Myrna Loy (1905-1993) was an American actress, known as the "Queen of Hollywood" during her career peak. Loy began in motion pictures portraying treacherous femmes fatales but gained stardom in the 1930s for her roles as sophisticated women. Her early films include Arrowsmith (1931), The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), and Love Me Tonight (1932). She broke away from that mold in Manhattan Melodrama (1934). Loy is well known for her on-screen partnership with William Powell, with whom she starred in 13 films, including The Thin Man (1934) and its sequels. During World War II, she worked with the Red Cross and UNESCO. After the war, she appeared in films, such as The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and devoted time to political causes. Loy received an honorary Oscar in 1991 for lifetime achievement.

What is Myrna Loy most famous for?

Myrna Loy, born Myrna Adele Williams on August 2, 1905, was an American actress celebrated for her roles as sophisticated and resourceful characters during the 1930s. She gained prominence for her effective screen partnership with William Powell, starring in 13 films together, often portraying the witty husband-and-wife detective team Nick and Nora Charles in The Thin Man series. Beyond acting, Loy contributed to political causes, working with the American Red Cross during World War II and serving as a representative to UNESCO. She received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in 1991.

In which types of movies did Myrna Loy often appear?

Myrna Loy, initially recognized for portraying treacherous femmes fatales , transitioned to roles as sophisticated and resourceful characters during the 1930s. Loy and William Powell created an effective screen partnership, starring in 13 films together, often as the martini-loving Charleses in the Thin Man series or similar characters. Beyond the Thin Man movies, Loy's notable films include Manhattan Melodrama (1934), The Great Ziegfeld (1936), Libeled Lady (1936), Test Pilot (1938), and The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).

Which film roles made Myrna Loy especially popular in the 1930s and 1940s?

Myrna Loy achieved stardom in the 1930s, shaking off her initial typecast as a "foreign vamp." Her popularity grew significantly after Manhattan Melodrama (1934), where she played a wise paramour. Loy's enduring fame came from her roles alongside William Powell as the witty, martini-loving husband-and-wife detective team Nick and Nora Charles in The Thin Man series (1934). They starred in 13 films together, often in roles similar to the Charleses. Other notable films from that era include The Great Ziegfeld (1936), Libeled Lady (1936), Test Pilot (1938), The Rains Came (1939), I Love You Again (1940), and Love Crazy (1941). After the war, she appeared in The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947), and Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948).

How did Myrna Loy’s career change over time?

Myrna Loy began her Hollywood career portraying treacherous femmes fatales . Her role as an exotic mistress in Ben-Hur (1925) set her film style for the next decade. Loy broke out of this mold with her role in Manhattan Melodrama (1934). She then teamed up with William Powell in The Thin Man (1934), which spawned numerous sequels. Her screen persona appealed to both men and women, and she was seen as the ideal mate. During World War II, Loy worked with the American Red Cross and UNESCO. After the war, she appeared on-screen less frequently, dividing her time between acting and political causes, delivering excellent performances in films such as The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and Cheaper by the Dozen (1950). In her later years, Loy toured in stage productions and accepted character roles in films, with one of her final roles in Just Tell Me What You Want (1980). She was awarded an honorary Oscar for life achievement in 1991.

What impact did Myrna Loy have on Hollywood and American cinema?

Myrna Loy, dubbed the "Queen of Hollywood," significantly impacted American cinema, initially portraying exotic vamps before achieving stardom as a sophisticated leading lady. Her breakout role in Manhattan Melodrama (1934) led to a successful screen partnership with William Powell in The Thin Man series, where they played the witty detective duo Nick and Nora Charles. Loy's screen persona appealed to both men and women, portraying equality in a male-dominated world with a combination of beauty and brains, making her the ideal mate. Beyond acting, she contributed to the American Red Cross during World War II and advocated for political causes, including protesting the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

Myrna Loy

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Harold Russell, and Cathy O'Donnell in The Best Years of Our Lives

William Powell as Nick Charles and Myrna Loy as Nora Charles sit close together, holding hands and talking, in a scene from the 1934 film The Thin Man.

Promotional photo for After the Thin Man featuring Myrna Loy and William Powell in formal attire, seated with the terrier dog Asta between them.

Director W.S. Van Dyke leans over Myrna Loy and William Powell, who are seated at a formal dining table set, with crew and film equipment visible during filming of The Thin Man. Cinematographer James Wong Howe stands at the left.

Teresa Wright, Myrna Loy, Fredric March in military uniform, and Michael Hall stand closely together indoors in a scene from the 1946 film Best Years of Our Lives.

Quick Facts

Original name:: Myrna Williams

Born:: August 2, 1905, Radersburg, Montana, U.S.

Died:: December 14, 1993, New York, New York (aged 88)

Awards And Honors:: Academy Award (1991); Kennedy Center Honors (1988); Honorary Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (1991)

Married To:: John Daniel Hertz, Jr. (1942–1944); Arthur Hornblow, Jr. (1936–1942); Howland Hill Sargeant (1951–1960); Gene Markey (1946–1950)

Movies/Tv Shows (Acted In):: "Penthouse" (1933); "Turn Back the Hours" (1928); "Cameo Kirby" (1930); "Bride of the Regiment" (1930); "Song of the Thin Man" (1947); "Test Pilot" (1938); "Thirteen Women" (1932); "Midnight Lace" (1960); "Petticoat Fever" (1936); "The Red Pony" (1949); "Hardboiled Rose" (1929); "When Ladies Meet" (1933); "The Midnight Taxi" (1928); "The DuPont Show with June Allyson" (1960); "To Mary - with Love" (1936); "Shadow of the Thin Man" (1941); "The Naughty Flirt" (1930); "Renegades" (1930); "The Virginian" (1967); "The Climbers" (1927); "Show of Shows" (1929); "Vanity Fair" (1932); "Emma" (1932); "So Goes My Love" (1946); "I Love You Again" (1940); "Manhattan Melodrama" (1934); "From the Terrace" (1960); "The Crimson City" (1928); "State Street Sadie" (1928); "Third Finger, Left Hand" (1940); "Pay as You Enter" (1928); "New Morals for Old" (1932); "Simple Sis" (1927); "The Mask of Fu Manchu" (1932); "The Last of the Duanes" (1930); "Too Hot to Handle" (1938); "Why Girls Go Back Home" (1926); "Exquisite Sinner" (1926); "The End" (1978); "Love Crazy" (1941); "The Black Watch" (1929); "Double Wedding" (1937); "The Thin Man" (1934); "Night Flight" (1933); "Rogue of the Rio Grande" (1930); "Under a Texas Moon" (1930); "Libeled Lady" (1936); "A Sailor's Sweetheart" (1927); "Skyline" (1931); "The Bad Man" (1930); "The Great Ziegfeld" (1936); "The Animal Kingdom" (1932); "Wings in the Dark" (1935); "Transatlantic" (1931); "The Barbarian" (1933); "Lonelyhearts" (1958); "That Dangerous Age" (1949); "The Great Divide" (1929); "Just Tell Me What You Want" (1980); "Stamboul Quest" (1934); "A Connecticut Yankee" (1931); "Rebound" (1931); "So This Is Paris" (1926); "Ironside" (1973); "Kilo tissa wa tissaine" (1956); "Arrowsmith" (1931); "Belles on Their Toes" (1952); "Love, Sidney" (1982); "Thalath Nessa" (1968); "Another Thin Man" (1939); "The Girl from Chicago" (1927); "Lucky Night" (1939); "Broadway Bill" (1934); "The Caveman" (1926); "After the Thin Man" (1936); "General Electric Theater" (1955–1957); "Wife vs. Secretary" (1936); "Beware of Married Men" (1928); "The Jazz Cinderella" (1930); "Noah's Ark" (1928); "Evelyn Prentice" (1934); "Topaze" (1933); "Fancy Baggage" (1929); "Men in White" (1934); "The Prizefighter and the Lady" (1933); "The Gilded Highway" (1926); "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946); "Across the Pacific" (1926); "Airport 1975" (1974); "Hush Money" (1931); "The Truth About Youth" (1930); "Cheaper by the Dozen" (1950); "What Price Beauty?" (1925); "Bitter Apples" (1927); "Isle of Escape" (1930); "The Desert Song" (1929); "Man-Proof" (1938); "Love Me Tonight" (1932); "The Rains Came" (1939); "Cock o' the Walk" (1930); "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House" (1948); "Ham and Eggs at the Front" (1927); "The Ambassador's Daughter" (1956); "Columbo" (1972); "Whipsaw" (1935); "Family Affair" (1967); "The Heart of Maryland" (1927); "Body and Soul" (1931); "The Wet Parade" (1932); "The Thin Man Goes Home" (1944); "Don Juan" (1926); "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer" (1947); "Schlitz Playhouse of Stars" (1957); "The Devil to Pay!" (1930); "The April Fools" (1969); "If I Were Single" (1927); "The Woman in Room 13" (1932); "Finger Prints" (1927); "Consolation Marriage" (1931); "Evidence" (1929); "The Squall" (1929); "Parnell" (1937)

See all related content

Myrna Loy

American actress

Also known as: Myrna Williams

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

History

Top Questions

Who was Myrna Loy?
Myrna Loy (1905-1993) was an American actress, known as the "Queen of Hollywood" during her career peak. Loy began in motion pictures portraying treacherous femmes fatales but gained stardom in the 1930s for her roles as sophisticated women. Her early films include Arrowsmith (1931), The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), and Love Me Tonight (1932). She broke away from that mold in Manhattan Melodrama (1934).

Loy is well known for her on-screen partnership with William Powell, with whom she starred in 13 films, including The Thin Man (1934) and its sequels. During World War II, she worked with the Red Cross and UNESCO. After the war, she appeared in films, such as The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and devoted time to political causes. Loy received an honorary Oscar in 1991 for lifetime achievement.
1 Britannica Source
1. Myrna Loy
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What is Myrna Loy most famous for?
Myrna Loy, born Myrna Adele Williams on August 2, 1905, was an American actress celebrated for her roles as sophisticated and resourceful characters during the 1930s. She gained prominence for her effective screen partnership with William Powell, starring in 13 films together, often portraying the witty husband-and-wife detective team Nick and Nora Charles in The Thin Man series.

Beyond acting, Loy contributed to political causes, working with the American Red Cross during World War II and serving as a representative to UNESCO. She received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in 1991.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Myrna Loy
2. Myrna Loy: Facts & Related Content
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
In which types of movies did Myrna Loy often appear?
Myrna Loy, initially recognized for portraying treacherous femmes fatales, transitioned to roles as sophisticated and resourceful characters during the 1930s.

Loy and William Powell created an effective screen partnership, starring in 13 films together, often as the martini-loving Charleses in the Thin Man series or similar characters. Beyond the Thin Man movies, Loy's notable films include Manhattan Melodrama (1934), The Great Ziegfeld (1936), Libeled Lady (1936), Test Pilot (1938), and The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).
2 Britannica Sources
1. Myrna Loy
2. Myrna Loy: Facts & Related Content
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Which film roles made Myrna Loy especially popular in the 1930s and 1940s?
Myrna Loy achieved stardom in the 1930s, shaking off her initial typecast as a "foreign vamp." Her popularity grew significantly after Manhattan Melodrama (1934), where she played a wise paramour.

Loy's enduring fame came from her roles alongside William Powell as the witty, martini-loving husband-and-wife detective team Nick and Nora Charles in The Thin Man series (1934). They starred in 13 films together, often in roles similar to the Charleses. Other notable films from that era include The Great Ziegfeld (1936), Libeled Lady (1936), Test Pilot (1938), The Rains Came (1939), I Love You Again (1940), and Love Crazy (1941). After the war, she appeared in The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947), and Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948).
2 Britannica Sources
1. Myrna Loy
2. Myrna Loy: Facts & Related Content
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How did Myrna Loy’s career change over time?
Myrna Loy began her Hollywood career portraying treacherous femmes fatales. Her role as an exotic mistress in Ben-Hur (1925) set her film style for the next decade.

Loy broke out of this mold with her role in Manhattan Melodrama (1934). She then teamed up with William Powell in The Thin Man (1934), which spawned numerous sequels. Her screen persona appealed to both men and women, and she was seen as the ideal mate.

During World War II, Loy worked with the American Red Cross and UNESCO. After the war, she appeared on-screen less frequently, dividing her time between acting and political causes, delivering excellent performances in films such as The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and Cheaper by the Dozen (1950). In her later years, Loy toured in stage productions and accepted character roles in films, with one of her final roles in Just Tell Me What You Want (1980). She was awarded an honorary Oscar for life achievement in 1991.
1 Britannica Source
1. Myrna Loy
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What impact did Myrna Loy have on Hollywood and American cinema?
Myrna Loy, dubbed the "Queen of Hollywood," significantly impacted American cinema, initially portraying exotic vamps before achieving stardom as a sophisticated leading lady. Her breakout role in Manhattan Melodrama (1934) led to a successful screen partnership with William Powell in The Thin Man series, where they played the witty detective duo Nick and Nora Charles.

Loy's screen persona appealed to both men and women, portraying equality in a male-dominated world with a combination of beauty and brains, making her the ideal mate. Beyond acting, she contributed to the American Red Cross during World War II and advocated for political causes, including protesting the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
1 Britannica Source
1. Myrna Loy
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Myrna Loy (born August 2, 1905, Radersburg, Montana, U.S.—died December 14, 1993, New York, New York) was an American motion-picture actress who began her screen career playing treacherous femmes fatales and who attained stardom during the 1930s in roles as glib, resourceful sophisticates. Dubbed the “Queen of Hollywood” during her heyday, Loy was often promoted by her studio as every man’s “dream wife.”

Loy was the daughter of a rancher and moved to Los Angeles in 1918, working first as a dancer in a chorus line, then as a bit player in the 1925 production of Ben-Hur. Her small role as an exotic mistress fixed her film style for the next decade. In her subsequent and increasingly important roles—such as those in Arrowsmith (1931), The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), and Love Me Tonight (1932)—Loy personified the foreign vamp for American audiences. She broke out of this screen mold with her role as a wise and worldly paramour torn between a rogue gambler (Clark Gable) and a straitlaced attorney (William Powell) in Manhattan Melodrama (1934). She and Powell again teamed to portray the husband-and-wife detective team of Nick and Nora Charles in The Thin Man (1934). An enormously effective screen partnership, Loy and Powell appeared in 13 films together, often as the witty, sophisticated, martini-loving Charleses or as characters not far removed from them. The popularity of The Thin Man spawned numerous sequels, with After the Thin Man (1936) frequently cited as the best film in the series. Loy’s other standout films of the period include The Great Ziegfeld (1936), Libeled Lady (1936), Test Pilot (1938), The Rains Came (1939), I Love You Again (1940), and Love Crazy (1941). Loy’s screen persona appealed to men and women: she evinced equality in a male-dominated world (or at least emerged wiser and more level-headed than her male counterparts in roles that called for her to be the subservient spouse), and her combination of beauty and brains made male audiences regard her as the ideal mate.

During World War II she worked with the American Red Cross and later served as a representative to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Loy appeared on-screen less frequently after the war, dividing her time between acting and political causes. She was an officer and adviser of the National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing and was a member of the Committee for the First Amendment, a group of prominent Hollywood actors who protested the actions of the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Nevertheless, she still delivered excellent performances in such well-received films as The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947), Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948), The Red Pony (1949), and Cheaper by the Dozen (1950). In her later years Loy toured extensively in stage productions and occasionally accepted character roles in films. One of her final roles came in Just Tell Me What You Want (1980), a middling comedy made worthwhile by Loy’s scene-stealing performance. She was awarded an honorary Oscar for life achievement in 1991.