Betty Grable was an old Hollywood superstar. From 1942–1951, Grable maintained an elite position as one of the top 10 box office stars, and, in 1946 and 1947, she was the highest salaried woman in America.
Grable first appeared on screen at age 12, but her big break came at age 24, when she replaced Alice Faye in Down Argentine Way (1940), the first of several Fox musicals in which Grable would star over the next decade.
By 1943, Grable was the top box-office draw in the world and one of America’s biggest sex symbols. That same year, an iconic swimsuit photo of Grable became the most requested photo for overseas G.I.s, selling millions of copies and dethroning Rita Hayworth as pin-up queen. Grable’s photo was later named by Time as one of the 100 Most Influential Photographs of All Time.
Gable’s career was on fire over the next decade, starring in musical Mother Wore Tights (1947) and appearing with Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953).
Grable officially retired from the silver screen in 1955 and started a new career on the stage, starring in her own Las Vegas act.
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