UNA MERKEL BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Una Merkel was born on December 10th, 1903 in Covington, Kentucky with the birth name Una Kohnfelder to parents Arno Merkel and Bessie Phares.  Her acting career began when she appeared in a number of silent films such as, "Old Sweet Song" and later as a stand in for Lillian Gish in the film, "The Wind' (1928).
 
She then changed her focus on to theater working on the Broadway stage.  However, when the silent film era came was dying down she returned to the film industry.  In 1930 she began her film work appearing on a number of films such as, "Abraham Lincoln" (1930), "42nd Street" (1933) and "Destry Rides Again" (1933).  She had obtained a contract in 1932 with MGM and held that until 1938.     

Merkel's career continued with sometimes appearing in as many as twelve films a year and often, MGM would loan her to work with other studio's.  As her career moved into the 1940's, roles were becoming less available and she still worked but was not seen as frequently as in her earlier years. 
 
Some of her later roles were in such films as, "Kill the Umpire" (1950), "The Mating Game" (1959) and made a nice comeback when she was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actress in the film, "Summer and Smoke" (1961).   
 
Merkel married only one time to Ronald Burla in 1932 and they had no children together.  This marriage only lasted until 1945 and Merkel never remarried.  She remained living in Los Angeles, California with her final film role on a film with Elvis Presley, "Spinout" (1966) and her final public appearance in 1968.  She then lived a quiet life until she passed away on January 2nd, 1986 in Los Angeles at the age of eighty two.  Merkel was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to the Motion Picture Industry.  

 
Filmography

1968 I Spy
1966 Spinout 
1963-1965 Burke's Law
1964 The Cara Williams Show
1964 A Tiger Walks 
1964 Destry 
1963 The Bill Dana Show
1963 Summer Magic 
1961 Summer and Smoke 
1961 The Parent Trap 
1959 The Mating Game  
1958 The United States Steel Hour
1958 The DuPont Show of the Month
1958 The Girl Most Likely 
1957 Climax!
1957 The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown 
1957 The Red Skelton Hour 
1957 Playhouse 90 
1956 Bundle of Joy 
1956 Calling Terry Conway 
1956 The Kettles in the Ozarks 
1955 Kraft Theatre
1955 The Kentuckian 
1954 Studio One in Hollywood
1953 Willys Theatre Presenting Ben Hecht's Tales of the City
1953 Your Jeweler's Showcase 
1953 I Love Melvin
1953 Schlitz Playhouse 
1952 Four Star Playhouse
1952 The Merry Widow 
1952 With a Song in My Heart 
1951 Golden Girl 
1951 A Millionaire for Christy 
1951 Rich, Young and Pretty 
1950 Emergency Wedding 
1950 My Blue Heaven 
1950 Kill the Umpire 
1948 Man from Texas 
1948 The Bride Goes Wild 
1947 It's a Joke, Son! 
1944 Sweethearts of the U.S.A. 
1944 To Heir Is Human 
1943 Quack Service
1943 This Is the Army 
1942 The Mad Doctor of Market Street 
1941 Cracked Nuts 
1941 Road to Zanzibar 
1941 Double Date 
1940 The Bank Dick 
1940 Sandy Gets Her Man 
1940 Comin' Round the Mountain 
1939 Destry Rides Again
1939 On Borrowed Time 
1939 Some Like It Hot 
1939 Four Girls in White 
1937 True Confession 
1937 Checkers 
1937 Saratoga 
1937 The Good Old Soak 
1937 Don't Tell the Wife 
1936 Born to Dance
1936 We Went to College 
1936 Speed 
1936 Riffraff
1935 It's in the Air 
1935 Broadway Melody of 1936 
1935 Murder in the Fleet 
1935 Baby Face Harrington 
1935 One New York Night 
1935 The Night Is Young 
1935 Biography of a Bachelor Girl 
1934 Evelyn Prentice 
1934 The Merry Widow 
1934 Have a Heart 
1934 Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back 
1934 The Cat's-Paw
1934 Paris Interlude 
1934 Murder in the Private Car
1934 This Side of Heaven 
1933 The Women in His Life 
1933 Day of Reckoning 
1933 Bombshell 
1933 Menu 
1933 Broadway to Hollywood 
1933 Beauty for Sale 
1933 Her First Mate 
1933 Midnight Mary 
1933 Reunion in Vienna
1933 42nd Street 
1933 Clear All Wires! 
1933 The Secret of Madame Blanche 
1933 Whistling in the Dark 
1932 Men Are Such Fools 
1932 They Call It Sin 
1932 Red-Headed Woman 
1932 Huddle 
1932 Man Wanted 
1932 The Impatient Maiden 
1932 She Wanted a Millionaire 
1931 Private Lives 
1931 The Secret Witness 
1931 Wicked 
1931 The Bargain 
1931 Daddy Long Legs 
1931 The Maltese Falcon 
1931 Six Cylinder Love 
1931 Don't Bet on Women 
1931 Command Performance 
1930 The Bat Whispers 
1930 The Eyes of the World 
1930 Abraham Lincoln 
1924 The Fifth Horseman 
1923 Love's Old Sweet Song