Joan Blondell
Rose Joan Blondell (August 30, 1906 – December 25, 1979) was an American actress who performed in film and television for 50 years. Blondell began her career in vaudeville. After winning a beauty pageant, she embarked on a film career, establishing herself as a Pre-Code staple of Warner Bros. Pictures in wisecracking, sexy roles, appearing in more than 100 films and television productions. She was described as a "brassy blonde with a heart of gold." Blondell was most active in film during the 1930s and early 1940s, and during that time co-starred with Glenda Farrell, a colleague and close friend, in nine films. Blondell continued acting on film and television for the rest of her life, often in small, supporting roles. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The Blue Veil (1951). In 1958, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance as Mrs. Farrow in The Rope Dancers. Near the end of her life, Blondell was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Opening Night (1977). She was featured in two more films, the blockbuster musical Grease (1978) and Franco Zeffirelli's The Champ (1979), which was released shortly before her death from leukemia. |
Birth and Death Data: Born August 30, 1906 (Manhattan (borough of New York City, New York, United States)), Died December 25, 1979 (Santa Monica (beachfront city in Los Angeles County, California, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1931
Roles Represented in DAHR: speaker
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brunswick | LAT928 | 10-in. | 1/29/1931 | [No title shown] | Joan Blondell | Radio transcription disc | speaker | |
| Brunswick | LAT1054 | 12-in. | 7/12/1931 | Ollendorf program, [part unknown] | Joan Blondell | Radio transcription disc | speaker | |
| Brunswick | LAT1062 | 12-in. | 7/25/1931 | [No title shown] | Joan Blondell | Talk | speaker | |
| Brunswick | LAT1153 | 12-in. | 6/1/1931 | Vacuum Oil program V, part 1 | Joan Blondell ; James Cagney | Radio transcription disc : Recitation | speaker | |
| Brunswick | LAT1154 | 12-in. | 6/1/1931 | Vacuum Oil program V, part 2 | Joan Blondell ; James Cagney | Radio transcription disc : Recitation | speaker | |
| Brunswick | LAT1155 | 12-in. | 6/1/1931 | Vacuum Oil program V, part 3 | Joan Blondell ; James Cagney | Radio transcription disc : Recitation | speaker |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Blondell, Joan," accessed December 27, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/323546.
Blondell, Joan. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 27, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/323546.
"Blondell, Joan." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 27 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Blondell, Joan - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n84007709
Wikidata: Joan Blondell - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q242729
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/54145857796123020207
MusicBrainz: Joan Blondell - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/df7c72b7-17a8-40d3-bd4f-d98ddb18437f
ISNI: 0000 0000 6158 0118 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000061580118
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/137398 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/137398
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