
Rita Johnson
Rita Ann Johnson (August 13, 1913 – October 31, 1965) was an American actress. Early in her career, Johnson was busy in radio. Johnson began acting on Broadway in 1935 and started her film career two years later. She played a murderer in Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) and a doomed wife in the RKO film noir They Won't Believe Me (1947). In an incident that was never fully explained, Johnson suffered a head trauma on September 6, 1948 that required brain surgery. Unsubstantiated rumors promulgated by gossip columnists such as Walter Winchell suggested she might have been abused by a boyfriend, but the only explanation she offered was that a large, industrial-grade hair dryer at her apartment had fallen on her. She was in a coma for two weeks and it was reported it took her a year to recover. Her left side was paralyzed temporarily and for a while she couldn't walk. The injury put a virtual halt to her film career. Her screen time in movies after that was limited due to her reduced mobility and powers of concentration. Johnson suffered from alcoholism from the time of her injuries until her death of a brain hemorrhage at age 52. From Wikipedia.
38
Films
1
TV Shows
Known For
39 Credits
Mr. & Mrs. North
1952

Family Honeymoon
as Minna Fenster
1948

Emergency Hospital
as Head Nurse Norma Mullen
1956

Edison, the Man
as Mary Stilwell
1940

The Major and the Minor
as Pamela Hill
1942

Sleep, My Love
as Barby
1948

Here Comes Mr. Jordan
as Julia Farnsworth
1941

Susan Slept Here
as Dr. Rawley
1954

Congo Maisie
as Kay McWade
1940

All Mine to Give
as Katie Tyler
1957

The Big Clock
as Pauline York
1948

Thunderhead: Son of Flicka
as Nelle McLaughlin
1945