Joan Marsh


Joan Marsh was an American child actress in silent films between 1915 and 1921. Later, during the sound era, she resumed her acting career and performed in a variety of films during the 1930s and 1940s.

Early years

Marsh, born Dorothy D. Rosher, was the daughter of Lolita and Charles Rosher. She was born in Porterville California. Her parents later divorced.

Career

In 1915, Marsh made her first film appearance, an uncredited one, in the short The Mad Maid of the Forest, which her father was filming. Later that same year she was also cast in Hearts Aflame and then billed as Dorothy Rosher. In 1917 she appeared too in A Little Princess and in no less than five other productions in 1918, including the comedy-drama Women's Weapons for Paramount Pictures. After these minor roles as a baby and toddler, Marsh finally became a star in Mary Pickford films such as Daddy-Long-Legs and Pollyanna.
Marsh made her last film appearance as a child in 1921 but returned to films nine years later with a role in King of Jazz, in which she sang with Bing Crosby. She subsequently worked in a series of shorts and other feature films before she played W. C. Fields's daughter in You're Telling Me! in 1934. She continued performing on-screen in small roles for the next decade. In 1936, she sang on the CBS radio program Flying Red Horse Tavern.
In 1931, Marsh was one of 13 actresses named as WAMPAS baby stars.
She made her final film appearance in 1944 in Follow the Leader.

Personal life

During the filming of Charlie Chan on Broadway, Marsh met writer Charles Belden, who had co-written the film's screenplay. They married on December 2, 1938, in Beverly Hills, California. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1943—first in Los Angeles, California, on August 26, 1943, followed by a second divorce October 23, 1943, "so she won't have to wait a year before remarrying."
In 1943, Marsh married Army Captain John D. W. Morrill in Santa Monica, California.

Later years and death

Marsh later managed a stationery shop. She died at age 86 in Ojai, California on August 10, 2000.

Partial filmography