User:Teblick/Ariel Heath

Ariel Heath (born ____) is an American former actress. Contemporary newspaper accounts described her as a "replica of the late Jean Harlow".

Early years
Born in Lexington, Kentucky, of Irish-English parentage, Heath attended schools in Ireland, Switzerland, and Paris. Her education focused on dramatics, painting, and sculpting. A 1942 newspaper article reported that her father was unaware of her work in films "and would hit the ceiling if he knew." Her grandmother, with whom Heath lived in Hollywood, was reportedly the only family member aware of her status at that time.

Career
Heath began acting at age 11, when she took on children's roles in plays produced in Lexington, Kentucky, by a repertory company headed by Stuart Walker. Encouraged by Walker, when she was 21, she moved to Hollywood and enrolled in a school of drama. Walker died unexpectedly soon after Heath's move to California, but her career received a boost from another professional, actress Elisabeth Risdon,

After a screen test, Heath received a long-term contract with RKO Pictures. Her first film was Here We Go Again (1942), in which she played a Girl Scout. That was followed by a role in Seven Days' Leave (1942). While working on the film Mr. Lucky (1943), Heath, along with actresses Mary Stuart and Rita Corday, knitted sweaters for soldiers during breaks in the production. By the end of August 1943, Heath had knitted 40 sweaters.

Heath also appeared in The Black Hills Express (1943).