Ona Munson

Ona Munson was an American film and stage actress with a career spanning over three decades. She appeared in nine Broadway productions and 20 feature films, starting at the age of 16 in 1919 and remaining active until 1953. Munson was born in Portland, Oregon, and was known for her work in both theater and cinema.

Her personal life drew attention for its complexity. She married director Edward Buzzell in a five-year union, and later married painter Eugene Berman in 1950. Munson also had documented relationships with women, including Alla Nazimova and playwright Mercedes de Acosta. Some observers have suggested that her marriages may have served as cover for her homosexuality, a term sometimes called 'lavender marriages.' By the mid-1950s, she faced health complications following surgery and used barbiturates. In 1955, Berman found her dead in their Manhattan apartment from a barbiturate overdose. She was 51.