Claire Trevor

<p> Claire Trevor (1910-2000) is best remembered as the alluring blonde femme fatale in such iconic noir films as <I>Murder My Sweet</I> (1944) and <I>Raw Deal</I> (1948). Yet she was a versatile performer who brought rare emotional depth to her art. She was effective in a range of diverse roles from an outcast prostitute in John Ford's classic </I>Stagecoach</I> (1939) to the ambitious tennis mother in </I>Hard Fast and Beautiful</I> (1951) to the embittered wife of a landowner in William Wellman's overlooked gem </I>My Man and I </I> (1952). Nominated for three Oscars she deservedly won Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Gaye Dawn a gangster's broken-down moll in </I>Key Largo</I> (1948). The author covers her life and career in detail recognizing her as one of the finest actresses of her generation.</p>