Marion Shilling
Encyclopedia
Marion Shilling was an American film actress of the 1930s.
Shilling was born as Marion Schilling in Denver, Colorado
in 1910 as per the Social Security Death Index under the name COOK, MARION S., although some biographers had formerly cited 1911 or 1914. She started her acting career as a stage actress, starring in stage plays such as Miss Lulu Betts and Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch. In 1929 she received her first screen role in Wise Girls. After a couple of roles in other films, she starred opposite William Powell
in the 1930 crime drama Shadow of the Law. That movie springboarded her into roles as a B-movie heroine.
In 1931 she was one of thirteen girls selected as "WAMPAS Baby Stars
", a list that included future Hollywood star Marian Marsh
. From 1930 to 1936 she starred in forty two films, mostly westerns or mysteries. She often starred opposite Tom Keene and Guinn "Big Boy" Williams
. In the 1934 film serial
The Red Rider, she starred opposite early western film legend Buck Jones
, with a supporting cast that included William Desmond
and football legend Jim Thorpe
. Shilling would later say that she enjoyed working with Jones, finding him to be an "exceptionally good actor who always tried to be a perfectionist and always demanded the best from his co-workers".
, aged 93.
Shilling was born as Marion Schilling in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
in 1910 as per the Social Security Death Index under the name COOK, MARION S., although some biographers had formerly cited 1911 or 1914. She started her acting career as a stage actress, starring in stage plays such as Miss Lulu Betts and Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch. In 1929 she received her first screen role in Wise Girls. After a couple of roles in other films, she starred opposite William Powell
William Powell
William Horatio Powell was an American actor.A major star at MGM, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the popular Thin Man series in which Powell and Loy played Nick and Nora Charles...
in the 1930 crime drama Shadow of the Law. That movie springboarded her into roles as a B-movie heroine.
In 1931 she was one of thirteen girls selected as "WAMPAS Baby Stars
WAMPAS Baby Stars
The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers in the United States which honored thirteen young women each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. They were selected from 1922 to 1934, and annual...
", a list that included future Hollywood star Marian Marsh
Marian Marsh
Marian Marsh was an American film actress, and later, environmentalist.-Early life:Violet Ethelred Krauth was born on October 17, 1913 in Trinidad, British West Indies , the youngest of four children of a German chocolate manufacturer and his French-English wife.Due to World War I, Violet's...
. From 1930 to 1936 she starred in forty two films, mostly westerns or mysteries. She often starred opposite Tom Keene and Guinn "Big Boy" Williams
Guinn Williams (actor)
Guinn "Big Boy" Williams was an American actor who appeared in memorable westerns such as Dodge City , Santa Fe Trail , and The Comancheros...
. In the 1934 film serial
Serial (film)
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...
The Red Rider, she starred opposite early western film legend Buck Jones
Buck Jones
Buck Jones was an American motion picture star of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, best known for his work starring in many popular western movies...
, with a supporting cast that included William Desmond
William Desmond (actor)
William Desmond was an Irish-born American actor. He appeared in 205 films between 1915 and 1948. He was nicknamed "The King of the Silent Serials."...
and football legend Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe
Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
. Shilling would later say that she enjoyed working with Jones, finding him to be an "exceptionally good actor who always tried to be a perfectionist and always demanded the best from his co-workers".
Personal life
Despite her success in films, Shilling retired in 1936, to marry and have a family. She was married to Edward Cook from 1937 until his death in 1998. They had two children, Edward and Frances.Death
She never returned to acting, and died from natural causes on November 6, 2004, in Torrance, CaliforniaTorrance, California
Torrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...
, aged 93.