ACTOR · BORN 1905 · DIED 1993
Myrna Loy
- Born
- 2 August 1905, Radersburg, Montana, USA
- Died
- 14 December 1993
- Known for
- Columbo (1971), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), The Thin Man (1934), Airport 1975 (1974)
71 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
40 Interesting Facts About Myrna Loy
- #004
A cast of Myrna Loy's handprint and signature is in the sidewalk in front of Theatre 80 on St. Mark's Place in New York City.
- #006
In 1939, while filming The Rains Came (1939) with Tyrone Power, Myrna Loy narrowly escaped when her horse bolted; she was nearly killed.
- #007
In 1936, Myrna Loy was voted Queen of the Movies and Clark Gable King in a national poll, and she won a crown made of tin and purple velvet. In her autobiography she says she did not get along with Gable on their earlier films. In their later films, however, he respected Loy and they became good friends.
- #008
After being diagnosed with breast cancer twice, Myrna Loy underwent two mastectomies.
- #009
Her profile was the one most requested by women from plastic surgeons in the 1930s.
- #010
Myrna Loy studied at Venice High School in Los Angeles, where her statue stands in the front yard. The same school appeared in the original Grease (1978), American History X (1998) and music videos by The Chemical Brothers and Britney Spears ("Elektrobank" and "Baby One More Time" respectively).
- #013
Some of Myrna Loy's biggest fans were James Stewart, Winston Churchill and the Roosevelts. Franklin D. Roosevelt invited her to the White House during the early years of his administration, and she became very friendly with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
- #014
Myrna Loy moved to Manhattan in 1960 and lived there until her death in 1993.
- #019
At Venice High School, in the middle of a small rose garden, stands an over-life-size statue of the actress Myrna Loy — erected years before she appeared in a single film. It does not much resemble Miss Loy. The short-haired figure on a stone pedestal is arched-backed and semi-nude (wearing only a thin garment that leaves little to the imagination), with one arm raised in a dramatic pose. All three statues were modeled by Venice High School students and are meant to depict "Mental," "Physical" and "Spiritual." According to a bronze plaque on the east side of the pedestal, the statues were erected in 1921, which means Myrna Loy (then known as Myrna Williams) was only 16 when she posed for the "Spiritual" statue — long before she became famous.
- #021
Loy and Cary Grant appeared together in three feature films: Wings in the Dark (1935), The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947) and Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948).
- #023
A building at Sony Pictures Studios (formerly MGM Studios) in Culver City, California, is named after her.
- #026
She organized opposition to the House Un-American Activities Committee in Hollywood.
- #027
Myrna was co-chair of the advisory council of the National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing and exposed discrimination in federally funded projects.
- #029
In 1923 she was photographed by Henry Waxman, who showed the photographs to Rudolph Valentino. Taken with Myrna, Valentino arranged a screen test for his upcoming film Cobra (1925). She failed it.
- #031
Men Must Marry-Myrna Clubs were founded in response to her portrayal of the perfect wife in The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).
- #032
In 1960 she campaigned on behalf of John F. Kennedy. She later clashed with California Governor Ronald Reagan over open housing legislation, and afterward remained a forceful member of the National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing for years.
- #033
The nickname William Powell gave her was 'Minnie.'.
- #035
Myrna enrolled at Venice High School, which later named its annual speech and drama awards 'Myrnas' in her honor.
- #036
Her hobbies were sculpting and dancing.
- #037
She was a founding member of the American Place Theatre, a non-profit theater established to help develop new writers.
- #040
The change of her surname from Williams to Loy was suggested by the legendary pulp writer Paul Cain (also known as Peter Ruric).
- #041
A poem titled Montana Women was written in Myrna Loy's honor and read at her 86th birthday celebration.
- #043
A devout Democrat and feminist, she later disavowed her work in the pre-Civil Rights era film Ham and Eggs at the Front (1927) as "shameful."
- #044
For five years (1949-1954) she served as a film advisor to UNESCO.
- #047
She made her stage debut in 1916.
- #048
She was a member of St. Paul Methodist Church in New York (later known as St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church).
- #051
She was the first female actress to work for the UN (UNESCO).
- #053
Myrna Loy was cremated in New York, and her ashes were interred at Forestvale Cemetery in her hometown of Helena, Montana.
- #055
Myrna Loy served as a consultant for the National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing.
- #056
Myrna Williams made her stage debut at age twelve at Helena's old Marlow Theater, performing a dance she choreographed based on "The Blue Bird" from the operetta Rose Dream.
- #059
On August 2, 2018, her 113th birthday, Myrna Loy was honored for her film work in TCM's Summer Under the Stars event.
- #061
Myrna Loy at one point appeared in advertisements for Lucky Strike cigarettes.
- #063
Myrna Loy worked with Robert Montgomery on two films: When Ladies Meet (1933) and Petticoat Fever (1936).
- #064
Myrna Loy is profiled in Stephen Silverman's book "Funny Ladies."
- #065
Myrna Loy was a close friend of Princess Marina.
- #066
Myrna Loy is mentioned in Marcella Detroit's 1996 song "Boy": "No Hayward or Myrna Loy / I'm coming back as a boy."
- #067
Myrna Loy is the subject of Steel Pole Bathtub's song "Myrna Loy" (which is different from and predates The Minus 5's song).
- #068
Myrna Loy is the subject of The Minus 5's song "Myrna Loy."
- #070
Myrna Loy played the piano and was a skilled sculptor.
- #071
Myrna Loy was born on exactly the same day as Ruth Nelson.
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