Born in Savannah, Georgia, USA, and raised in nearby Bainbridge. Attended school in Barre, Vermont, and then Syracuse University. Upon graduation she went to New York to study ballet, but after breaking an ankle settled for a career as a chorus girl and made her professional debut in 1921 in The Music Box Revue. Two years later she switched to drama and by the late 20s was an established Broadway actress. In 1930 she signed a Paramount screen contract and almost immediately became an important star, thanks to leads in Lubitsch's THE SMILING LIEUTENANT (1931), TROUBLE IN PARADISE (1932), and DESIGN FOR LIVING (1933) and Mamoulian's DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1932) and BECKY SHARP (1935). A seductive blonde, she played well-bred ladies and floozies alike, often bitchy. In 1935 she moved over to Goldwyn and in 1939 to Warners, where she was engaged in a publicity-inspired feud with Bette Davis, her co-star in several films. Her starring career, faltering since the late 30s, ended in the early 40s. She returned to Broadway and later appeared in summer stock and with touring companies. Beginning in the early 50s she was seen in character parts in occasional films. Other notable credits include THE HOME GIRL (1928), FAST AND LOOSE (1930), 24 HOURS (1931), THE STORY OF TEMPLE DRAKE (1933), THE RICHEST GIRL IN THE WORLD (1934), BARBARY COAST (1935), THESE THREE (1936), THE OLD MAID (1939), VIRIGINIA CITY (1940), OLD ACQUAINTANCE (1943), THE HEIRESS (1949), THE MATING SEASON (1951), THE OUTCASTS OF POKER FLAT and CARRIE (both 1952), THE CHILDREN'S HOUR (1961), FANNY HILL (1964), THE CHASE (1966) and her last film, SAVAGE INTRUDER (1968). Her third of four husbands (1937-39) was director Anatole Litvak.    Nominated for Actress 1935: BECKY SHARP 1 nomination