Born Harriette Arlene Lake in Valley City, ND; educated at the University of Washington. Classically trained singer who briefly appeared in several films from the late 1920s before making her mark on Broadway. Sothern joined Columbia in 1933 and coasted as a star of B vehicles until she signed on with MGM six years later and emerged as the dizzy lead of the popular, long-running comedy-adventure film series that began with MAISIE. She went on to enliven a number of musical comedies (including PANAMA HATTIE, 1942) and exhibited a flair for dramatics in such engaging melodramas as A LETTER TO THREE WIVES (1949). Sothern turned her attention to TV in the early 1950s, starring in two immensely successful series, "Private Secretary" (1953-57) -- in which in her role as Susie McNamara she played the first working woman on an American TV sitcom -- and "The Ann Sothern Show" (1958-61), and intermittently appeared in blowsy character roles from the mid-60s. She made a lauded return to the screen in a supporting role in THE WHALES OF AUGUST (1987), for which she received an Oscar nomination. Other notable credits include KID MILLIONS (1934), SMARTEST GIRL IN TOWN (1936), ALI BABA GOES TO TOWN (1937), LADY BE GOOD (1941), THOUSANDS CHEER (1943), WORDS AND MUSIC (1948), THE BLUE GARDENIA (1953), THE BEST MAN (1964), SYLVIA (1965), CRAZY MAMA (1975), THE MANITOU (1978), THE LITTLE DRAGONS (1980) and "A Letter to Three Wives" (1985, TV -- playing Ma Finney, the part played by Connie Gilchrist in the 1949 film). Married to actors Roger Pryor (1936-1942) and Robert Sterling (1943-1949) and mother of actress Tisha Sterling (b. 1944).  Nominated for Best Performance By an Actress in a Supporting Role 1987: THE WHALES OF AUGUST 1 nomination