Child star of Hollywood films of the 40s. The daughter of an English-born attorney, she was driven by an ambitious stage mother into summer stock appearances and modeling assignments before she was six. After arriving in Hollywood as a child of seven, she appeared briefly in several productions of the late 30s, and in the early 40s demonstrated a mature capacity for acting, in such films as THE PIED PIPER (1942) and JANE EYRE (1944) (as the young Jane). She won a special Academy Award as the "outstanding child performer of 1945" for her sensitive performance in A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN (1945). But few of her subsequent roles were rewarding and her film career was all but finished by the early 50s. She made her Broadway debut in 1950 and subsequently appeared in many plays in New York and on the road. She also appeared in numerous TV dramas and series episodes but by the late 60s was making her living as a real estate broker. In the early 70s she became sales manager for a California automobile dealership. Her first two husbands were actors, Richard Hayes (1951-53) and Albert Salmi (1956-63).  Special Award 1945: Outstanding child actress of 1945. Winner presented a miniature Statuette. 1 Special Award