Catherine McLeod

Of Scottish descent, Catherine McLeod was a self-confessed movie fan as a child of the Depression. Born on July 2, 1921, in Santa Monica, California, she was a convent trained. She became a theater cashier in Dallas for a time before returning to Los Angeles and studying at an acting school. A talent scout discovered her in a play and signed her to an MGM contract in 1944. She was typically cultivated in small bit roles which culminated in the finest showcase of her career. In the sudsy romancer, I've Always Loved You (1946), which was set to classical music, Catherine has to grow from a naive 18-year-old girl to an embittered 45-year-old woman. In comparison, most of her co-starring "B" roles were not only loanouts but less demanding in scope. She played Elizabeth Taylor older sister in Courage of Lassie (1946); Don Ameche's love interest in the weepie That's My Man (1947); the female lead in a pair of Bill Elliott's western vehicles, The Fabulous Texan (1947) and Old Los Angeles (19