Lola Lane


Lola Lane was an American actress and one of the Lane Sisters with her sisters Leota, Rosemary, and Priscilla Lane. She appeared on Broadway and in films from the 1920s to 1940s.

Early years

The daughter of a dentist, Lane was born in Macy, Indiana, and grew up in Indianola, Iowa. As a teenager, she played piano for silent films and sang in a flower shop. Entertainer Gus Edwards discovered her in the flower shop and put her on the road to her professional career.
Lane graduated from a conservatory at Simpson College.

Career

Edwards changed the actress's name and added her to his touring production, Ritz Carlton Nights. In 1926, she and her sister Leota appeared in the Greenwich Village Follies in New York City. She went on to appear in vaudeville shows on the Orpheum, Loew, and Interstate circuits and later acted on Broadway in The War Song. The latter role led to her work in films after a talent scout saw her on Broadway. After a screen test, she made her film debut in Speakeasy.
Most of Lane's films were Warner Bros. productions. They included Four Daughters, Four Wives, and Four Mothers, in each of which she appeared with her sisters Priscilla and Rosemary.

Personal life

On September 11, 1931, Lane married actor Lew Ayres in Las Vegas, Nevada. They remained wed until 1933. She was also married to Henry Dunham, a yacht broker, and director Roland West. When she died, she was married to Robert Hanlon, a retired aircraft executive.
A Democrat, she, along with her sisters, supported the campaign of Adlai Stevenson during the 1952 presidential election.

Death

On June 11, 1981, Lane died at her home in Santa Barbara, California, at age 75. She was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Santa Barbara.

Recognition

Comic book writer Jerry Siegel named Lois Lane, the fictional reporter and Superman's girlfriend in DC Comics after Lola Lane.
In 1967, Lane received a Pope Pius X medal for her efforts in religious training of mentally challenged people. She had converted to Catholicism in 1961.

Filmography