Sheila Ryan (born Katherine Elizabeth McLaughlin, June 8, 1921 – November 4, 1975) was an American actress who appeared in more than 60 movies.

At age 19, Ryan was selected by a group of Hollywood directors as one of 13 "baby stars of 1940." A 1940 newspaper story included her in a group of actresses "whose alluring curves alone might have disqualified them from screen careers not so long ago," in the words of Travis Banton, a Hollywood stylist.

thumb|right|200px|Sheila Ryan pin-up from Yank, The Army Weekly, July 1945

Personal life

Ryan married actor Allan Lane in 1945, but divorced him a year later. Later, she and actor Eddie Norris married, but they had problems in 1948.

While working with Autry, Ryan met actor Pat Buttram. They married in 1952 and remained together until her death in 1975. They had a daughter, Kathleen Buttram, nicknamed Kerry.

Ryan died November 4, 1975, in the Motion Picture Hospital in Woodland Hills, California from lung disease. She was 54 years old. Their daughter Kerry Buttram-Galgano died of cancer in 2007.

Partial filmography

  • What a Life (1939) - Jessie
  • The Farmer's Daughter (1940) - Dorinda
  • Those Were the Days! (1940) - Miss Claire (uncredited)
  • The Way of All Flesh (1940) - Mitzi Kriza
  • Queen of the Mob (1940) - Party Girl
  • I Want a Divorce (1940) - Waitress (uncredited)
  • The Gay Caballero (1940) - Susan Wetherby
  • Dancing on a Dime (1940) - Brunette (uncredited)
  • Life with Henry (1940) - Minor Role (uncredited)
  • A Night at Earl Carroll's (1940) - Miss Borgia
  • Golden Hoofs (1941) - Gwen
  • The Mad Doctor (1941) - Hostess at Charity Bazaar (uncredited)
  • Dead Men Tell (1941) - Kate Ransome
  • Dressed to Kill (1941) - Connie Earle
  • Sun Valley Serenade (1941) - Phone Operator (uncredited)
  • We Go Fast (1941) - Diana Hempstead
  • Great Guns (1941) - Ginger Hammond
  • Pardon My Stripes (1942) - Ruth Stevens
  • Lone Star Ranger (1942) - Barbara Longstreth
  • Who Is Hope Schuyler? (1942) - Lee Dale
  • Footlight Serenade (1942) - Ann, Cowgirl in Movie (uncredited)
  • A-Haunting We Will Go (1942) - Margo
  • Careful, Soft Shoulders (1942) - Agatha Mather
  • Song of Texas (1943) - Sue Bennett
  • The Gang's All Here (1943) - Vivian Potter
  • Ladies of Washington (1944) - Jerry Dailey
  • Something for the Boys (1944) - Melanie Walker
  • The Caribbean Mystery (1945) - Mrs. Jean Gilbert
  • Getting Gertie's Garter (1945) - Patty Ford
  • Deadline for Murder (1946) - Vivian Mason
  • Slightly Scandalous (1946) - Christine Wright
  • The Lone Wolf in Mexico (1947) - Sharon Montgomery
  • The Big Fix (1947) - Lillian
  • Heartaches (1947) - Toni Wentworth
  • Philo Vance's Secret Mission (1947) - Mona Bannister
  • Railroaded! (1947) - Rosie Ryan
  • Caged Fury (1948) - Kit Warren
  • The Cobra Strikes (1948) - Dale Cameron
  • Hideout (1949) - Edie Hanson
  • Ringside (1949) - Janet 'J.L.' Brannigan
  • Joe Palooka in the Counterpunch (1949) - Myra Madison
  • The Cowboy and the Indians (1949) - Doctor Nan
  • Mule Train (1950) - Carol Bannister
  • Western Pacific Agent (1950) - Martha Stuart
  • Square Dance Katy (1950) - Vicky Doran
  • Fingerprints Don't Lie (1951) - Carolyn Palmer
  • Mask of the Dragon (1951) - Ginny O'Donnell
  • Gold Raiders (1951) - Laura
  • Jungle Manhunt (1951) - Anne Lawrence
  • On Top of Old Smoky (1953) - Lila
  • Pack Train (1953) - Lola Riker
  • Street of Darkness (1958) - Carmen Flores (final film role)

See also

  • Pin-ups of Yank, the Army Weekly

References

  • B-Western Ladies, Shiela Ryan