Una Merkel began her movie career as stand-in for Lillian Gish in the movie "The Wind," became after that a Broadway actress before she returned to movies for the D.W. Griffith film "Abraham Lincoln." In her early years, before she gained a few pounds, she looked like Lillian Gish but after "Abraham Lincoln" her comic potential was discovered. She mostly played supporting roles as the heroine's no-nonsense friend, but with her broad Southern accent and her peroxide blond hair, she gave one of the best performances of a wise-cracking but not-so-bright chorus girl in "42nd Street." Perhaps she is best remembered for her hair-pulling fight with Marlene Dietrich in "Destry Rides Again." In 1962 she was nominated for the Academy Award as best supporting actress in "Summer and Smoke."
She won a Tony in 1956 for "The Ponder Heart" She almost died in 1946 when her mother committed suicide by turning on the gas. Won Broadway's 1956 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) for "The Ponder Heart." Was originally signed for the title role in Blondie (1938) but was replaced before filming began.