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Evelyn Louise Keyes (November 20, 1916 - July 4, 2008) was an American film actress. A chorus girl by age 18, Keyes came out to Hollywood and was introduced to Cecil B. DeMille, who in her own words, “signed me to a personal contract without even making a test”. After a handful of B-movies at Paramount Pictures, she landed the role in Gone with the Wind, of Scarlett O'Hara's sister, Suellen. She was later interviewed for the 1988 documentary The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind. Columbia Pictures signed her to a contract. In 1941, she played an ingenue in Here Comes Mr. Jordan. She spent most of the early 1940s playing leads in many of Columbia's B dramas and mysteries. She appeared as the female lead opposite Larry Parks in Columbia's blockbuster hit, The Jolson Story. She followed this up with an enjoyable minor screwball comedy, The Mating of Millie, with Glenn Ford. She was then in a 1949 role as Kathy Flannigan in Mrs. Mike. Keyes' last major film role was a small part as Tom Ewell's vacationing wife in The Seven Year Itch (1955), which starred Marilyn Monroe. Keyes officially retired in 1956, but continued to act.
Evelyn Keyes was an American film actress during the Golden Age of Hollywood, known for her long-term contract with Columbia Pictures and her career as a versatile lead and supporting player.
She is recognized for her performance as Suellen O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939) and her leading roles in films such as The Jolson Story, The Seven Year Itch, and the noir classic The Prowler.
Her work spanned diverse genres including musical drama, noir thriller, screwball comedy, and fantasy during the height of the studio system.