Matinee Classics - Rochelle Hudson Biography & Filmography

Rochelle Hudson ACTOR

PHOTOS

ROCHELLE HUDSON BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Rochelle Hudson was born on March 6th, 1916 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She was a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1931. This was a promotional campaign that was sponsored by the United States Western Association of Motion Picture Advisors that would honor thirteen young women each year who they felt had the potential to be film stars.

As a child her mother encouraged her to develop an interest in performing. Rochelle took up singing and dancing from a young age. As a teen, RKO Pictures signed Hudson to a contract and her film career began to take off.

During the 1930's Rochelle also did the voice work in several cartoons such as doing the role of 'Honey' in the Bosko cartoons.

Hudson was a major film actress between the 1930's and 1960's and also starred on a number of television series. She is most remembered for her role playing Cosette in, "Les Miserables" (1935) as well as her role in, "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955) starring James Dean, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo.

She worked on a number of successful films throughout her career as an entertainer, some of which included, "She Done Him Wrong" (1933), "Life Begins at Forty" (1935), "Poppy" (1936), "Imitation of Life" (1934), "Ho Do I Know It's Sunday" (1934), "The Mighty Barnum" (1934), "Curly Top" (1935) starring Shirley Temple, "Way Down East" (1935) co-starring Henry Fonda, "The Old House" (1936), "Woman-Wise" (1937), "She Had to Eat" (1937), "Storm Over Bengal" (1938), "Pride of the Navy" (1939) starring alongside of James Dunn, "Island of Doomed Men" (1940), "The Stork Pays off" (1941), "Queen of Broadway" (1942) and "Devil's Cargo" (1948) costarring Roscoe Karns.

In addition to her numerous successful film roles she also made numerous television appearances on, "Racket Squad", "Unexpected", "I'm the Law", "77 Sunset Strip", "That's My Boy", "Shower of Stars" and "Branded".

Along with her career as an actress, she took a brief break from acting in the mid 1950's to run a ranch in Arizona and later relocated back to Oklahoma where she worked at a petroleum refinery. She then realized how much she missed living in California and how much she missed acting, so she returned to Hollywood and remained in the industry until she retired in 1967.

Rochelle Hudson married four times throughout her lifetime. Her first husband was Charles Brust. After this marriage came to an end she married Harold Thompson in 1939 however by 1947, this marriage also ended in divorce. Her third husband was Dick Irving Hyland whom she wed in 1948 however again just two years later another marriage came to an end. Her fourth and final husband was Robert L. Mindell from 1963 through 1971. She never had any children and just one year after her fourth divorce, Hudson passed away on January 17th, 1972 in Palm Desert, California after suffering from pneumonia.

Filmography

1967 Dr. Terror's Gallery of Horrors

1965 Branded

1964 The Night Walker

1964 Strait-Jacket

1961 77 Sunset Strip

1955 Rebel Without a Cause

1954 That's My Boy

1954 Shower of Stars

1953 I'm the Law

1952 Schlitz Playhouse

1952 The Unexpected