Ann, born Dorothy Gatley, had a childhood marked by constant movement, as her family, dubbed an "army brat," relocated frequently before finally settling in New York.
During her time at BrynMawr College, Ann made her stage debut in Greenwich Village, where she began to hone her craft. She then transitioned to Broadway, and when the film industry required actors who could walk and talk, she made the leap to Hollywood.
Signed by Pathe, Ann made her film debut alongside Fredric March in Paris Bound (1929). She quickly established herself as a leading lady, playing refined heroines in films such as The Animal Kingdom (1932),where she starred as Daisy, the rejected fiancée of Leslie Howard.
By 1933, Ann's popularity began to wane as she appeared in a string of tearjerkers, often playing characters who sacrificed themselves for the greater good. She quit films in 1937 after marrying conductor Werner Janssen, but eventually returned to the big screen five years later in Eyes in the Night (1942).
Ann's subsequent roles were more mature, character-driven, and she continued to appear in films sporadically over the next five years. After another brief hiatus, she returned to the screen in 1956, reuniting with Fredric March in The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956).
Ann's career slowed down in the 1960s, but she continued to appear on television before passing away at the age of 79 in 1981.
Biography:
Ann was born Dorothy Gatley and spent her childhood as an "army brat" before settling in New York.
