Hazel Brooks

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Hazel Brooks
Hazel Brooks.jpg
Born(1924-09-08)September 8, 1924
Cape Town, South Africa
DiedSeptember 18, 2002(2002-09-18) (aged 78)
Bel Air, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesHazel Brooks Ross
Hazel Brooks Gibbons
OccupationActress
Years active1943-1955
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1944; died 1960)​

Rex Ross
​
​
(m. 1967; died 1999)​

Hazel Brooks (September 8, 1924 – September 18, 2002) was an American actress.

Early years[]

The daughter of a sea captain, Brooks was born in Cape Town, South Africa.[1] Her father died when she was three years old, and she moved with her mother to Brooklyn, New York. Her mother remarried and then divorced, resulting in custody battles over Brooks' half-brother. Brooks described her childhood as "very unhappy", noting that she attended 14 schools.[2]

Career[]

Brooks became a model for Harry Conover when she was 16. A talent scout picked her and five other models to appear in the MGM film Du Barry Was a Lady (1943).[2] She made a series of pictures at the studio during the 1940s, culminating with a supporting role in the 1947 film Body and Soul with John Garfield.

A photo of her by Durward Garyhill was voted "Most Provocative Still of 1947" by the International Society of Photographic Arts in January 1948.[3]

She had captured almost as much attention three years earlier in 1944 when, at age 19, she married the long-time head of her studio's fabled art department, Cedric Gibbons, then 54. The wedding occurred on October 25, 1944.[4] Although the age difference inspired a certain amount of winking in the gossip columns at the time, the marriage proved a strong one and lasted until Gibbons' death in 1960. Brooks subsequently married Dr. Rex Ross (1908-1999), a surgeon and founder of the Non-invasive Vascular Clinic at Hollywood Hospital.

According to long-time friend Maria Cooper Janis, Gary Cooper's daughter, Ross in the years after her retirement from films became a skilled still photographer. She also worked actively for a number of children's charities.

She had subsequent roles in Arch of Triumph and Sleep, My Love in 1948, as well as The Basketball Fix (1951) and The I Don't Care Girl (1953).

Death[]

Brooks died in 2002, aged 78, in the Bel Air residential district of Los Angeles.

Filmography[]

Year Title Role Notes
1943 Du Barry Was a Lady' Miss June Uncredited
1943 Girl Crazy Showgirl Uncredited
1944 Rationing Information Girl Uncredited
1944 Patrolling the Ether Taxi Driver Uncredited
1944 Meet the People Show Girl Uncredited
1944 Marriage Is a Private Affair Bridesmaid Uncredited
1944 Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo Girl in Officers' Club Uncredited
1945 Without Love Girl on Elevator Uncredited
1945 Ziegfeld Follies Dancer Uncredited
1946 The Harvey Girls Dance-Hall Girl Uncredited
1947 Body and Soul Alice
1948 Sleep, My Love Daphne
1948 Arch of Triumph Sybil Uncredited
1951 The Basketball Fix Lily Courtney
1953 The I Don't Care Girl Stella Forrest

References[]

  1. ^ Dighton, Ralph (June 22, 1947). "Man Who Invented 'Oomph' To Make Hazel Brooks a Star". The Courier-Journal. Kentucky, Louisville. Associated Press. p. 25. Retrieved October 11, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Graham, Sheilah (March 2, 1947). "Watch the Smoke Of Hazel Brooks, A Sure-Fire Star". The Courier-Journal. Kentucky, Louisville. p. 28. Retrieved October 12, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Aenigma Images - Hazel Brooks". www.aenigma-images.com. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  4. ^ Hopper, Hedda (October 27, 1944). "Cedric Gibbons marries actress Hazel Brooks". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. p. 13. Retrieved October 11, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.

External links[]


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