Betty Grable: Movies & Box Office

Betty Grable was an American actress, pin‑up girl, dancer, model and singer whose career spanned the Golden Age of Hollywood and left an indelible mark on popular culture. Born Elizabeth Ruth Grable on December 18, 1916 in St. Louis, Missouri, she entered the entertainment world at age twelve after her mother falsified her age to obtain work in Hollywood. From chorus‑girl appearances in 1929 to leading roles in Technicolor Musicals, she quickly became a studio favorite, first with RKO and Paramount and then with 20th Century‑Fox where she replaced Alice Faye in Down Argentine Way (1940). Her breezy screen presence and striking figure propelled her to the top of the box‑office polls; she was the number‑one draw in 1943 and consistently ranked in the Quigley Poll’s top ten from 1942 to 1951. The iconic 1943 bathing‑suit poster by Frank Powolny made her the most requested pin‑up for G.I.s during World War II, outselling even Rita Hayworth and later being honored as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential Photographs. Grable’s most celebrated films include Mother Wore Tights (1947) and the ensemble comedy How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), the latter confirming her lasting box‑office appeal despite the rise of younger stars. Although she retired from screen acting in 1955, she continued to perform on stage and in Las Vegas, sharing the spotlight with husband trumpeter Harry James until their divorce in 1965. Her legacy endures through a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a place in the Hall of Famous Missourians, and the lasting image of her legs insured for a million dollars, a testament to her status as an American cultural icon.