Gertrude Warner

Gertrude "Trudy" Warner (April 2, 1917 – January 26, 1986) was an American voice talent who played multiple characters on radio productions during the Golden Age of Radio.

This article is about the American radio actor. For the writer, see Gertrude Chandler Warner.
Gertrude Warner
Trudy Warner as Dr. Joyce Jordan (1948)
BornApril 2, 1917
Hartford, Connecticut, United States
DiedJanuary 26, 1986(1986-01-26) (aged 68)
New York, New York, United States
Other namesTrudy Warner
OccupationActor
Years active1938–1970s
Spouse(s)Carl Douglas Frank (1955-1957)
ChildrenDouglas Warner Frank (1956)

Early life

Warner was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1917. Her father was James L. Warner, who died not long after the great crash of 1929. Her mother was Mildred Lovejoy Warner, who died in 1976. Her brother, James L. Warner, was a B17 pilot in World War II, who died on November 20, 2008. She is survived by her son, Douglas Warner Frank.

Career

Warner's first starring role on radio came when she was 23, playing Rebecca Lane in Beyond These Valleys on CBS.[1] Her successful radio career continued for 28 years and well over 4,000 performances. She was considered one of the queens of daytime radio, appearing in dozens of daytime serials. Among her accomplishments was being the female lead on the dramatic anthology Brownstone Theater on Mutual.[2]

She portrayed such well known characters as Della Street on the daytime The New Adventures of Perry Mason,[3] "the lovely Margot Lane" on The Shadow, and the title character on Joyce Jordan, M.D. The Lux Radio Theater episode of Mrs. Miniver proved so popular, it was developed into a daytime serial with Warner in the title role and as narrator.

Trudy Warner played leading, supporting and some times guest roles on popular radio series, such as Young Doctor Malone, The Mystery Man, Dimension X, Nick Carter, Master Detective, Dangerously Yours, Suspense, Cavalcade of America, Matinee Theater, The MGM Theater of the Air and dozens more programs. She was the third-busiest actor in the Golden Age of Radio.[4][5][6][7]

Later in her life, she taught acting for television at Oberlin College and Weist Barron studios.

Personal life

Warner was married to Carl Frank from 1955 until 1957. Together they have a son, Douglas Warner Frank. She also has two grandchildren, Griffin and Caroline Frank.

Death

Gertrude Warner died on January 26, 1986 from cancer.

References
  1. "Thursday's Highlights" (PDF). Radio and Television Mirror. 15 (1): 20. November 1940. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  2. Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-10-09. Brownstone Theater, dramatic anthology.
  3. "Peruse Clues". Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. Harrisburg Telegraph. February 3, 1945. p. 15. Retrieved December 6, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Gertrude (Trudy) Warner, the radio actress who was the voice of Margot Lane in The Shadow and of Della Street in Perry Mason, died of cancer Sunday. She was 68 years old". The New York Times. February 1, 1986. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  5. Cox, Jim (October 2006). "Soap Stars: Ethereal Busybodies". Radio Recall. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  6. Lackmann, Ronald W. (2000). The Encyclopedia of American radio: An A-Z Guide to Radio from Jack Benny to Howard Stern. Facts on File. ISBN 0-8160-4137-7.
  7. "Dangerously Yours". Digital Deli. Retrieved 2013-01-27.
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