orig. Ruth Elizabeth Grable
born Dec. 18, 1916, St. Louis, Mo., U.S.
died July 2, 1973, Santa Monica, Calif.
U.S. film actress.
She performed as a chorus-line dancer in 1930s musicals, then was featured in musicals such as Down Argentine Way (1940) and Moon over Miami (1941). Noted for her shapely legs, she became a top star and a favourite pinup girl of U.S. troops in World War II. After the war, she starred in films such as Mother Wore Tights (1947) and How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), but as the film musical fell into decline so did her career.