Dina Durbin - one of the main movie stars of Hollywood cinema of the thirteenth and forties. Her charisma and beauty captivated many viewers both in America and on other continents. She ended her film career when she was only 27 years old, but still managed to become a cult actress and singer, who is remembered with admiration today.
Career until 1938
Dina Durbin was born on December 4, 1921 in the Canadian city of Winnipeg, where her father and mother moved from England. By nature, Dina had a deep and beautiful voice and studied vocals from childhood. Already in her teens, she was invited to perform on the Eddie Cantor Show radio show, where Dina performed popular songs and opera arias.
Film producers drew attention to the gifted young singer, and in 1936 Dina starred in her debut film, the short film Every Sunday.
In 1937, the major film studio Universal signed a long-term contract with Durbin. The first picture with Dina, filmed at this studio, was called "Three lovely girls". This picture was very successful - it not only made Durbin popular, but literally saved Universal from bankruptcy. Then, in Dina's career there were other box-office black-and-white films - "One Hundred Men and One Girl", "The Same Age", "Crazy from music ". Durbin quickly became the main star of musical comedies, and in 1938 (that is, the actress was then about 17 years old!) "For the embodiment of the spirit of youth on the screen" she was awarded an Oscar.
Dina Durbin in the forties
By 1940, Durbin already had the status of the highest paid actress in Hollywood - she was paid up to $ 400,000 for work in one film. And it was logical: many viewers went to cinemas in order to look exactly at Durbin.
In the spring of 1941, Dina married for the first time - to actor Vaughn Paul. This marriage was not very successful and at the beginning of 1943 the actress filed for divorce.
Since 1945, Dina Durbin's popularity has begun to decline. She tries to get away from the usual image of a naive young girl - she takes on complex, dramatic roles, but the audience does not perceive her too well in a new capacity.
In the personal life of the actress at this time, significant changes are also taking place: in the summer of 1945, she marries a second time - to screenwriter Felix Jackson. A year later, in 1946, a girl named Jessica Louise appears in the family. But despite the joint passion for cinema and the birth of a child, the marriage of Dina and Felix was also not short-lived - it lasted about four years.
Dismissal from Universal Pictures, third marriage and departure from Hollywood
In 1948, the management of Universal Pictures terminated the contract with Dina Durbin, arguing that the actress, due to her age, is no longer suitable for the roles of young beauties, and in any other role she is not of interest for the studio. Of course, Durbin took such a motivation as humiliation.
During this difficult period, she was supported by the French director Charles David (they had known each other for several years - in 1945, Charles filmed Dinah in his film "Lady on the Train"). As a result, in 1950, the actress married him and went with him to Europe, to Paris. And soon Dina gave birth to a son, Peter, from her third husband. Their marriage lasted until 1999, that is, until the death of Charles David.
It is worth noting that Dina did not need financial resources all these years, as she successfully invested the money she earned in Hollywood. Her life was quite comfortable - she traveled a lot with her husband, attended music concerts and theatrical performances.
Popularity in the USSR and life in obscurity
Dina Durbin's film career actually ended in 1948, but thanks to the roles she played, her name remained on the radar for a long time. Knew about such an actress and Soviet viewers. Many films with her participation were shown in the USSR both during the war and in the post-war years. In particular, films such as "Serenade of the Sun Valley", "Tarzan", "The Girl of My Dreams", "His Butler's Sister" were shown in the Union. The last of these tapes is also notable for the fact that there Dina brilliantly performs three famous Russian romances - "Hey, coachman, drive to the Yar", "Two guitars behind the wall" and "Open the gate on the sly".
After leaving for Hollywood, Durbin did not give interviews to the press. An exception was made only in 1983 for the journalist David Shiman. And after that, she again chose to live in obscurity and not attract attention to herself.
It is known that becoming a widow, in 1999, Dina Durbin moved from Paris to the nearby town of Nauffles-le-Chateau.
On April 30, 2013, Peter David, the son of the actress, announced her death. It was later revealed that 91-year-old Dina Durbin died ten days before the appearance of this message, that is, on April 20.
