Donna Reed
Donna Reed (born Donna Belle Mullenger, January 27, 1921 – January 14, 1986) was an American film and television actress and producer. Her career spanned over forty years with appearances in over forty films. She is well known for her role as Mary Hatch Bailey in Frank Capra's 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life. In 1953, she received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Lorene Burke in the war drama From Here to Eternity. Reed worked extensively in television, notably as Donna Stone, an American middle class mother in the sitcom The Donna Reed Show (1958–66), in which she played a more prominent role than many other television mothers of the era and for which she received the Golden Globe Award for Best TV Star in 1963. Later in her career, Reed replaced Barbara Bel Geddes as Miss Ellie Ewing in the 1984–85 season of the television melodrama, Dallas, and sued the production company for breach of contract when she was abruptly fired upon Bel Geddes' decision to return to the show.