Lois Collier

Born Madelyn Earle Jones in South Carolina in 1919, this future actress' childhood dream was to be a missionary in China, but a taste of acting in school plays soon changed her mind and she decided on a career on stage. Her mother was supportive of her decision and, while Madelyn was attending college in South Carolina, entered her picture in a contest sponsored by CBS Radio for a part in a radio play in Hollywood. Madelyn won the part and took the name of the character she played, Lois Collier, as her professional name. Collier landed more radio work, and soon began playing small parts in local stage productions and getting some work in a few films for Republic Pictures. It was on stage, however, where she was spotted by a scout for Universal Pictures and given a seven-year contract. Although Lois possessed a beautiful singing voice, Universal seldom gave her a chance to show it off, and she was stuck in a succession of B pictures and serials. When her contract expired, she freelanced and did a few comedies and westerns for Monogram and some serials for Republic. In 1951 she got a role on the Boston Blackie (1951) TV series, and stayed on the show until it was canceled in 1954, after which she retired from the business.