Biography

Dorothy Dell (born Dorothy Dell Goff; January 30, 1915 – June 8, 1934) was an American film actress. She died in an auto accident at the age of 19. Initially desiring to become a singer, Dell was discovered by composer Wesley Lord, and signed a radio contract. Some time later, she established a successful vaudeville act, and after working on the vaudeville circuit for 32 weeks, she moved to New York in 1931. One night, she sang at a benefit and was discovered by Florenz Ziegfeld, who arranged for her to appear on Broadway in the Ziegfeld Follies. She followed this success with her role in the production of Tattle Tales in 1933. Dell moved to Hollywood in December 1933 and was signed to a contract by Paramount Pictures. Initially being contracted for bit parts, she won her first film role over such established contenders as Mae Clarke and Isabel Jewell and made her debut in Wharf Angel (1934). The film was a success and the reviews for Dell were favorable; Paramount began to consider her as a potential star. Her most important and substantial role followed in the Shirley Temple film Little Miss Marker. On Friday, June 8, 1934, Dell went with 38-year-old Dr. Carl Wagner to a party in Altadena, California. Afterward they were going to Pasadena when the car Wagner was driving left the highway, hit a telephone pole, bounced off a palm tree and hit a boulder. Dell was killed instantly. Wagner, who was driving between 50 and 70 miles an hour, died six hours later in a hospital. [biography (excerpted) from Wikipedia]