Signed out of Southern Methodist University at age 18 by RKO, brunette (later blonde) leading lady Dorothy Malone made her film debut in "The Falcon and the Co-Ed" under her real last name Maloney. When she moved to Warner Bros. in 1945, she dropped the "y" and soon made her first impact as a nymphomaniac entertaining Humphrey Bogart one thundery afternoon in "The Big Sleep" (1946). Early in her career, her roles consisted mainly of standard pretty girl leads, but it was as a fine dramatic actress that she made her mark, gaining acclaim in the 1950s for her strong, sensual portrayals of
