Editing Myrna Loy

{{Short description|American actress (1905–1993)}}
{{Distinguish|Mina Loy}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| name                      = Myrna Loy
| image                     = Myrna loy.jpg
| alt                       = 
| caption                   = Myrna Loy in 1941
| birth_name                = Myrna Adele Williams
| birth_date                = {{birth date|mf=yes|1905|08|02}}
| birth_place               = [[Helena, Montana]], U.S.
| death_date                = {{Death date and age|mf=yes|1993|12|14|1905|08|02}}
| death_place               = New York City, U.S.
| resting_place             = Forestvale Cemetery<br>Helena, Montana, U.S.
| resting_place_coordinates = {{Coord|46.6562|-112.0365|type:landmark_region:US-MT|display=inline}}
| other_names               = The Queen of Hollywood
| party                     = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=293}}
| occupation                = Actress
| years_active              = 1925–1982
| spouse                    = {{Plain list|
* {{Marriage|[[Arthur Hornblow Jr.]]|1936|1942|reason=divorced}}
* {{Marriage|John Hertz, Jr.|1942|1944|reason=divorced}}
* {{Marriage|[[Gene Markey]]|1946|1950|reason=divorced}}
* {{Marriage|[[Howland H. Sargeant]]|1951|1960|reason=divorced}}
}}
| signature                 = File:Myrna Loy signature.svg
}}

'''Myrna Loy''' (born '''Myrna Adele Williams'''; August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. As a performer, she was known for her ability to adapt to her screen partner's acting style. 

Born in [[Helena, Montana]], Loy was raised in rural [[Radersburg, Montana|Radersburg]] and [[Helena, Montana|Helena]]. She relocated to [[Los Angeles]] with her mother in early adolescence and  trained as a dancer in high school. She was discovered by production designer [[Natacha Rambova]], who organized film auditions for her. She began obtaining small roles in the late 1920s. Loy devoted herself fully to acting after a few roles in [[silent film]]s. She was originally typecast in exotic roles, often as a [[femme fatale|vamp]] or a woman of Asian descent, but her career prospects improved greatly following her portrayal of [[Nick and Nora Charles|Nora Charles]] in ''[[The Thin Man (film)|The Thin Man]]'' (1934).{{Sfn|Curtis|2011|page=333}} The role helped elevate her reputation and she became known as a versatile actress adept at both drama and comedy; she would reprise the role of Nora Charles five more times.

Loy's performances peaked in the 1940s, with films like ''[[The Thin Man Goes Home]]'', ''[[The Best Years of Our Lives]]'', ''[[The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer]]'', and ''[[Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House]]''. In the 1950s she appeared in a lead role in the comedy ''[[Cheaper by the Dozen (1950 film)|Cheaper by the Dozen]]'' (1950), as well as supporting roles in ''[[The Ambassador's Daughter (1956 film)|The Ambassador's Daughter]]'' (1956) and the drama ''[[Lonelyhearts]]'' (1958). She appeared in eight films between 1960 and 1981, after which she retired from acting.

Although Loy was never nominated for an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]], in March 1991 she received an [[Academy Honorary Award|Honorary Academy Award]] in recognition of her life's work both onscreen and off, including serving as assistant to the director of military and naval welfare for the [[Red Cross]] during [[World War II]], and a member-at-large of the U.S. Commission to [[UNESCO]]. In 2009, ''[[The Guardian]]'' named her one of the best actors never to have received an [[Academy Award]] nomination.<ref>{{cite web |last=Singer|first=Leigh|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/19/best-actors-never-nominated-for-oscars|title=Oscars: the best actors never to have been nominated|work=The Guardian |location=UK |date=February 19, 2009|access-date=September 17, 2022}}</ref> Loy died in December 1993 in New York City, at age 88.

==Life and career==
===1905–1924: Early life===
[[File:Myrna-Loy-1911.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Loy (left) at age six, standing on her grandmother's porch in Helena, Montana, with her cousin Laura Belle Wilder (1911)]]

Loy was born Myrna Adele Williams on August 2, 1905, in [[Helena, Montana]],{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=1}}{{sfn|Parish|Bowers|1974|p=443}} the daughter of Adelle Mae (née Johnson) and rancher David Franklin Williams.{{sfn|Leider|2011|pages=1–4}} Her parents had married in Helena in 1904, one year before Loy was born.{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=13}} She had one younger brother, David Frederick Williams (1911–1983).{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=385}} Loy's paternal grandfather, David Thomas Williams, was [[Welsh people|Welsh]], and emigrated from [[Liverpool]], England to the United States in 1856, arriving in [[Philadelphia]].{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=9}} Unable to read or write in [[English language|English]], he later settled in the [[Montana Territory]] where he began a career as a rancher.{{sfn|Leider|2011|pages=9–10}} Loy's maternal grandparents were [[Scottish people|Scottish]] and [[Swedes|Swedish]] immigrants.{{sfn|Leider|2011|pages=10–12}}<ref>{{cite web|author=Reed, Rex|author-link=Rex Reed|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A07E5DF1F39E63ABC4B52DFB2668382679EDE|title=Myrna's Back – And Boyer's Got Her|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 13, 1969|access-date=August 31, 2018}} {{closed access}}</ref> During her childhood, her father worked as a banker, real estate developer, and farmland appraiser in Helena, and was the youngest man ever elected to serve in the [[Montana state legislature]].{{sfn|Leider|2011|pages=11–12}} Her mother had studied music at the [[American Conservatory of Music]] in Chicago, and at one time considered a career as a concert performer, but instead devoted her time to raising Loy and her brother.{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=12}} Loy's mother was a lifelong [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]], while her father was a staunch [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]].{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=12}} She was raised in the [[Methodism|Methodist]] faith.{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=14}}

[[File:Venice High School Fountain of Education.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Loy modeled for the central figure in Harry Fielding Winebrenner's ''Fountain of Education'', a sculpture at Venice High School in Los Angeles (1922)]]

Loy spent her early life in [[Radersburg, Montana]], a rural mining community approximately {{convert|50|mi|km}}{{sfn|Swartout|2015|p=34}} southeast of Helena.<!--
--><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.myrnaloy.org/bio.html|title=About Myrna Loy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705012959/http://www.myrnaloy.org/bio.html |archive-date=July 5, 2008|url-status=usurped|access-date=July 20, 2018}}</ref><!--
--><ref name=loy2>{{cite web|url=http://www.greatfallstribune.com/multimedia/125newsmakers1/loy.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111102212127/http://www.greatfallstribune.com/multimedia/125newsmakers1/loy.html|archive-date=November 2, 2011|title=125 Montana Newsmakers: Myrna Loy Reynolds|work=Great Falls Tribune|location=Great Falls, Montana|date=August 23, 2011|access-date=August 30, 2018}}</ref><!--ENDRef
--> During the winter of 1912, Loy's mother nearly died from [[pneumonia]], and her father sent his wife and daughter to [[La Jolla, San Diego, California|La Jolla, California]].{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=22}} Loy's mother saw great potential in [[Southern California]], and during one of her husband's visits, she encouraged him to purchase real estate there.{{sfn|Leider|2011|pages=22–23}} Among the properties he bought was land that he would later sell, at a considerable profit, to filmmaker [[Charlie Chaplin]] for his film studio there. Although her mother tried to persuade her husband to move to California permanently, he preferred ranch life and the three eventually returned to Montana. Soon afterward, Loy's mother needed a [[hysterectomy]] and insisted Los Angeles was a safer place to have it done, so she, Loy, and Loy's brother David moved to [[Santa Monica neighborhoods#Ocean Park Neighborhood|Ocean Park]], where Loy began to take dancing lessons.{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=22}} After the family returned to Montana, Loy continued her dancing lessons, and at the age of 12, Myrna Williams made her stage debut performing a dance she had choreographed based on "The Blue Bird" from the ''Rose Dream'' operetta<ref>Willis, Gertruce Knox and Mrs. R.R. Forman. W. [http://www.antiqbook.com/boox/trylin/C04000008.shtml ''A Rose Dream: A Fairy Operetta for Young People in Two Scenes.''] {{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}} Philadelphia: Theodore Press Co., 1915.</ref> at Helena's Marlow Theater.{{sfn|Kotsilibas-Davis|Loy|1987|pages=17–18}}

When Loy was 13, her father died during the [[1918 flu pandemic]] in November of that year.{{sfn|Leider|2011|pages=27–30}} Loy's mother permanently relocated the family to California, where they settled in [[Culver City, California|Culver City]], outside [[Los Angeles]].{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=32}} Loy attended the exclusive [[Harvard-Westlake School|Westlake School for Girls]] while continuing to study dance in [[downtown Los Angeles]].{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=34}} When her teachers objected to her extracurricular participation in theatrical arts, her mother enrolled her in [[Venice High School (Los Angeles)|Venice High School]], and at 15, she began appearing in local stage productions.{{sfn|Kotsilibas-Davis|Loy|1987|pages=25–29}}

In 1921, Loy posed for Venice High School sculpture teacher Harry Fielding Winebrenner as "Inspiration"; the full length figure was central in his allegorical sculpture group ''Fountain of Education''.{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=41}} Completed in 1922, the sculpture group was installed in front of the campus outdoor pool in May 1923 where it stood for decades.{{sfn|Leider|2011|pages=41–42}} Loy's slender figure with her uplifted face and one arm extending skyward presented a "vision of purity, grace, youthful vigor, and aspiration" that was singled out in a ''Los Angeles Times'' story that included a photo of the "Inspiration" figure along with the model's name—the first time her name appeared in a newspaper.{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=42}}<ref>Perhaps ironically, in 1947 Loy co-starred in [[The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer]] as the older sister of Shirley Temple, who hopes to have her portrait made by Cary Grant, posing as "Young America".</ref> A few months later, Loy's "Inspiration" figure was temporarily removed from the sculpture group and transported aboard the battleship {{USS|Nevada|BB-36|2}} for a Memorial Day pageant in which "Miss Myrna Williams" participated.{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=42}} ''Fountain of Education'' can be seen in the opening scenes of the 1978 film ''[[Grease (film)|Grease]]''. After decades of exposure to the elements and vandalism, the original concrete statue was removed from display in 2002, and replaced in 2010 by a bronze duplicate paid for through an alumni-led fundraising campaign.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.venicehighalumni.com/help_myrna.htm |title=The Myrna Loy Statue Project}}</ref>{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=42}}

Loy left school at the age of 18 to begin to help with the family's finances. She obtained work at [[Grauman's Egyptian Theatre]], where she performed in what was called prologues, elaborate musical sequences that were related to and served as preliminary entertainment before the feature film. During this period, Loy saw [[Eleonora Duse]] in the play ''Thy Will Be Done'', and the simple acting techniques she employed made such an impact on Loy that she tried to emulate them throughout her career.{{sfn|Kotsilibas-Davis|Loy|1987|pages=33–34}}

===1925–1932: Career beginnings===
[[File:Myrna-Loy-1925.jpg|thumb|In its September 1925 issue, ''[[Motion Picture Magazine|Motion Picture]]'' magazine featured two Henry Waxman photographs of Loy, costumed by [[Adrian (costume designer)|Adrian]], as she appeared in ''[[What Price Beauty?]]'' ]]

While Loy was dancing in prologues at the [[Grauman's Egyptian Theatre]], portrait photographer Henry Waxman took several pictures of her that were noticed by [[Rudolph Valentino]] when the actor went to Waxman's studio for a sitting.{{sfn|Leider|2011|pages=34–38}} Valentino was looking for a leading lady for ''[[Cobra (1925 film)|Cobra]]'', the first independent project he and his wife [[Natacha Rambova]] were producing.{{sfn|Leider|2011|pages=47–48}} Loy tested for the role, which went to [[Gertrude Olmstead]] instead, but soon after that she was hired as an [[Extra (actor)|extra]] for ''[[Pretty Ladies]]'' (1925), in which she and fellow newcomer [[Joan Crawford]] were among a bevy of chorus girls dangling from an elaborate chandelier. The two of them would share a life-long friendship that would last until Crawford's death.{{sfn|Kotsilibas-Davis|Loy|1987|pages=37–41}}

Rambova hired Loy for a small but showy role opposite [[Nita Naldi]] in ''[[What Price Beauty?]]'', a film she was producing. Shot in May 1925, the film remained unreleased for three years; but [[Film still|stills]] of Loy in her exotic makeup and costume appeared in ''[[Motion Picture Magazine|Motion Picture]]'' magazine and led to a contract with [[Warner Bros.]] There, her surname was changed from Williams to Loy. The idea for the new name apparently came from screenwriter Peter Ruric, also known as crime novelist [[Paul Cain (pen name)|Paul Cain]], who may have been inspired by the name of British poet [[Mina Loy]].{{sfn|Kotsilibas-Davis|Loy|1987|pages=42–43}}

Loy's [[silent film]] roles were mainly as a vamp or ''[[femme fatale]]'', and she frequently portrayed characters of Asian or Eurasian background in films such as ''[[Across the Pacific (1926 film)|Across the Pacific]]'' (1926), ''[[A Girl in Every Port (1928 film)|A Girl in Every Port]]'' (1928), ''[[The Crimson City]]'' (1928), ''[[The Black Watch (film)|The Black Watch]]'' (1929), and ''[[The Desert Song (1929 film)|The Desert Song]]'' (1929), which she later recalled "kind of solidified my exotic non-American image."{{sfn|Kotsilibas-Davis|Loy|1987|p=66}} In 1930, she appeared in ''[[The Great Divide (1929 film)|The Great Divide]]''. It took years for her to overcome this typecasting, and as late as 1932, she was cast as a villainous Eurasian in ''[[Thirteen Women]]'' (1932) and, opposite [[Boris Karloff]], as the depraved sadistic daughter of the title character in ''[[The Mask of Fu Manchu]]'' (1932). 

In spite of this (typecasting), Loy also obtained small roles in ''[[The Jazz Singer]]'' and a number of early lavish [[Technicolor]] musicals, including ''[[The Show of Shows]]'', ''[[The Bride of the Regiment]]'', and ''[[Under a Texas Moon (film)|Under a Texas Moon]]''. As a result, she became associated with musical roles, and when they began to lose favour with the public, her career went into a slump. In 1934, Loy appeared in ''[[Manhattan Melodrama]]'' with [[Clark Gable]] and [[William Powell]]. When gangster [[John Dillinger]] was shot to death after leaving a screening of the film at the [[Biograph Theater]] in Chicago, the film received widespread publicity, with some newspapers reporting that Loy had been Dillinger's favorite actress.{{sfn|Kotsilibas-Davis|Loy|1987|p=97}}

===1933–1938: Rise to stardom===
After appearing with [[Ramón Novarro]] in ''[[The Barbarian (1933 film)|The Barbarian]]'' (1933), Loy was cast as [[Nick and Nora Charles|Nora Charles]] in the 1934 film ''[[The Thin Man (film)|The Thin Man]]''. Director [[W. S. Van Dyke]] chose Loy after he detected a wit and sense of humor that her previous films had not revealed. At a Hollywood party, he pushed her into a swimming pool to test her reaction, and felt that her aplomb in handling the situation was exactly what he envisioned for Nora.{{sfn|Kotsilibas-Davis|Loy|1987|p=88}} [[Louis B. Mayer]] at first refused to allow Loy to play the part because he felt she was a dramatic actress, but Van Dyke insisted. Mayer finally relented on the condition that filming be completed within three weeks, as Loy was committed to start filming ''[[Stamboul Quest]]''.{{sfn|Kotsilibas-Davis|Loy|1987|pages=88–89}} ''The Thin Man'' became one of the year's biggest hits, and was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]]. Loy received excellent reviews and was acclaimed for her comedic skills. She and her costar [[William Powell]] proved to be a popular screen couple and appeared in 14 films together, [[William Powell and Myrna Loy|one of the most prolific pairings]] in [[Hollywood (film industry)|Hollywood]] history. Loy later referred to ''The Thin Man'' as the film "that finally made me... after more than 80 films."{{sfn|Kotsilibas-Davis|Loy|1987|pages=88–91}}

Her successes in ''Manhattan Melodrama'' and ''The Thin Man'' marked a turning point in her career, and she was cast in more important pictures. Such films as ''[[Wife vs. Secretary]]'' (1936) with Clark Gable and [[Jean Harlow]], and ''[[Petticoat Fever]]'' (1936) with [[Robert Montgomery (actor)|Robert Montgomery]] gave her opportunity to develop comedic skills. She made four films with William Powell in close succession: ''[[Libeled Lady]]'' (1936) (which also starred Jean Harlow and [[Spencer Tracy]]); ''[[The Great Ziegfeld]]'' (1936) (in which she played [[Billie Burke]] opposite Powell's [[Florenz Ziegfeld]]); the second Thin Man film, ''[[After the Thin Man]]'' (1936) (which also starred [[James Stewart]]); and the romantic comedy ''[[Double Wedding (1937 film)|Double Wedding]]'' (1937).

In 1932, Loy had begun dating producer [[Arthur Hornblow Jr.]], when he was still married to Juliette Crosby:{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=92}} Loy and Hornblow themselves married in 1936, in between filming these four successive productions.{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=149}} She was later rumored to have had affairs with co-star Tracy between 1935 and 1936, while filming ''[[Whipsaw (film)|Whipsaw]]'' and ''[[Libeled Lady]]''.{{sfn|Wayne|2005|pages=209–210}}{{sfn|Andersen|1997|p=86}} Loy recounted in her autobiography that Spencer Tracy chased after her. {{"'}}You don't have to worry about me anymore,' he said like a sulky child. 'I've found the woman I want.' As he outlined the virtues of Katharine Hepburn, I was relieved, but also a bit disappointed. As selfish as it sounds, I liked having a man like Spence in the background wanting me. It's rather nice when nothing's required in return."{{Full citation needed|date=February 2024}}

She also made three more films with Gable at [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] (MGM): ''[[Parnell (film)|Parnell]]'' (1937) was a historical drama and one of the most poorly received films of either Loy's or Gable's career, but their other pairings in ''[[Test Pilot (film)|Test Pilot]]'' and ''[[Too Hot to Handle (1938 film)|Too Hot to Handle]]'' (both 1938) were successes. While working for MGM, Loy was outspoken about the studio's casting hierarchy, especially based on [[race (human categorization)|race]], and was quoted as saying: "Why does every black person in the movies have to play a servant? How about a black person walking up the steps of a court house carrying a briefcase?"{{sfn|Maier|2011|p=17}}

During this period, Loy was one of Hollywood's busiest and highest-paid actresses, and in 1937 and 1938 she was listed in the annual "Quigley Poll of the Top Ten Money Making Stars", which was compiled from the votes of movie exhibitors throughout the United States for the stars who had generated the most revenue in their theaters over the previous year.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20141221063625/http://www.quigleypublishing.com/MPalmanac/Top10/Top10_lists.html "The 2007 Motion Picture Almanac, Top Ten Money Making Stars"]}}, quigleypublishing.com. Retrieved July 11, 2007.</ref>

<gallery widths="180px" heights="200px">
File:Myrna Loy in The Barbarian.jpg|Loy in [[The Barbarian (1933 film)|''The Barbarian'']] (1933)
File:Thin-Man-Loy-Powell-Skippy.jpg|Loy, [[William Powell]] and [[Skippy (dog)|Asta]] in ''[[The Thin Man (film)|The Thin Man]]'' (1934)
File:Loy Tracy Whipsaw Promotional Still 1935.jpg| With Spencer Tracy on the set of ''[[Whipsaw (film)|Whipsaw]]'' (1935).
File:Hornblow-Loy-1936.jpg|[[Arthur Hornblow Jr.]] and Loy soon after their marriage in 1936
</gallery>

===1939–1949: Mainstream work and war activism===
[[File:Best Years of Our Lives.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Hoagy Carmichael]], [[Fredric March]], Loy, [[Dana Andrews]] and [[Theresa Wright]] in ''[[The Best Years of Our Lives]]'' (1946)]]

By the late 1930s, Loy was highly regarded for her performances in romantic comedies, and she was anxious to demonstrate her dramatic ability. She was cast in the lead female role in ''[[The Rains Came]]'' (1939) opposite [[Tyrone Power]]. She filmed ''[[Third Finger, Left Hand (film)|Third Finger, Left Hand]]'' (1940) with [[Melvyn Douglas]] and appeared in ''[[I Love You Again]]'' (1940), ''[[Love Crazy (1941 film)|Love Crazy]]'' (1941), and ''[[Shadow of the Thin Man]]'' (1941), all with William Powell.

On June 1, 1942, Loy divorced her husband Hornblow in [[Reno]], citing "mental cruelty" as the impetus for separating.{{sfn|Houseman|1991|p=190}} Five days after the divorce, she married John D. Hertz, Jr. an advertising executive and founder of [[Hertz Corporation|Hertz Rent A Car]], at his sister's home in New York City.{{sfn|Houseman|1991|p=190}} They remained married for two years, eventually divorcing in [[Cuernavaca]], Mexico, on August 21, 1944,{{sfn|Houseman|1991|p=190}} with Loy again citing mental cruelty.{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=276}}

With the outbreak of [[World War II]] the same year, Loy all but abandoned her acting career to focus on the war effort and began devoting her time to working with the [[Red Cross]].{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=239}} She was so fiercely outspoken against [[Adolf Hitler]] that her name appeared on his [[blacklist]], resulting in her films being banned in Germany.{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=202}} She also helped run a Naval Auxiliary canteen and toured frequently to raise funds for the war efforts. Around 1945, Loy began dating producer and screenwriter [[Gene Markey]], who had previously been married to actresses [[Joan Bennett]] and [[Hedy Lamarr]].{{sfn|Houseman|1991|p=190}} The two were married in a private ceremony on January 3, 1946, at the chapel on [[Terminal Island]], while Markey was serving in the military.{{sfn|Houseman|1991|p=190}}

She returned to films with ''[[The Thin Man Goes Home]]'' (1944). In 1946, she played the wife of a returning serviceman [[Fredric March]] in ''[[The Best Years of Our Lives]]'' (1946). Loy was paired with [[Cary Grant]] in [[David O. Selznick]]'s ''[[The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer]]'' (1947). The film co-starred a teenaged [[Shirley Temple]]. Following its success, she appeared again with Grant in ''[[Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House]]'' (1948).

In 1947, Loy became one of the founders of the [[Committee for the First Amendment]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smyth |first1=J. E. |title=Nobody's Girl Friday: The Women Who Ran Hollywood |date=2018 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York, NY |isbn=9780190840853 |page=49}}</ref> 

In 1948, she had become a member of the U.S. National Commission for [[UNESCO]], the first Hollywood celebrity to do so.

===1950–1982: Later career and political activities===
[[File:Loy-Sargeant-1951.jpg|thumb|upright|Loy and her fourth husband, [[Howland H. Sargeant]], returning from a [[UNESCO]] conference soon after their marriage in 1951]]

In 1950, Loy co-starred with [[Clifton Webb]] in ''[[Cheaper by the Dozen (1950 film)|Cheaper by the Dozen]]'' (1950), which was a box-office hit, grossing $4.4 million in the United States.{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=274}} The same year, she divorced Markey.{{sfn|Houseman|1991|p=190}} Her fourth and final husband was [[Howland H. Sargeant]], U.S. [[Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs]] and president of [[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|Radio Liberty]],{{sfn|Houseman|1991|p=190}} whom she married on June 2, 1951, in [[Fort Myer|Fort Myer, Virginia]].{{sfn|Houseman|1991|p=190}} Sargeant, a [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]], wanted the marriage officiated in the church, but they were unable to do so due to Loy's recent divorce.{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=279}}

Throughout the 1950s, Loy assumed an influential role as co-chairman of the Advisory Council of the National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing. In 1952, she starred in the ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' sequel, ''[[Belles on Their Toes (film)|Belles on Their Toes]]''. In 1956, she appeared in ''[[The Ambassador's Daughter (1956 film)|The Ambassador's Daughter]]'' along with [[John Forsythe]] and [[Olivia de Havilland]]. She played opposite [[Montgomery Clift]] and [[Robert Ryan]] in ''[[Lonelyhearts]]'' (1958), [[Dore Schary]]'s adaptation of [[Nathanael West]]'s classic 1933 novel ''[[Miss Lonelyhearts]]''. In 1960, she appeared in ''[[Midnight Lace]]'' and ''[[From the Terrace]]'', but was not in another film until 1969 in ''[[The April Fools]]''. In 1965, Loy won the [[Sarah Siddons Award]] for her work in [[Chicago theatre]]. 

Loy, a lifelong [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]], publicly supported the election of [[John F. Kennedy]] in 1960, finding [[Richard Nixon]] to be an unscrupulous man.{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=293}} She would endorse [[Eugene McCarthy]], and later [[Hubert Humphrey]] in 1968 and [[George McGovern]] in 1972.<ref>"Anti-Bias Unit Gets Officers", The New York Times, May 14, 1961</ref><ref>Bob Thomas, "Politics Still Beckons to Myrna Loy," The Washington Post, September 21, 1968</ref><ref>“Myrna Loy’s Star Still Burns Bright”; Rob Edelman, The New York Times, February 3, 1980</ref>

She divorced her fourth husband Sargeant in 1960.{{sfn|Leider|2011|p=288}} In 1967, she was cast in the television series ''[[The Virginian (TV series)|The Virginian]]'', appearing in an episode titled "Lady of the House". Also in 1967, she appeared on ''Family Affair'' in the episode "A Helping Hand" as a woman out of work and taking on hired-help and cook work, comically aided by Mr. French, though, the job did not work out, and she takes the failure out on [[John Williams (actor)|John Williams]], who was temporarily substituting for Sebastian Cabot in the role of Mr. French. In 1972, she appeared as the suspect's mother-in-law in an episode of the television series ''[[Columbo]]'' titled "Étude in Black". In 1974, she had a supporting part in ''[[Airport 1975]]'' playing Mrs. Devaney, a heavy-drinking woman imbibing Jim Beam and Olympia Beer mixed together; a foil to the character played by [[Sid Caesar]]. In 1975, Loy was diagnosed with [[breast cancer]] and underwent two [[mastectomy|mastectomies]] to treat the disease.{{sfn|Kotsilibas-Davis|Loy|1987|pages=345–346}} She kept her cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment from the public until the publication of her autobiography in 1987.{{sfn|Kotsilibas-Davis|Loy|1987|pages=345–346}}

Loy appeared at Denver's [[Elitch Theatre]] in 1967 in [[Barefoot in the Park]], and then returned in 1969 in Janus.<ref>{{Cite web |last=R |first=Greg |title=Myrna Loy (1967) |url=https://historicelitchtheatre.org/myrna-loy/ |access-date=2023-02-27 |website=Historic Elitch Theatre |date=February 26, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 1978, she appeared in the film ''[[The End (1978 film)|The End]]'' as the mother of the main character played by [[Burt Reynolds]]. Her last motion picture performance was in 1980 in [[Sidney Lumet]]'s ''[[Just Tell Me What You Want]]''. She also returned to the stage, making her [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] debut in a short-lived 1973 revival of [[Clare Boothe Luce]]'s ''[[The Women (play)|The Women]]''. She toured in a 1978 production of [[Alan Ayckbourn]]'s ''[[Relatively Speaking (Ayckbourn play)|Relatively Speaking]]'', directed by David Clayton.

In 1981, she appeared in the television drama ''[[Summer Solstice (1981 film)|Summer Solstice]]'',<ref>Erickson, Hal. [https://web.archive.org/web/20130524193903/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/47630/Summer-Solstice/overview "Summer Solstice (1981)"], nytimes.com. Retrieved December 20, 2011.</ref> which was [[Henry Fonda]]'s last performance. Her last acting role was a guest spot on the sitcom ''[[Love, Sidney]]'', in 1982.

===1983–1993: Final years===
In January 1985 Loy was honored by the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] with a special salute held at [[Carnegie Hall]] in New York City, which she attended along with 2,800 guests.<ref>Harvey, Stephen (January 13, 1985). [https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/13/arts/for-myrna-loy-a-late-but-loving-tribute.html "FOR MYRNA LOY, A LATE BUT LOVING TRIBUTE"]. ''[[The New York Times]]''. Retrieved July 27, 2021.</ref><ref>Maslin, Janet (January 16, 1985). [https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/16/movies/tribute-to-myrna-loy.html "TRIBUTE TO MYRNA LOY"]. ''[[The New York Times]]''. Retrieved July 27, 2021.</ref> Her autobiography, ''Myrna Loy: Being and Becoming'', was published in 1987. The following year she received a [[Kennedy Center Honors|Kennedy Center Honor]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hall |first1=Carla |last2= Swisher |first2=Kara |author2-link=Kara Swisher |date=December 5, 1988 |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1988/12/05/artistry-honor-and-a-starry-starry-night/8b96491e-21c6-4f66-88fd-da5e3a956f38/ |title= ARTISTRY, HONOR AND A STARRY, STARRY NIGHT |newspaper= [[The Washington Post]] |access-date= July 27, 2021}}</ref> Although Loy was never nominated for an [[Academy Award]] for any single performance, after an extensive letter-writing campaign and years of [[lobbying]] by screenwriter and then–[[Writers Guild of America, West]] board member Michael Russnow, who enlisted the support of Loy's former screen colleagues and friends such as [[Roddy McDowall]], [[Sidney Sheldon]], [[Harold Russell]], and many others, she received a 1991 [[Academy Honorary Award]] "for her career achievement". She accepted via camera<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrFg0GXvfnM "The presenting of an Honorary Oscar® to Myrna Loy at the 63rd Annual Academy Awards®, March 25, 1991], youtube.com. Retrieved August 14, 2014.</ref><!-- rv Anjelica Huston; I think it was Sophia Loren, but whatever --> from her New York City home, simply stating, "You've made me very happy. Thank you very much." It was her last public appearance in any medium.

===Death===
[[File:Myrna Loy's grave.jpg|thumb|upright|Grave, Helena, Montana]]

Loy died at age 88 on December 14, 1993, at [[Lenox Hill Hospital]] in Manhattan during surgery following a long, unspecified illness.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/15/obituaries/myrna-loy-model-of-urbanity-in-thin-man-roles-dies-at-88.html|title=Myrna Loy, Model of Urbanity in 'Thin Man' Roles, Dies at 88|date=December 15, 1993|access-date=August 30, 2018|first=Peter B.|last=Flint|work=The New York Times}} {{closed access}}</ref> She had been frail and in failing health, which had resulted in her being unable to attend the 1991 Academy Awards ceremony, where she was to receive a lifetime achievement Oscar.<ref>{{cite web|work=Los Angeles Times|url=http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/archives/la-me-myrna-loy-19931215-story.html|title=From the Archives: Myrna Loy, Star of 'Thin Man' Films, Dies at 88|author=Folkart, Burt A.|date=December 15, 1993|access-date=August 31, 2018}}</ref> She was [[cremation|cremated]] in New York and her ashes interred at Forestvale Cemetery in her native Helena, Montana.<ref name="myrnaloycenter">{{cite web|url=http://www.myrnaloycenter.com/aboutmyrnaloy.htm|title=About Myrna Loy|work=Myrna Loy Center|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091016133815/http://www.myrnaloycenter.com/aboutmyrnaloy.htm|archive-date=October 16, 2009|access-date=August 30, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7-DgDAAAQBAJ&q=Myrna+Loy&pg=PA478|title=Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.|first=Scott|last=Wilson|date=August 17, 2016|publisher=McFarland|page=478|isbn=9780786479924}}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:Test Pilot 3 1938.JPG|right|thumb|With [[Clark Gable]] in ''[[Test Pilot (film)|Test Pilot]]'']]
[[File:Grauman's Myrna Loy.jpg|thumb|Loy's block in the forecourt of [[Grauman's Chinese Theatre]].]]

A building at [[Sony Pictures Studios]], formerly MGM Studios, in Culver City is named in her honor.<ref>[http://www.sonypicturesstudios.com/clientsection/downloads/SPELotMap.pdf "Sony Pictures Studios: Studio Lot Map"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928114232/http://www.sonypicturesstudios.com/clientsection/downloads/SPELotMap.pdf |date=September 28, 2007}}, sonypicturesstudios.com. Retrieved December 24, 2010.</ref> 

A cast of her handprint and her signature are in the sidewalk in front of Theater 80, on [[St. Mark's Place (Manhattan)|St. Mark's Place]] in New York City.<ref>[http://www.forgotten-ny.com/STREET%20SCENES/ST%20MARKS/sidewalk.html "Village Sidewalk"], forgotten-ny.com. Retrieved December 24, 2010.</ref>

In 1936, Loy was honored with a block in the forecourt of [[Grauman's Chinese Theatre]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kushigemachi |first=Todd |date=2012-07-23 |title=From the archives |url=https://variety.com/2012/film/news/from-the-archives-1118056738/ |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>

For her contribution to the film industry, Loy has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 6685 Hollywood Boulevard. The ceremony for that star was held on February 8, 1960.<ref>{{cite web |title=Myrna Loy |url=https://walkoffame.com/myrna-loy/ |website=Hollywood Walk of Fame |date=October 25, 2019}}</ref>

[[Steel Pole Bath Tub]] has a song on their 1991 album [[Tulip (album)|''Tulip'']] that is both named after Loy and samples dialogue from one of her films ("Stinky Davis" story, excerpted from ''[[The Thin Man Goes Home]]'', 1944).

In 1991, The Myrna Loy<ref name="cinematreasures/34826">{{cite web |title=Myrna Loy Center in Helena, MT |url=http://www.cinematreasures.org/theaters/34826 |website=[[Cinema Treasures]] |access-date=12 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123005717/http://www.cinematreasures.org/theaters/34826 |archive-date=23 January 2022}}</ref> Center for the Performing and Media Arts opened in downtown Helena, not far from Loy's childhood home. Located in the historic Lewis and Clark Country Jail, it sponsors live performances and alternative films for underserved audiences.<ref>[http://helenair.com/helena/myrna-loy-center-feels-financial-woes----theater/article_a5773256-c1ed-5c75-970c-d18b5af243e2.html Myrna Loy Center for the Performing and Media Arts website]; Helenair.com. Retrieved August 14, 2015.</ref>

The songwriter [[Josh Ritter]] included a song about Loy, called “Myrna Loy”, on his 2017 album ''Gathering''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Josh Ritter - Myrna Loy |url=https://genius.com/Josh-ritter-myrna-loy-lyrics}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{{main|Myrna Loy filmography}}

==Radio appearances==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Program !! Episode !! {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
|| 1936|| ''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]'' || "[[The Thin Man (film)|The Thin Man]]" || align=center|
|-
|| 1937|| ''Maxwell House Good News of 1938'' || "Herself" || align=center|<ref>{{cite AV media|series=Maxwell House Good News of 1938|date=December 30, 1937|title=Maxwell Good House News|publisher=Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|url=http://www.jimmystewartontheair.com/good-news-of-1938-december-30-1937/}}</ref>
|-
| 1940|| ''The Gulf Screen Guild Theater'' || "Single Crossing" || align=center|
|-
| 1940|| ''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]'' || "[[After the Thin Man]]"|| align=center|
|-
| 1940|| ''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]'' || "[[Manhattan Melodrama]]" || align=center|<ref name=ndw11>{{cite magazine|title=Those Were the Days|magazine=Nostalgia Digest|date=Winter 2011|volume=37|issue=1|page=32}}</ref>
|-
|| 1941|| ''The Gulf Screen Guild Theater'' || "[[Magnificent Obsession]]" || align=center| 
|-
|| 1941|| ''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]'' || "[[I Love You Again]]" || align=center| 
|-
|| 1941|| ''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]'' || "[[Hired Wife]]"|| align=center|
|-
|| 1942|| ''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]'' || "[[Appointment for Love]]"|| align=center|
|-
| 1945 || ''[[Suspense (radio drama)|Suspense]]''|| "Library Book"|| align=center|{{r|ndw11|page1=33}} 
|}

== Citations ==
{{Reflist}}

==Works cited==
* {{cite book|last=Andersen|first=Christopher|url=https://archive.org/details/affairtoremember00ande|url-access=registration|quote=keep under wraps.|title=An Affair to Remember: A Remarkable Love Story of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy|location=New York|publisher=William Morrow and Company Inc.|date=1997|isbn=0-688-15311-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Brands|first=H .W.|title=Traitor to his Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt|location=New York|publisher=Doubleday|year=2008|isbn=978-0-38551-958-8}}
* Carr, Larry. ''More Fabulous Faces: The Evolution and Metamorphosis of [[Bette Davis]], [[Katharine Hepburn]], [[Dolores del Río]], [[Carole Lombard]] and Myrna Loy''. New York: Doubleday and Company, 1979. {{ISBN|0-385-12819-3}}.
* {{cite book|last=Houseman|first=Victoria|year=1991|title=Made in Heaven: The Marriages and Children of Hollywood Stars|publisher=Bonus Books|location=Los Angeles|isbn=978-0-929-38724-6|url=https://archive.org/details/unset0000unse_s6q7}}
* {{cite book|last=Curtis|first=James|title=Spencer Tracy: A Biography|location=London|publisher=Hutchinson|date=2011|isbn=978-0-30726-289-9}}
* {{cite book |last1=Kotsilibas-Davis |first1=James |last2=Loy |first2=Myrna |author-link2=Myrna Loy |date=1987 |title=Myrna Loy: Being and Becoming |url=https://archive.org/details/myrnaloybeingbec00kots |location=New York |publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] |isbn=978-0-394-55593-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Leider|first=Emily W.|title=Myrna Loy: The Only Good Girl in Hollywood|location=Berkeley, California|publisher=University of California Press|date=2011|isbn=978-0-520-25320-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Maier|first=Simon|year=2011|title=Inspire!: Insights and Lessons from 100 of the Greatest Speeches from Film and Theatre |location=Singapore|publisher=[[Marshall Cavendish]]|isbn= 978-9-814-30262-3}}
* {{cite book|last1=Parish|first1=James Robert|last2=Bowers|first2=Ronald L.|title=The MGM Stock Company: The Golden Era|location=London|publisher=Allan|year=1974|isbn=978-0-7110-0501-3}}
* {{cite book|editor-last=Swartout|editor-first=Robert R. Jr. |title=Montana: A Cultural Medley|year=2015|location=Helena, Montana|publisher=Farcountry Press|isbn=978-1-560-37644-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Wayne|first=Jane Ellen|title=The Leading Men of MGM |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780786714759|url-access=registration|location=New York|publisher=Carrol and Graf|date=2005|isbn=978-0-7867-1768-2}}

==External links==
{{Commons and category|Myrna Loy|Myrna Loy}}
* [http://www.myrnaloycenter.com/ Official website]
* {{AFI person | 115512-Myrna-Loy }}
* {{IMDb name|1485}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{Tcmdb name}}
* [http://film.virtual-history.com/person.php?personid=582 Profile], virtual-history.com

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Myrna Loy
|list =
{{Academy Honorary Award}}
{{Kennedy Center Honorees 1980s}}
}}
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