After her sister Marguerite was killed in a London bombing raid, she halted her acting career and worked in field hospitals as a Red Cross
nurse. She was awarded the Legion d'Honneur for bravery in France.
She was the first of Alfred Hitchcock's "ice-cool blondes", and was the
highest-paid Hollywood actress of her time.
Became a US citizen in 1943.
1938: Her salary was reported to be over $250,000, making her the highest-paid actress in Hollywood.
She studied at Birmingham University (UK). Her father wanted her to be
a French teacher, but she defied him and became an actress.