Nedda Harrigan is an American film and theater actress and public figure. She is known for her roles in the thrillers The Case of the Black Cat, Charlie Chan at the Opera, Thank You, Mr. Moto. Nedda Harrigan founded the Actors Foundation for the American Film Industry, the American Theater Foundation, and was a trustee of the New York Museum.
The whole life of Nedda Harrigan, one way or another, thanks to her father and husband, was associated with cinema and theater. Since childhood, she has been moving in stellar circles. In addition to her acting career, Nedda Harrigan co-founded the Soldiers' Club during World War II. This club was created to distract weary soldiers from the terrible events that take place during the battles and spend time in a distraction environment with famous actors, musicians and other celebrities.
Nedda Harrigan was 89 years old. The last years of her life she spent at lavish parties, which were organized by herself and her second husband, director and producer Joshua Logan.
Childhood and adolescence of Nedda Harrigan
The future celebrity, real name - Grace Harrigan, was born on August 24, 1899 in New York, and was the tenth child in the family of Edward "Ned" Harrigan (1845-1911) and Anna Teresa Harrigan, née Bram. At that time, the girl's father worked as a theatrical impresario, who, together with Tony Hart, formed a comic vaudeville group. He was also a music composer, screenwriter and writer.
The actress had an older brother, William Harrigan (1886-1966), who linked his life with the film industry and became an actor.
The Harrigan family home was more like a resort hotel, where tables were set for 35 people on weekends. Frequent guests of the family were actors, writers and other people who were popular at that time, who became regulars in their father's vaudeville.
By the age of 16, Nedda Harrigan was already able to behave in public and took part in productions of summer plays. As the actress later recalled those years: “It was fun, unusual and instructive. I learned acting and how to value time and never be late, not even a minute. Every minute of being late is a wasted minute."
Career and work of Nedda Harrigan
By the age of 30, the young and attractive actress began to appear in Hollywood films. Along with her budding film career, Nedda Harrigan took an active part in Broadway productions, playing the leading role in Aunt Charlie, Dracula, and Jolly Andrew.
The actress has only 14 films on her account. The most notable ones are:
- the crime drama The Case of the Black Cat (1936);
- Comedy thriller Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936);
- crime thriller "Thank you, Mr. Moto" (1937);
- melodrama "Men are such dumb" (1938);
- the crime drama "Castle on the Hudson" (1940).
Nedda Harrigan's first husband
The actress married character actor Walter Connolly (1887-1940) in 1920. The couple later appeared together in several Broadway comedies.
Connolly played in a number of minor films, real fame came to him only at the age of 45 and lasted seven years.
Of her life in Hollywood, Nedda later recalled: “If you don’t make an effort, it’s very easy to fall into the soft, lazy and enjoyable lives of many Hollywood women who keep a home when their famous husbands are willing to work hard to earn big money. Then you just relax and start playing golf, bridge or the like."
Walter Connolly loved horse racing, and even wanted to become a jockey for a while. However, the full-bodied actor ditched the idea when he realized it would interfere with his eating habit. Walter Connell died at the age of 53 from an obesity-related stroke.
From this marriage, Harrigan had a daughter, Anne Connolly, who became an actress, life years 1924-2006.
Nedda Harrigan's second husband
The famous director Joshua Logan (years 1908-1988) worked on one long-term theatrical production, where he met a young actress. The two quickly became friends, but Logan had to leave his job for two years as Joshua was drafted as an intelligence officer in the Army Air Corps during World War II.
Along with military service, Joshua Logan did not waste time and agreed to produce plays and productions for military soldiers, organizing a soldier's club in the United States. In 1942, Logan moved his entertainment group to Europe.
In 1945, after returning from Europe, Nedda Harrigan and Joshua Logan were married.
A little later, Logan continued his work as a director and producer on such film projects as Grab Your Gun Annie !, Mr. Roberts with Henry Fonda, and South Pacific. For his work on The Picnic, Nedda Harrigan's husband received the only Golden Globe in his career for Best Director.
From this marriage, the actress has two children, son Thomas Logan and daughter Susan Logan.
Public activities of Nedda Harrigan
Despite the fact that Nedda Harrigan retired from acting, in 1955 she founded the American Acting Foundation for the film industry, which she headed for ten years, and in 1980 was elected president of the Actors Foundation.
She was also a trustee of the City Museum in New York. Nedda Harrigan served as Chair and Founder of the National Corporate Theater Foundation, which supports local theaters.
The last years of the actress
Until their very old years, the couple continued to entertain the glamorous elite of society on both sides of the Atlantic. In recent years, Nedda Harrigan has toured and traveled, often taking her son and daughters with her.
Nedda Harrigan died at her Manhattan home after a long illness on April 1, 1989.
