Wanda McKay

Wanda McKay
Mckay in The Black Raven (1943)
Born	Dorothy Quackenbush (1915-06-22)June 22, 1915 Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Died	April 11, 1996(1996-04-11) (aged 80) Rancho Mirage, California, U.S.
Occupations	Actress model
Years active	1939–1957
Spouse	Hoagy Carmichael ​ ​ (m. 1977; died 1981)​

Wanda McKay (born Dorothy Quackenbush; June 22, 1915 – April 11, 1996) was an American actress and model.

McKay was born as Dorothy Quackenbush in Portland, Oregon,^{[note 1][1]} but her family later moved to Fort Worth in Texas. After moving to New York she became a model and her image was used to promote Chesterfield cigarettes.^[2]

In 1938, McKay represented Trans World Airlines, for which she worked as a hostess, in a beauty competition at the Birmingham Air Show.^[1] She won, being voted "Miss American Aviation".^[2]

By 1939 McKay had moved into films after being given a contract by Paramount Pictures. Initially she made small uncredited appearances before going on to starring roles as a leading lady in many B Movies during the 1940s, working in particular at studios such as PRC and Monogram Pictures.^{[2]: 135–137} Film worked dried up for her in the 1950s, and she appeared on television and in a minor role in The Merry Widow (1952). Her last film appearance was a small uncredited part in Ten Thousand Bedrooms (1957). She also appeared in an episode of the TV show, The Lone Ranger in 1951 entitled Trouble at Black Rock.

In 1977 she married Hoagy Carmichael, a marriage that lasted until his death in 1981.

On April 11, 1996, McKay died of cancer in Los Angeles. She was 80.^[1]

• Raw, Laurance. Character Actors in Horror and Science Fiction Films, 1930–1960. McFarland, 2012.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wanda McKay.

• Wanda McKay at IMDb