Peggy Knudsen

A knockout curvaceous screen siren with a smart, confident air, Peggy Knudsen had the blonde pulchritude and the presence to make it in Hollywood. Somehow, stardom eluded her. The daughter of a Duluth fire chief, she had studied violin as a child and later showed some promise acting in school plays. Her mother consequently moved the family to Chicago, where Peggy got her start on the CBS daytime radio drama "The Woman in White". Aged nineteen, she then made her way to Broadway to debut in a small part in "My Sister Eileen", as replacement for Jo Ann Sayers. Movies eventually beckoned, and, in 1945, Peggy was signed by Warner Brothers after being 'spotted' at the Stage Door Canteen. The studio publicity machine promptly heralded her arrival by nicknaming her "the lure". Peggy's first significant role was as Mona Mars in the film noir classic The Big Sleep (1946). She replaced the original actress when the part was recast when the film was re-shot to add sizzle to the Bogart/Bacall vehic