Wanda McKay


Wanda McKay was an American model and film actress.

Early years

McKay was born as Dorothy Quackenbush in Portland, Oregon, but her family later moved to Fort Worth in Texas. After moving to New York she became a model and her image was used to promote Chesterfield cigarettes.
In 1938, McKay represented Trans World Airlines, for which she worked as a hostess, in a beauty competition at the Birmingham Air Show. She won, being voted "Miss American Aviation".

Career

By 1939 McKay had moved into films after being given a contract by Paramount Pictures. Initially she made small uncredited appearances before going on to starring roles as a leading lady in many B Movies during the 1940s, working in particular at studios such as PRC and Monogram Pictures. Film worked dried up for her in the 1950s, and she appeared on television and in a minor role in The Merry Widow. Her last film appearance was a small uncredited part in Ten Thousand Bedrooms.

Personal life

In 1977 she married Hoagy Carmichael, a marriage that lasted until his death in 1981.

Death

On April 11, 1996, McKay died of cancer in Los Angeles. She was 80.

Partial filmography