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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1943
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Juanita Quigley (24 June 1931 – 29 October 2017) was an American child actress in motion pictures of the 1930s and 1940s. She had a sister, Rita Quigley, who was also a child actress.
Juanita Quigley was billed as "Baby Jane" in several early roles. Her screen debut was as Claudette Colbert's three-year-old daughter in Imitation of Life (1934). She went on to play featured parts in several films, including The Man Who Reclaimed His Head (1934) and was Jean Harlow's niece in Riffraff (1936). Quigley became a familiar face to moviegoers of the era, but major roles for children so young were few and she often played bits as well as featured roles. She was one of the most popular child stars of her day, and was Universal Pictures' youngest star in 1934.
Quigley was briefly involved in the Our Gang film series. In 1940, she was the guest-starring lead in The New Pupil when cast as Sally, who briefly takes Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer away from Darla Hood. Two years later, she reprised the character in Going to Press (1942), the only time in the MGM era where the female lead was played by someone other than Darla Hood (who had recently left the series) or Janet Burston.
Quigley acted alongside her older sister, Rita Quigley, in Whispering Footsteps (1943). Her last major role was in National Velvet (1944), in which she played Elizabeth Taylor's sister.
Quigley made only a handful of small appearances after National Velvet, her last being in 1950. At the age of 20, in August 1951, she became a religious sister in the order of the Daughters of Mary and Joseph, teaching at Precious Blood Catholic School. After several years in her convent, she left the vocation and married.
Inaccurate documentation exists that Juanita made an uncredited appearance as an extra in the locally filmed Porky's II: The Next Day. At the time of this filming, Juanita lived in Pennsylvania pursuing her post-convent career full-time. Juanita was retired and was an intensely private person with regard to her past. Most who knew her as a friend were unaware of her previous life as an actress. As of 2016, Juanita lived a peaceful retired life with her son and daughter-in-law in Massachusetts.
Juanita Quigley died in Sudbury, MA, on 29 October 2017, aged 86.
Gender
Female
Birthday
June 24, 1931
Died
October 29, 2017
Birthplace
Los Angeles, California, USA
Also Known As
The Vanishing Virginian
1942
The New Pupil
1940
Assignment in Brittany
1943
The Blue Bird
1940
Code of the Streets
1939
That Certain Age
1938
National Velvet
1945
Whispering Footsteps
1943
You and Me
1938
In Love with Life
1934
Cinderella's Feller
1940
Having Wonderful Time
1938
Mystery Street
1950
Bachelor Daddy
1941
Imitation of Life
1934
Riffraff
1936
The Lady and the Monster
1944
We're Rich Again
1934
Straight from the Heart
1935
Happy Land
1943
+ 13 more movies