Acting
Community Rating
6.1
TMDB estimate
Born
October 19, 1930
Died
July 10, 1986 (age 55)
Born in
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
As the 1950s began, Jody Lawrance (born Nona Josephine Goddard) showed much promise as a contract player for Columbia. In 1951 alone, she was the female lead in four features including "Ten Tall Men," playing opposite Burt Lancaster. However, her reticence to appear in the Mickey Rooney musical, "All Ashore" (1953) because she didn't feel she had the singing ability required for the role and her reluctance to do publicity for the studio resulted in an early release from her contract. After her appearance as Pocahontas in the independent film, "Captain John Smith and Pocahontas" (1953) was a critical and commercial flop, Lawrance was effectively out of the movie business. Now working as a waitress in the Westwood area of Los Angeles, she was the subject of a feature article on her plight as an actress. Soon afterward, she received a surprise visit at the restaurant by her former co-star Burt Lancaster, who promised to help restart her acting career. This led to a role in the film noir, "The Scarlet Hour" (1956) and a contract with Paramount. While her billing had dropped a few notches from her Columbia days, her career was clearly on the mend. However, when Paramount learned that she had eloped and was expecting her first child, they terminated her contract. Despite this latest setback in her career, Lawrance found work on the small screen and appeared on some of the most popular television series of the late 1950s, including "The Loretta Young Show," "The Rebel," and "Perry Mason." She succeeded during this period despite the failure of her first marriage and the subsequent custody battle. After her second marriage, she effectively retired from show business to raise a family with her new husband.

Stagecoach to Dancers' Rock
as Dr. Ann Thompson
1962

The Purple Gang
as Joan McNamara
1959

The Rebel
as Lorena (as Jody Lawrence)
1959

Hot Spell
as Dora May
1958

Perry Mason
as Ellen Monteith
1957

M Squad
as Rebecca Traxler (as Jody Lawrence)
1957

The Leather Saint
as Pearl Gorman
1956

The Scarlet Hour
as Kathy Stevens
1956

Captain John Smith and Pocahontas
as Pocahontas
1953

Letter to Loretta
as Miss Vivian
1953

All Ashore
as Nancy Flynn
1953

The Brigand
as Princess Teresa
1952

The Son of Dr. Jekyll
as Lynn Utterson
1951

Ten Tall Men
as Mahla
1951

The Family Secret
as Lee Pearson
1951

Mask of the Avenger
as Maria
1951