Anne Shirley: The Canadian Starlet who Conquered Hollywood

Anne Shirley was a Canadian actress. She began her career as a child performer under the name Dawn O’Day and later changed it to Anne Shirley. She appeared in over 50 films between 1927 and 1957, including Anne of Green Gables (1934) and Stella Dallas (1937). Shirley received critical acclaim for her performances and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Stella Dallas.

Acting Career

Shirley began her acting career as a child performer under the name Dawn O’Day. She made her film debut in 1927 in the silent film “The Primrose Ring” at the age of 9. She went on to appear in over 50 films during her career, mostly in the 1930s and 1940s.

In 1934, Shirley starred in the film adaptation of the classic novel “Anne of Green Gables,” playing the lead role of Anne Shirley. The film was a commercial and critical success, and Shirley received positive reviews for her portrayal of the character. She went on to star in several more films based on the “Anne of Green Gables” series.

In 1937, Shirley received critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Stella Dallas.” The film was a melodrama directed by King Vidor, and Shirley played the role of Barbara, the daughter of the title character (played by Barbara Stanwyck).

Throughout her career, Shirley appeared in a variety of films, including comedies, dramas, and musicals. Some of her other notable films include “These Glamour Girls” (1939), “The Great Profile” (1940), “Girl Crazy” (1943), and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” (1947).

Personal Life

Anne Shirley was married twice in her life. Her first marriage was to actor John Payne in 1941, but the couple divorced in 1943. She then married film producer Walter P. Temple, Jr. in 1944, and the couple had one child together, a son named Michael. Shirley and Temple were married for 49 years until her death in 1993. She had no other children.

Anne Shirley died on July 4, 1993, at the age of 75. The cause of her death is not publicly disclosed.

After her death, her son Michael Temple, became the executor of her estate, and it was reported that he donated a collection of her personal papers and photographs to the Library of Congress.

Anne Shirley was known for being a private person and kept her personal life separate from her acting career. She was not active in the Hollywood social scene and spent most of her time with her family, and it seems that she was not interested in publicizing her personal life.

Here are some stunning photos of Anne Shirley from her life and career.

#1 Anne Shirley, 1930

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#2 Anne Shirley, 1930

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#3 Anne Shirley and John Beal in M’Liss, 1936

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#4 Music in Manhattan 1944 RKO film musical with Anne Shirley

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#5 Anne Shirley, 1941

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#6 Anne Shirley, with Director, Garson Kanin and Edward Ellis, 1938

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#7 Anne Shirley

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#8 Hollywood Stars Maxine Jennings, Lucille Ball, Phyllis Brooks, Anne Shirley, Jane Hamilton, and Kay Sutton with a Christmas Tree and Presents on Santa Monica Beach, California – December 1935 (RKO Radio Pictures Publicity)

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#9 Studio publicity Anne Shirley

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#10 Anne Shirley & John Bush. November 09, 1936.

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#11 The “Fairy Who Came To Life” – Anne Shirley, charming little screen actress, wears this delightful party tale costume in one of the scenes from “Sylvestre Bonnard”

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#12 Edward Ellis, Anne Shirley, “A Man To Remember” (1938)

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#13 Anne Shirley, 1940

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#14 Anne Shirley, 1940

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#15 Anne Shirley, 1942

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#16 Anne Shirley, 1930

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#17 Anne Shirley Modeling Tabooed Outfit, 1930

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#18 Anne Shirley models an evening gown made of crepe with a high cowl neck and short sleeves, 1930

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#19 Anne Shirley models an evening gown from the movie Lady Bodyguard, 1930

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#20 Actress Celebrates “Discovery” At Soda Fountain. Anne Shirley (Mrs. John Payne), Carol Stone, Rosina Lawrence, Lana Turner, Vicki Lester and Natalie Draper (Mrs. Tom Brown)

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#21 George Murphy and Anne Shirley in The Powers Girl, 1943

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#22 Anne Shirley, George Murphy, Carole Landis, and Dennis Day in The Powers Girl, 1943

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#23 Anne Shirley and Walter Reed in Bombardier, 1943

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#24 Anne Shirley, Eddie Albert, and Olin Howland in Lady Bodyguard, 1943

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#25 Anne Shirley and George Murphy in “The Mayor of 44th Street, 1942”

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#26 Anne Shirley and George Murphy in “The Mayor of 44th Street, 1942”

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#27 Anne Shirley and John Garfield in “Saturday’s Children, 1940”

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#28 Anne Shirley and Dennie Moore in “Saturday’s Children, 1940”

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#29 Anne Shirley in “That Girl from College, 1939”

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#30 Anne Shirley and Edward Ellis in “A Man to Remember, 1938”

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#31 Anne Shirley and John McGuire in “Steamboat Round the Bend, 1935”

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#32 Barbara Stanwyck and Anne Shirley in “Stella Dallas, 1937”

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#33 Barbara Stanwyck and Anne Shirley “in Stella Dallas, 1937”

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#34 Barbara Stanwyck, Anne Shirley, and John Boles in “Stella Dallas, 1937”

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#35 Anne Shirley in “Stella Dallas, 1937”

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#36 Anne Shirley, Lillian Randolph, and Maude Eburne in West Point Widow, 1941

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#37 Anne Shirley and Margaret Hamilton in “Chatterbox, 1936”

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#38 Anne Shirley and Miles Mander in Murder, “My Sweet, 1944”

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#39 Anne Shirley and Gertrude Messinger in “Anne of Green Gables, 1934

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#40 Anne Shirley, Tom Brown, Bonita Granville, Gertrude Messinger, Ann Miller, George Offerman Jr., June Preston in Anne of Green Gables, 1934

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#41 Anne Shirley, Tom Brown, Bonita Granville, Gertrude Messinger, Ann Miller, George Offerman Jr., June Preston in Anne of Green Gables, 1934

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#42 Anne Shirley and O.P. Heggie in Anne of Green Gables, 1934

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#43 Anne Shirley and Dick Powell in Murder, My Sweet, 1944

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#44 Anne Shirley and Edward Ellis in A Man to Remember, 1938

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#45 Anne Shirley and O.P. Heggie in Anne of Green Gables, 1934

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#46 Anne Shirley and Helen Westley in Anne of Green Gables, 1934

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#47 Anne Shirley and Lee Bowman in A Man to Remember, 1938

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#48 Anne Shirley and John Garfield in Saturday’s Children, 1940

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#49 Anne Shirley, Carole Landis and George Murphy in The Powers Girl, 1943

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#50 Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables, 1934

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#51 Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables, 1934

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#52 Anne Shirley

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#53 Anne Shirley

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#54 Anne Shirley

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#55 Anne Shirley

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#56 Anne Shirley

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#57 John Beal and Anne Shirley in M’Liss (1936)

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#58 Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables (1934)

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#59 Anne Shirley

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#60 Anne Shirley and O.P. Heggie in “Chasing Yesterday, 1935”

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#61 Anne Shirley and Olivia de Havilland in “Government Girl, 1943”

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#62 Anne Shirley in “Government Girl, 1943”

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#63 Anne Shirley and Sally Eilers in Condemned Women, 1938

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#64 Anne Shirley, John Garfield, Roscoe Karns, Lee Patrick in “Saturday’s Children, 1940”

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#65 Anne Shirley in That “Girl from College, 1939”

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#66 Anne Shirley and John Garfield in Saturday’s “Children, 1940”

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#67 Anne Shirley and John Garfield in Saturday’s “Children, 1940”

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#68 Anne Shirley, John McGuire, and Irvin S. Cobb in Steamboat “Round the Bend, 1935”

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#69 Anne Shirley and Richard Carlson in “West Point Widow, 1941”

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#70 Anne Shirley and Richard Carlson in “West Point Widow, 1941”

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#71 Anne Shirley

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#72 Anne Shirley and Charles Lederer

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#73 Anne Shirley

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#74 Anne Shirley and Adrian Scott

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#75 Anne Shirley

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#76 Anne Shirley

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#77 Anne Shirley and Tim Holt in “Stella Dallas, 1937”

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#78 Anne Shirley, James Ellison and Ruby Keeler in “Mother Carey’s Chickens, 1938”

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#79 Anne Shirley, James Ellison and Ruby Keeler in “Mother Carey’s Chickens, 1938”

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#80 Anne Shirley and James Ellison in Mother Carey’s “Chickens, 1938”

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#81 Anne Shirley and Phillip Huston

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#82 Anne Shirley

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#83 Phillip Huston and Anne Shirley

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#84 Anne Shirley

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#85 John Payne and Anne Shirley

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#86 Anne Shirley

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#87 Anne Shirley, John Garfield, and Claude Rains in Saturday’s Children, 1940

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#88 Anne Shirley and John Garfield in Saturday’s Children, 1940

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#89 Anne Shirley, Ruby Keeler, and Jackie Moran in Mother Carey’s Chickens, 1938

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#90 Anne Shirley and John Beal in M’Liss, 1936

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#91 Anne Shirley and Tim Holt in Stella Dallas, 1937

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#92 Anne Shirley and Tim Holt in Stella Dallas, 1937

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#93 Anne Shirley and Edward Ellis in A Man to Remember, 1938

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#94 Anne Shirley, Brian Aherne, and Carole Lombard in Vigil in the Night, 1940

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#95 Anne Shirley and Carole Lombard in Vigil in the Night, 1940

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#96 Anne Shirley, Dick Powell, and Claire Trevor in Murder, My Sweet, 1944

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#97 Anne Shirley and Richard Carlson in West Point Widow, 1941

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#98 Anne Shirley, Richard Carlson, and Richard Denning in West Point Widow, 1941

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#99 Anne Shirley

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#100 Anne Shirley

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#101 Anne Shirley

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#102 Anne Shirley

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#103 Anne Shirley

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#104 Anne Shirley

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#105 Tim Holt and Anne Shirley

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#106 Anne Shirley

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#107 Anne Shirley

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#108 Anne Shirley

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#109 Anne Shirley

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#110 Anne Shirley

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#111 Anne Shirley

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#112 Anne Shirley

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#113 Anne Shirley

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#114 Anne Shirley

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#115 Anne Shirley

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#116 Anne Shirley and John Boles in Stella Dallas, 1937

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#117 Anne Shirley in Vigil in the Night, 1940

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#118 Anne Shirley in Four Jacks and a Jill, 1942

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#119 Anne Shirley and George Murphy in The Mayor of 44th Street, 1942

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#120 Anne Shirley in Four Jacks and a Jill, 1942

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#121 Anne Shirley in Steamboat Round the Bend, 1935

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#122 Anne Shirley in Steamboat Round the Bend, 1935

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#123 Anne Shirley

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#124 Anne Shirley in Unexpected Uncle, 1941

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#125 Anne Shirley and Will Rogers in Steamboat Round the Bend, 1935

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#126 Anne Shirley and Joan Carroll in Anne of Windy Willows, 1940

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#127 Anne Shirley, John Morley, and Barbara Pepper in Too Many Wives, 1937

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#128 Anne Shirley and Michael O’Shea in Man from Frisco, 1944

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#129 Anne Shirley and Dick Powell in Murder, My Sweet, 1944

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#130 Anne Shirley and Will Rogers in Steamboat Round the Bend, 1935

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#131 Anne Shirley and Charles Coburn in Unexpected Uncle, 1941

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#132 Anne Shirley and Dennis Day in Music in Manhattan, 1944

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#133 Anne Shirley and Phillip Terry in Music in Manhattan, 1944

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#134 Anne Shirley and John Beal in M’Liss, 1936

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#135 Anne Shirley, O.P. Heggie and Helen Westley in Chasing Yesterday, 1935

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#136 Anne Shirley and Dick Powell in Murder, My Sweet, 1944

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#137 Anne Shirley and Ray Bolger in Four Jacks and a Jill, 1942

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#138 Anne Shirley in M’Liss, 1936

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#139 Anne Shirley and Owen Davis Jr.

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#140 Anne Shirley and Zasu Pitts in The Fast Set, 1924

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#141 Anne Shirley and Dick Powell in Murder, My Sweet, 1944

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#142 Anne Shirley and Will Rogers in Steamboat Round the Bend, 1935

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#143 Anne Shirley and Barbara Stanwyck in Stella Dallas, 1937

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#144 Anne Shirley, James Ellison and Ruby Keeler in Mother Carey’s Chickens, 1938

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#145 Anne Shirley, James Ellison and Ruby Keeler in Mother Carey’s Chickens, 1938

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#146 Anne Shirley in Girls’ School, 1938

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#147 Anne Shirley in Vigil in the Night, 1940

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