Howard Keel, her co-star in three movies, once described her in an interview as the most beautiful woman in the history of movies.
Both her older sister, Frances Raeburn, and older brother, Michael Butler, were in the film Seven Sweethearts (1942) along with Kathryn.
Daughter, Patricia Kathryn, born October 7, 1948.
Discovered at age 11 by Frances Marshall, a Chicago Civil Light Opera singer, who trained her in voice.
Good friend of Ava Gardner.
In 1939, Sam Katz, the executive in charge of musicals at MGM, sought out a rival to Universal's popular Deanna Durbin and turned to Kathryn. She repeatedly turned him down at the time because she wanted an opera and not a movie career. She finally relented.
In 1954 Kathryn re-signed with RCA Records and recorded four songs with ex-husband Johnny Johnston. In the next year she made her night club debut at the Sahara in Las Vegas.
In 1968 she rejoined her Kiss Me Kate (1953) singing co-star, Howard Keel for several highly successful night club appearances in Las Vegas.
In Italy, most of her films were dubbed by Renata Marini. She was occasionally dubbed by Dhia Cristiani, Lidia Simoneschi and Micaela Giustiniani.
Kathryn made her non-singing stage debut with 1982's "Night Watch".
Moved to California with her family when she was 15.
Not long after signing her MGM contract, Kathryn was asked to make her operatic debut in "Lucia" at the Metropolitan Opera House. Louis B. Mayer talked her out of it, knowing it would damage her long-term image as a film star.
On contract to MGM for 13 years
Pursued a career on the operatic stage in her teenage years. She attended school at Manual Arts High in Los Angeles. Her solos at school and church eventually attracted the attention of Art Rush at RCA Redseal Records, who quickly signed her to a contract.
Remembrance tribute provided by critic Richard Corliss for "Time" magazine's Milestones section (Issue: March 8, 2010).
The name "Kathryn Grayson" came from her middle name and her mother's maiden name.
The third child of Charles and Lillian Hedrick, Kathryn was born in North Carolina but grew up in Kirkwood, Missouri, where her family moved in 1927. The entire family sang.
Was offered the title role in the movie Mother (1996/II) but turned it down saying she couldn't possibly do the part because the woman is "brain dead". Fellow MGM alumnus Debbie Reynolds eventually played the part to wonderful reviews.
Was once engaged to Howard Hughes during the 1950s.