Shirley Grey (born Agnes Evangeline Zetterstrand;[2] April 03, 1902 – August 12, 1981) was an American actress. She appeared in more than 40 films between 1930 and 1935.
Early years
Born in Naugatuck, Connecticut, Grey was the daughter of Ernst Adrian Zetterstrand, a minister,[3] who died when she was eight years old. Thereafter, her mother raised Grey and her six siblings.[4] She graduated from Waterbury High School, where she was active in the Dramatic Club.[3]
Career
Grey began her acting career with the Poli Players.[5] She went on to act with companies in New Orleans, Louisiana; Jacksonville, Florida; San Francisco, California, and Nova Scotia.[3] She had her own acting troupe, the Shirley Grey Players, in the late 1920s.[6] In 1931, she starred in the comedy-drama Chicago at the Fulton Theater in Oakland, California. It was the third play of Grey's "limited season".[7]
Grey's work in stock theater led to her career in films. A talent scout who worked for film producer Samuel Goldwyn saw Grey performing in a stock production in Oakland and arranged for her to take a screen test, which led to her signing a contract with Goldwyn.[8]
Personal life
On August 28, 1921, Grey married actor Foster Williams,[9] known professionally as Frank McCarthy.[10] They had one son. She filed for divorce from him on September 30, 1925.[9] In 1936, Grey married English actor Arthur Margetson, who died in 1951.[2]
In her later years, Grey was a semi-recluse, living with her sisters before moving to a Jacksonville Beach, Florida, convalescent home where she died.[11]
