Born Gladys Anna Claire in Patten, Maine. The daughter of an actor and actress, she began her stage career as a child of three and later starred in vaudeville, in stock, and on Broadway. She appeared occasionally in silent films, but her main career as a Hollywood leading lady and second lead was in the 30s and 40s. Her forte on the stage was comedy, but in films she was more often cast in melodramas, memorably in VALIANT IS THE WORD FOR CARRIE (1936), THE ROARING TWENTIES (1939), and THE WAY OF ALL FLESH (1940). She is probably best remembered for her role as Miles Archer's widow in THE MALTESE FALCON (1941). She played character roles toward the end of her career and continued appearing in films until shortly before her death in 1954. Other notable credits include THEY GAVE HIM A GUN and MADAME X (both 1937), THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946) and LULLABY OF BROADWAY (1951).  Nominated for Supporting Actress 1936: VALIANT IS THE WORD FOR CARRIE 1 nomination