Dolores Jean Moran (January 27, 1926 – February 5, 1982) was an American film actress and model.
Early years
Moran was born named Jaqueline in Stockton, California, the daughter of James G. Moran and his wife, Esther Moran [1]and attended elementary and secondary schools there. She won the Northern California Oratorical Contest and starred in school plays.[2]
Film career
In 1942, aged 16, Moran, was signed by Warner Bros. to a seven-year contract, with her parents' permission.[3]
Moran's brief career as a film actress began with uncredited roles in such films as Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) as "the Pippirino" (with whom George blows off a date to go out with Mary). By 1943, she had become a pin-up girl appearing on the cover of such magazines as Yank. She was given supporting roles in films, such as Old Acquaintance (1943) with Bette Davis.[citation needed]
Warner Bros. attempted to increase interest in her, promoting her along with Lauren Bacall as a new screen personality when Bacall was cast alongside Humphrey Bogart in To Have and Have Not (1944). The film made a star of Bacall, but Moran languished, and subsequent films did little to further her career.[citation needed]
In 1968, Moran was the recipient of bequest valued at $300,000, worth approximately $2.7 million in 2024. Anthony Ponce, an apricot grower, bequeathed the bulk of his estate to her because he appreciated her kindness 20 years earlier when she worked as a carhop at a drive-in.[5] Ponce's will directed that $6,000 go to his nephew and five nieces, with the rest to go to Moran. The nieces and nephew contested the will.[5]
