Shirley O'Hara Krims

A successful screen actress in addition to her work as a prominent public relation executive, Shirley O'Hara Krims found fame on the silver screen with a series of films in the '30s and '40s before redefining her career in the '70s. Born in Rochester, MN, Krims was quickly signed to RKO after relocating to Hollywood at the tender age of 18. Her early appearances came in such films as Tarzan and the Amazons (1945) and the film that provided Frank Sinatra with his first feature role, Higher and Higher (1944). An avid supporter of American soldiers during World War II, Betty Davis presented Krims with a Support for America award for her work with the USO's Hollywood Canteen. After turning toward television in the '50s and '60s, Krims became the public relations director for Burbank Studios (later acquired by Warner Bros.). Krims was also a noted philanthropist, and through the Publicists Guild, the former actress supported such organizations as Operation Children. Married to Jimmy McHugh Jr. early in life, Krims would later wed Oscar-nominated screenwriter Milton Krims. In late December of 2002, Shirley O'Hara Krims died from complications of diabetes in Calabasas, CA. She was 78.