Olympe Bradna was a renowned actress of Czech, Austrian, and German descent, born to a family deeply rooted in the entertainment industry. Her parents, Joseph and Jeanne Bradna, were vaudevillians who headlined at the Olympia Theatre, and her father had previously worked as a circus rider and ringmaster for Ringling Brothers, while her uncle Fred was the ringmaster for Barnum & Bailey. Her mother was a former operatic singer.
Trained by her father, Olympe began performing as a singer and dancer at a young age, eventually joining the family business. She made her debut as an acrobatic dancer in a Parisian production of the Broadway musical "Hit the Deck" at the tender age of 12, billed as the "tiniest sailor in France". Her poise and ballet taps earned her recognition, and she went on to perform as an acrobatic dancer for the American company of the Folies Bergere at the Chicago World's Fair.
After a stint at the French Casino in New York, where she was discovered by Paramount talent scouts, Olympe was signed under contract and tutored in English, tap dancing, and horse riding for three months. She made her film debut in the minor musical "Three Cheers for Love" in 1936, followed by a small role in "College Holiday" later that year. Her first leading role was opposite Gene Raymond in the forgettable programmer "Stolen Heaven" in 1938.
Olympe's subsequent films included the Ray Milland comedy "Say It in French" and the sentimental drama "The Night of Nights", which unfortunately flopped despite its impressive cast and crew. She was loaned to Warner Bros. for three more films, the last being the aviation drama "International Squadron" in 1941, starring Ronald Reagan.
Throughout her film career, Olympe played the role of the perfunctory love interest to sporting champions or war heroes, often with little more to do than be ornamental. Unsurprisingly, she gave up her acting career in 1941 upon her marriage to Santa Barbara socialite Douglass Wood Wilhoit Sr., devoting the rest of her life to her family and various charitable endeavors.
