Dana Andrews

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Carver Dana Andrews was born on January 1, 1909, near Collins, Mississippi, to a Baptist minister and his wife. He was the third of thirteen children and grew up in Huntsville, Texas. Andrews initially pursued a career in music but later shifted his focus to acting after moving to Los Angeles in 1931. He studied at the Pasadena Playhouse after signing a contract with Samuel Goldwyn, and made his film debut in 1940 opposite Caeser Romero in Lucky Cisco Kid.

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Andrews gained widespread recognition for his role as the obsessed police detective Mark McPherson in the film noir classic Laura (1944) and his performance as World War II veteran Fred Derry in The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). These roles established him as a leading man in Hollywood during the 1940s. Throughout his career, he worked with renowned directors such as Otto Preminger, Fritz Lang, and William Wyler.

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Despite his early success, Andrews struggled with alcoholism, which affected his career in later years. He eventually overcame his addiction and became an advocate for the National Council on Alcoholism, speaking publicly about the issue.

 

Andrews continued acting in less prestigious roles until the 1980s and passed away on December 17, 1992, in Los Alamitos, California.