Shirley Grey

Shirley Grey
Grey in 1933
Born	Agnes Zetterstrand (1902-04-11)April 11, 1902 Naugatuck, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	August 12, 1981(1981-08-12) (aged 79) Jacksonville Beach, Florida, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1930–1935
Spouses	Foster Williams ​ ​ (m. 1921; div. 1925)​ Arthur Margetson ​ ​ (m. 1936; died 1951)​ [1]

Shirley Grey (born Agnes Zetterstrand;^[2] April 11, 1902 – August 12, 1981) was an American actress. She appeared in more than 40 films between 1930 and 1935.

Biography

Born in Naugatuck, Connecticut, Grey was the daughter of E. A Zetterstrand, a minister,^[3] who died when she was eight years old. Thereafter, her mother raised Grey and her six siblings.^[4] She graduated from Waterbury High School, where she was active in the Dramatic Club.^[3]

Grey began her acting career with the Poli Players.^[5] She went on to act with companies in New Orleans, Louisiana; Jacksonville, Florida; San Francisco, California, and Nova Scotia.^[3] She had her own acting troupe, the Shirley Grey Players, in the late 1920s.^[6] In 1931, she starred in the comedy-drama Chicago at the Fulton Theater in Oakland, California. It was the third play of Grey's "limited season".^[7]

Grey's work in stock theater led to her career in films. A talent scout who worked for film producer Samuel Goldwyn saw Grey performing in a stock production in Oakland and arranged for her to take a screen test, which led to her signing a contract with Goldwyn.^[8]

On August 28, 1921, Grey married actor Foster Williams,^[9] known professionally as Frank McCarthy.^[10] She filed for divorce from him on September 30, 1925.^[9] In 1936, Grey married English actor Arthur Margetson, who died in 1951.^[2]

In her later years, Grey was a semi-recluse, living with her sisters before moving to a Jacksonville Beach, Florida, convalescent home where she died.^[11]

Partial filmography

References