Venable, Evelyn, 1913-1993

Evelyn Venable was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 18, 1913, the only child of Professor Emerson Venable and Dolores Cameron. Evelyn's acting career began in her junior year, when at the age of 14 she was cast to play Juliet in her high school's production of "Romeo and Juliet". The praise from critics led to her professional debut in the Cincinnati Civic Theatre production of "Dear Brutus". Evelyn went on to play Rosalind in "As You Like It" during her senior year at Walnut Hills. At 16, having graduated a year early, Evelyn attended Vassar on a full scholarship. After a year, however, she decided to return home and studied at the University of Cincinnati for half a year. In 1932, at the age of 18, Evelyn became a member of Walter Hampden's Shakespearean theater company. Hampden was a good friend of Professor Venable's after having read his book, "The Hamlet Problem and Its Solution". Under the tutelage of Hampden, Evelyn played the part of the flower girl in "Cyrano de Bergerac" and Ophelia in "Hamlet". Her success attracted the attention of Hollywood producers and in 1933, Evelyn made her film debut in "Cradle Song". The following year, she starred opposite Fredric March in "Death Takes a Holiday" (1934) then appeared in two Will Rogers' films, "David Harum" (1934), and "The County Chairman" (1935). Evelyn also appeared in "The Little Colonel" (1935) starring Shirley Temple, and "Alice Adams" (1935) starring Katharine Hepburn. While on the set of "David Harum", Evelyn met her future husband, cinematographer, Hal Mohr. They eloped that same year in Yuma, Arizona. Evelyn chose to devote herself to raising her two daughters, Dolores and Rosalia, and after starring in the 1943 film, "He hired the boss", she retired from the industry. In 1953, Evelyn resumed her academic endeavors and enrolled at UCLA where she majored in Latin. She earned her undergraduate degree in 1956, the same year as her eldest daughter. Evelyn continued to study Greek and Latin and, after receiving her Master's, she was immediately asked to join the faculty of UCLA's Department of Classics as a full-time lecturer. She taught at UCLA for almost twenty-five years. During that time, she was elected for a term as President of the Association of Faculty Women at UCLA and also served as an officer of the Classical Association of the Pacific States. Evelyn died of cancer on November 16, 1993 in Post Falls, Idaho.

From the description of Scrapbook collection, 1933-ca.1985. (University of California, Los Angeles). WorldCat record id: 320045389

Biography

Evelyn Venable was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 18, 1913, the only child of Professor Emerson Venable and Dolores Cameron. Evelyn's acting career began in her junior year, when at the age of 14 she was cast to play Juliet in her high school's production of "Romeo and Juliet". The praise from critics led to her professional debut in the Cincinnati Civic Theatre production of "Dear Brutus". Evelyn went on to play Rosalind in "As You Like It" during her senior year at Walnut Hills. At 16, having graduated a year early, Evelyn attended Vassar on a full scholarship. After a year, however, she decided to return home and studied at the University of Cincinnati for half a year. In 1932, at the age of 18, Evelyn became a member of Walter Hampden's Shakespearean theater company. Hampden was a good friend of Professor Venable's after having read his book, "The Hamlet Problem and Its Solution".

Under the tutelage of Hamden, Evelyn played the part of the flower girl in "Cyrano de Bergerac" and Ophelia in "Hamlet". Her success attracted the attention of Hollywood producers and in 1933, Evelyn made her film debut in "Cradle Song". The following year, she starred opposite Fredric March in "Death Takes a Holiday" (1934) then appeared in two Will Rogers' films, "David Harum" (1934), and "The County Chairman" (1935). Evelyn also appeared in "The Little Colonel" (1935) staring Shirley Temple and "Alice Adams" (1935) staring Katharine Hepbrun. While on the set of "David Harum", Evelyn met her future husband, cinematographer, Hal Mohr. They eloped that same year in Yuma, Arizona. Evelyn chose to devote herself to raising her two daughters, Dolores and Rosalia, and after starring in the 1943 film "He Hired the Boss", she retired completely from the industry.

In 1953, Evelyn resumed her academic endeavors and enrolled at UCLA where she majored in Latin. She earned her undergraduate degree in 1956, the same year as her eldest daughter. Evelyn continued to study Greek and Latin and after receiving her Master's, she was immediately asked to join the faculty of UCLA's Department of Classics as a full-time lecturer. She taught at UCLA for almost twenty-five years and during that time she was elected for a term as President of the Association of Faculty Women at UCLA and also served as an officer of the Classical Association of the Pacific States. Evelyn died of cancer on November 16, 1993 in Post Falls, Idaho.

From the guide to the Evelyn Venable Scrapbook Collection, (University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Performing Arts Special Collections)