Nancy Saunders

Known for ActingBorn 1925-06-29Died 2020-06-13Los Angeles, California, USA

This pretty, blonde 1940s B-movie starlet was the daughter of newspaperman Leonard Sanders and showgirl Blanche Thompson (who also appeared in a few silent pictures). By her own account, she was born in Hollywood as Nancy Lou Sanders on June 29 1925, the day of the Santa Barbara earthquake. Curiously, being in the movies had not been her primary career choice when she was spotted dancing at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub by journeyman actor and talent scout Don Dillaway. Dillaway took an instant shine to Nancy and managed to arrange a screen test at RKO. She passed muster and was rewarded with a six-month contract (being an experienced equestrian from the age of eight also helped clinch the deal). Before long, she found herself on the cover of Life magazine -- along with Jane Greer and Martha Hyer -- as one of 'nine hopefuls'. After five pictures, RKO dropped her option and Nancy moved over to Columbia where she went on to appear in no less than thirteen pictures in 1947 alone. Many of these were horse operas, including half a dozen of the Durango Kid series with Charles Starrett, shot at the Columbia ranch in Burbank. Nancy also doubled for Rita Hayworth in The Lady from Shanghai (1947) (wearing a blonde wig) and The Loves of Carmen (1948) (dressed as a gypsy). She was Gerald Mohr's leading lady in The Lone Wolf in London (1947) and popped up in a few Three Stooges comedies which she later said to have really enjoyed being in. When her Hollywood career began to falter in the early 50s, Nancy found work as a tour booking agent with Air Cal Airlines. In 1996, she came out of retirement for occasional TV guest appearances. She was predeceased by her husband of 43 years, a sales rep for Seagram and Jim Bean. - Biography By: I.S.MowisRead more

Movies & web series

South of the Chisholm Trail

It Had to Be You

Arizona Territory

Whirlwind Raiders

Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone

West of Dodge City

Law of the Canyon

Stone Age Romeos

The Shunning

The Ghost Talks

Six-Gun Law

Prairie Raiders

Slappily Married

The Locket

The Lone Wolf in London

The Woman on the Beach

I'm a Monkey's Uncle

The Millerson Case

The Bamboo Blonde

Love-Struck

A Likely Story

Outlaw Country