Hazel Brooks
Born(1924-09-08)September 8, 1924
Cape Town, Union of South Africa
DiedSeptember 18, 2002(2002-09-18) (aged 78)
Bel Air, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesHazel Brooks Ross
Hazel Brooks Gibbons
OccupationActress
Years active1943–1955
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1944; died 1960)​
    Rex Ross
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1967; died 1999)​

    Hazel Brooks (September 8, 1924 – September 18, 2002) was an American actress.

    Early years

    The daughter of a sea captain, Brooks was born in Cape Town, South Africa.[1] Her father died when she was three years old, and she moved with her mother to Brooklyn, New York. Her mother remarried and then divorced, resulting in custody battles over Brooks's half-brother. Brooks described her childhood as "very unhappy", noting that she attended 14 schools.[2]

    Career

    Brooks became a model when she was 16 and was represented by Harry Conover and Walter Thornton. A talent scout picked her and five other models to appear in the MGM film Du Barry Was a Lady (1943).[2] She made a series of pictures at the studio during the 1940s, culminating with a supporting role in the 1947 film Body and Soul with John Garfield.

    A photo of her by Durward Garyhill was voted "Most Provocative Still of 1947" by the International Society of Photographic Arts in January 1948.[3]

    She had captured almost as much attention three years earlier in 1944 when, at age 19, she married the long-time head of her studio's fabled art department, Cedric Gibbons, then 54. The wedding occurred on October 25, 1944.[4] Although the age difference inspired a certain amount of winking in the gossip columns at the time, the marriage proved a strong one and lasted until Gibbons's death in 1960. Brooks subsequently married Dr. Rex Ross (1908-1999), a surgeon and founder of the Non-invasive Vascular Clinic at Hollywood Hospital.

    According to long-time friend, Maria Cooper, Janis, Gary Cooper's daughter and Cedric Gibbons's great-niece, Brooks, in the years after her retirement from films, became a skilled still photographer. She also worked actively for a number of children's charities.

    She had subsequent roles in Arch of Triumph and Sleep, My Love in 1948, as well as The Basketball Fix (1951) and The I Don't Care Girl (1953).

    Death

    Brooks died in 2002, aged 78, in the Bel Air residential district of Los Angeles.

    Filmography

    Year Title Role Notes
    1943Du Barry Was a LadyMiss JuneUncredited
    1943Girl CrazyShowgirlUncredited
    1944RationingInformation GirlUncredited
    1944Patrolling the EtherTaxi DriverUncredited
    1944Meet the PeopleShow GirlUncredited
    1944Marriage Is a Private AffairBridesmaidUncredited
    1944Thirty Seconds Over TokyoGirl in Officers' ClubUncredited
    1945Without LoveGirl on ElevatorUncredited
    1945Ziegfeld FolliesDancerUncredited
    1946The Harvey GirlsDance-Hall GirlUncredited
    1947Body and SoulAlice
    1948Sleep, My LoveDaphne
    1948Arch of TriumphSybilUncredited
    1951The Basketball FixLily Courtney
    1953The I Don't Care GirlStella Forrest

    References

    1. ↑ Dighton, Ralph (June 22, 1947). "Man Who Invented 'Oomph' To Make Hazel Brooks a Star". The Courier-Journal. Kentucky, Louisville. Associated Press. p. 25. Retrieved October 11, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
    2. 1 2 Graham, Sheilah (March 2, 1947). "Watch the Smoke Of Hazel Brooks, A Sure-Fire Star". The Courier-Journal. Kentucky, Louisville. p. 28. Retrieved October 12, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
    3. ↑ "Aenigma Images - Hazel Brooks". www.aenigma-images.com. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
    4. ↑ Hopper, Hedda (October 27, 1944). "Cedric Gibbons marries actress Hazel Brooks". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. p. 13. Retrieved October 11, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.


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