Born on January 7, 1929, in Los Angeles, California, Helen Luella Koford, later known as Terry Moore, began her career as a model before making her film debut at the tender age of 11 in 20th Century-Fox's Maryland (1940). Throughout the 1940s, she worked under various names, including her own, Judy Ford, and January Ford, before settling on Terry Moore in 1948.
Placed under contract by Columbia Pictures, Moore was loaned out to RKO Radio Pictures for one of her most iconic films, Mighty Joe Young (1949). By that time, Columbia studio boss Harry Cohn had changed her Swedish name Helen Koford to the Irish-sounding Terry Moore.
In 1953, Moore received an Academy Award nomination for her outstanding performance in Paramount Pictures' Come Back, Little Sheba (1952). During the 1970s, she garnered significant media attention, claiming to be the secret wife of the late billionaire Howard Hughes.
Throughout her illustrious career, Terry Moore has starred in an impressive 77 feature films, working alongside some of Hollywood's most legendary leading men, including Burt Lancaster, John Wayne, Cary Grant, Tyrone Power, Glenn Ford, Mickey Rooney, and Robert Wagner.
As a licensed pilot herself, Terry played a crucial role in preparing Leonardo DiCaprio for his portrayal of Howard Hughes in The Aviator (2004). In 1964, she published a memoir of her life with Howard Hughes, titled 'The Beauty and the Billionaire'.
