Loretta Young

American actress

Also known as: Gretchen Michaela Young

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: May 10, 2025 • Article History

Quick Facts

Original name:: Gretchen Michaela Young

Born:: January 6, 1913, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.

Died:: August 12, 2000, Los Angeles, California (aged 87)

Awards And Honors:: Emmy Award; Academy Award (1948); Academy Award (1948): Actress in a Leading Role; Emmy Award (1959): Best Actress in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series; Emmy Award (1957): Best Continuing Performance by an Actress; Emmy Award (1955): Best Actress Starring in a Regular Series; Golden Globe Award (1987): Best Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television; Golden Globe Award (1959): Television Achievement

Married To:: Tom Lewis (1940–1969); Jean Louis (1993–1997 [his death]); Grant Withers (1930–1931)

Movies/Tv Shows (Acted In):: "Rachel and the Stranger" (1948); "Love Under Fire" (1937); "Suez" (1938); "The Forward Pass" (1929); "They Call It Sin" (1932); "She Had to Say Yes" (1933); "Kismet" (1930); "Beau Ideal" (1931); "The Doctor Takes a Wife" (1940); "Play Girl" (1932); "A Night to Remember" (1942); "The Unguarded Hour" (1936); "Show of Shows" (1929); "Private Number" (1936); "The Girl in the Glass Cage" (1929); "Along Came Jones" (1945); "The Crusades" (1935); "Eternally Yours" (1939); "The House of Rothschild" (1934); "Come to the Stable" (1949); "Zoo in Budapest" (1933); "Wife, Doctor and Nurse" (1937); "Caravan" (1934); "The Hatchet Man" (1932); "Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back" (1934); "The Accused" (1949); "The White Parade" (1934); "Four Men and a Prayer" (1938); "Midnight Mary" (1933); "The Whip Woman" (1928); "Kentucky" (1938); "Life Begins" (1932); "Week-End Marriage" (1932); "Heroes for Sale" (1933); "Love Is News" (1937); "Letter to Loretta" (1953–1961); "Mother Is a Freshman" (1949); "Loose Ankles" (1930); "The Truth About Youth" (1930); "Call of the Wild" (1935); "Because of You" (1952); "The Right of Way" (1931); "The Bishop's Wife" (1947); "Scarlet Seas" (1928); "Three Blind Mice" (1938); "The Careless Age" (1929); "Sirens of the Sea" (1917); "Paula" (1952); "Second Honeymoon" (1937); "The Perfect Marriage" (1947); "Taxi" (1932); "Three Girls Lost" (1931); "The Life of Jimmy Dolan" (1933); "Shanghai" (1935); "Man's Castle" (1933); "The Squall" (1929); "The Head Man" (1928); "I Like Your Nerve" (1931); "Fast Life" (1929); "He Stayed for Breakfast" (1940); "Key to the City" (1950); "Wife, Husband and Friend" (1939); "The Second Floor Mystery" (1930); "The Only Way" (1919); "Too Young to Marry" (1931); "The Story of Alexander Graham Bell" (1939); "It Happens Every Thursday" (1953); "And Now Tomorrow" (1944); "Big Business Girl" (1931); "Road to Paradise" (1930); "Ramona" (1936); "Café Metropole" (1937); "China" (1943); "The Devil's in Love" (1933); "The Men in Her Life" (1941); "Bedtime Story" (1941); "Platinum Blonde" (1931); "Family Theatre" (1952); "The Ruling Voice" (1931); "Cause for Alarm!" (1951); "Born to Be Bad" (1934); "Ladies in Love" (1936); "The Lady from Cheyenne" (1941); "Employees' Entrance" (1933); "The Farmer's Daughter" (1947); "Laugh, Clown, Laugh" (1928); "The Stranger" (1946); "Grand Slam" (1933); "Clive of India" (1935); "The New Loretta Young Show" (1962–1963); "Half Angel" (1951); "The Man from Blankley's" (1930); "The Magnificent Flirt" (1928); "Ladies Courageous" (1944); "The Devil to Pay!" (1930)

Loretta Young (born January 6, 1913, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.—died August 12, 2000, Los Angeles, California) was a motion picture actress noted for her ethereal beauty and refined, controlled portrayals of virtuous and wholesome women.

Young began her career at age four as a child extra. She later attended convent school, and at age14 she landed a part in the film Naughty but Nice (1927) that was originally intended for her sister Polly Ann. Her career blossomed as she moved quickly from bit parts to ingenues and leading ladies. She later made a smooth transition to sound films.

After a Hollywood career of more than 20 years, Young silenced many critics who regarded her as little more than a bland beauty of modest talent when she won an Oscar in 1947 for her performance in The Farmer’s Daughter. She received a second nomination for best actress in 1949 for her role as a nun in Come to the Stable. Her other notable films include The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939), The Stranger (1946), and The Bishop’s Wife (1947).

Empty movie theater and blank screen (theatre, motion pictures, cinema).

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Oscar-Worthy Movie Trivia

Retiring from films in 1953, Young hosted the Emmy Award-winning The Loretta Young Show on NBC television from 1953 to 1961, making her the first entertainer to receive both an Oscar and an Emmy. Though she acted in the majority of the episodes of the sentimental drama anthology, the show is remembered primarily for Young’s signature swirling entrances in which she displayed all sides of her glamorous contemporary gowns.

Young retired from acting at age 50, though she did make a brief comeback in two made-for-TV films in the late 1980s. A lifelong Catholic, Young devoted herself to religious charities throughout her career and into retirement. She was the mother of actress Judy Lewis, the daughter of Clark Gable.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.