Vivian Austin


Vivian Austin was an American actress who appeared in a number of films in the late 1930s and early 1940s, although most were B movies.

Early years

Austin was born Irene Vivian Coe in Hollywood, California, and attended Hollywood High School. She was named Miss Hollywood in 1939.

Career

Austin played a variety of bit parts in movies before being cast as the female romantic lead in The Adventures of Red Ryder. She was signed to a stock contract in 1943 by Universal and as Vivian Austin or Terry Austin appeared in movies such as Destiny, Trigger Trail, Born To Speed and Philo Vance Returns. Her career was cut short in the late 1940s by kidney failure and resultant blindness.

Later years

After her retirement, Austin helped Jane Russell to found the World Adoption International Fund and herself founded the Braille Auxiliary of the Desert, an organisation to support the charitable activities of the Braille Institute. In 1996 she lived in Palm Springs, California.

Personal life

Austin married millionaire auto dealer Glenn Austin when she was 17. She later wed ophthalmic surgeon Kenneth A. Grow, who had operated on her and helped to improve her sight.

Death

On August 1, 2004, Austin died from natural causes in a hospital in Los Angeles, California. Because Grow had served in the United States Army, she and he are interred at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.

Filmography