Joan Valerie
Joan Valerie was an American actress, who appeared mainly in B movies in the late 1930s and 1940s.
Early years
Born in Sparta, Wisconsin, Valerie was the daughter of Michael Vlahakis.She was a 1931 graduate of Rhinelander High School. She participated in local play productions in her hometown and was active in theatrical productions at Morningside College.
In 1932, Vlahakis was runner-up for the title of "Miss Wisconsin."
In 1934, Vlahakis was selected from a group of 44 women as Morningside College's "most beautiful girl," Miss Morningside.
Film
Valerie initially changed her name to "Helen Valkis" for acting purposes. She was discovered by Darryl F. Zanuck on stage at the Pasadena Playhouse.In 1928, she was the leading lady in Yukon Trails, a Rex Pictures production that was filmed in Valerie's hometown, Rhinelander, Wisconsin, with an all-local cast.
Vlahakis's performance as the lead in Edward Elsner's Not So Long Ago in Hollywood led to two film studios' giving her screen tests, one of which resulted in a small part in Reckless. After signing a contract with the Independent Productions film company in 1935, she received a contract from Warner Bros. in 1936. She played ingenues in two musical westerns with Dick Foran, and appeared in Confession, The Prince and the Pauper, Day-Time Wife, and Sergeant Murphy, among others.
Warners dropped her option after one year. In 1938 she freelanced, landing a role in a Gene Autry western and a lead in a low-budget animal adventure. That same year Twentieth Century-Fox chief Darryl F. Zanuck saw her in a play and offered her a contact. Under the new name Joan Valerie, she was featured in many of Fox's "A" and "B" pictures, including the Charlie Chan and Michael Shayne mysteries.
Fox curtailed most of its "B" productions in 1942 and released Joan Valerie. She accepted two assignments at RKO, and then withdrew from the screen temporarily. She resumed her movie career in 1947, freelancing again, and retired in 1953.