Joan Marsh

Joan Marsh
Born	Dorothy Rosher[a] (1914-07-10)July 10, 1914 Porterville, California, U.S.
Died	August 10, 2000(2000-08-10) (aged 86) Ojai, California, U.S.
Other names	Dorothy D. Rosher
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1915–1944
Spouses	Charles S. Belden ​ ​ (m. 1938; div. 1943)​ John D. W. Morrill ​ (m. 1943)​

Joan Marsh (July 10, 1914^[a] – August 10, 2000) was an American child actress in silent films between 1915 and 1921. Later, during the sound era, she resumed her acting career and performed in a variety of films during the 1930s and 1940s.

Marsh, born Dorothy D. Rosher,^[a] was the daughter of Lolita and Charles Rosher. Her parents later divorced.^[5]

In 1915, Marsh made her first film appearance, an uncredited one, in the short The Mad Maid of the Forest, which her father was filming.^[6] Later that same year she was also cast in Hearts Aflame and then billed as Dorothy Rosher.^[6] In 1917 she appeared too in A Little Princess and in no less than five other productions in 1918, including the comedy-drama Women's Weapons for Paramount Pictures.^[7] After these minor roles as a baby and toddler, Marsh finally became a star in Mary Pickford films such as Daddy-Long-Legs (1919) and Pollyanna (1920).^[6]

Marsh made her last film appearance as a child in 1921 but returned to films nine years later with a role in King of Jazz, in which she sang with Bing Crosby. She subsequently worked in a series of shorts and other feature films before she played W. C. Fields's daughter in You're Telling Me! in 1934. She continued performing on-screen in small roles for the next decade.^[6] In 1936, she sang on the CBS radio program Flying Red Horse Tavern.^[8]

In 1931, Marsh was one of 13 actresses named as WAMPAS baby stars.^[9]

She made her final film appearance in 1944 in Follow the Leader.^[6]

During the filming of Charlie Chan on Broadway, Marsh met writer Charles Belden, who had co-written the film's screenplay.^{[citation needed]} They married on December 2, 1938, in Beverly Hills, California.^[10] Their marriage ended in divorce in 1943—first in Los Angeles, California, on August 26, 1943, followed by a second divorce October 23, 1943, "so she won't have to wait a year before remarrying."^[11]

In 1943, Marsh married Army Captain John D. W. Morrill in Santa Monica, California.^[12]

Marsh later managed a stationery shop. She died at age 86 in Ojai, California^[6] on August 10, 2000.^[13]

• Joan Marsh at IMDb
• Photographs of Joan Marsh