Andrea King, George Coulouris, and Bette Davis in “Mr. Skeffington,” Warner Bros., 1944.
Georgette McKee (her name not yet changed to Andrea King) had just come home from signing her contract to join the prestigious roster of actors and actresses at Warner Bros., when the the telephone rang. An assistant director hastily told her to report to the studio bright and early the next morning for her first assignment—the bit-part of a nurse in Bette Davis’s new picture called “Mr. Skeffington.”
Andrea stepped up to the plate like a pro that first day in front of the Warners cameras. She was thrilled to be in the company of legendary actress Bette Davis and honored to play her first scene opposite such a reliable character actor as George Coulouris (“Citizen Kane”). The scene was brief and the lines were simple, but Andrea was starting down a road that would lead her to great success, becoming one of the studio’s fastest rising stars.
Bette Davis turned in another fine performance as Fanny Skeffington, garnering an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress for 1944. And co-star Claud Rains, in the title role, also earned a nomination as Best Supporting Actor.