season. In 1949, Loretta starred in the well-received film, Mother Is a Freshman (1949) with Van Johnson (I) and Rudy Vallee as well in Come to the Stable (1949). The latter film garnered her a second Oscar nomination. Unfortunately, she lost to the great Olivia de Havilland for her film, Heiress, The (1949). In 1953, Loretta filmed It Happens Every Thursday (1953). It was to be her final performance on the big screen. She entered the relative new medium of television. That year she started her TV series "Letter to Loretta" (1953). The show garnered with three Emmy Awards for Loretta. After that series' long run, she took a some time off before returning in 1962 with "New Loretta Young Show, The" (1962). It didn't do as well, lasting only one season. Then for the next 24 years she didn't appear in any entertainment medium. Her final fling before the cameras was with a made for TV film called Lady in the Corner (1989) (TV). Loretta lived a quiet retirement in Palm Springs, California until her death on August 12, 2000 from ovarian cancer at the home of her sister Georgiana and her husband, Ricardo Montalban.

Sweet, sweeter, sweetest. No combination of terms better describes the screen persona of lovely Loretta Young. When Gretchen Young was three years old, her mother took her and her sisters to Hollywood, where she established a boarding house. Gretchen was appearing on screen as a child extra by the time she was four, joining her elder sisters, Polly Ann Young and Elizabeth Jane Young (later better known as Sally Blane), as child players. Gretchen then left the screen to attend convent school, but returned at age 14 with a bit appearance in the Colleen Moore (I) vehicle Naughty But Nice (1927). Changing her name to Loretta Young, letting her blond hair revert to its natural brown and with her blue eyes, satin complexion and exquisite face, she quickly graduated from bit player to ingénue to leading lady. She made headlines in 1930 when she and Grant Withers, who was previously married and nine years her senior, eloped to Yuma, Arizona, with the 17-year-old Loretta. They had both appeared in Warner Bros.' Second Floor Mystery, The (1930). The marriage was annulled in 1931, the same year in which the pair would again co-star on screen in a film ironically titled Too Young to Marry (1931). Loretta always showed an elegant sort of beauty in her films, many of which were rather pedestrian fare. Yet she could act if called upon. Examples of her acting ability are her performances in Farmer's Daughter, The (1947) or in Come to the Stable (1949). She retired from films in 1953 and began a second, equally successful career as hostess of "Letter to Loretta" (1953), a half-hour drama anthology series which ran on NBC from September 1953 to September 1961. In addition to hosting the series, she frequently starred in episodes. Although she is most remembered for her stunning gowns and swirling entrances, over the broadcast's eight-year run she also showed again that she could act. She won Emmy awards for best actress in a dramatic series in 1954, 1956 and 1958.

Gretchen Young was born on January 6, 1913 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was the daughter of Gladys Royal Young and John Earl Young. When she was three her parents separated and her mother moved the family moved to California and into the home of Gladys' sister. Loretta's father later moved to be with them. Gladys later found him with the maid and told him to get out. His children never saw him again. The family moved to a boarding house that Gladys ran. Around that time Loretta and her cousin went to live with an actress the called Aunt Mazi. After a year they both went back to their mothers. When Loretta was 10 her mother remarried - one of her boarders, George Belzer. They had daughter Georgianna two years later. At the age of 14 Loretta answered the phone and the person at the other line who was looking for her sister Polly Ann hired her. Gretchen was under contract, had braces put on her teeth and had her name changed to Loretta. In 1930 Loretta eloped with her costar Grant Withers to Arizona where the age of consent was 16. Loretta was just 17. Less than a year later the marriage was annulled. In 1935 she was considered to be a very successful actress when she made Call of the Wild, The (1935) with Clark Gable. They had an affair, and Loretta became pregnant. Because of the strict morality clauses in their contracts and the fact that Clark was married they could not tell anybody, except her mother. Loretta and her mother left for Europe where she delivered a healthy baby girl on November 6, 1935. Her daughter was brought up thinking that Loretta had adopted her, and did not know Clark Gable was her father until after she had had a child herself. In 1940 Loretta married businessman Thomas Lewis. Although her daughter was called Judy Lewis, Tom never adopted her. Four years later, Loretta had Christopher Paul Lewis. About a year later Loretta had Peter Charles. Loretta continued to make movies until the early 50's when she decided to go into television. She was very popular for about eight years and then the show went off the air. In 1960 she tried a new show with a new concept, but it lasted only one season. By that time Loretta was a grandmother. Judy had gotten married about three years before and had a daughter in 1959. Loretta and Tom Lewis divorced in the early 1960's. Loretta enjoyed retirement. Sleeping late, visiting her son Chris and daughter-in-law Linda. She had traveled a lot. She and her friend Josie Wayne, John's first ex-wife, traveled to India and saw the Taj Mahal. In 1990 she became a great-grandmother when her granddaughter (Judy's daughter) had a boy. Loretta died in 2000 of ovarian cancer.