Irene Marie Dunne was born in Louisville, Kentucky to Joseph and Adelaide Dunne on December 20, 1898. Adelaide Dunne was a musician and would encourage her daughter to go into the arts and Irene debuted on the stage in A Midsummer Nights Dream at the ripe old age of five.

When Irene was twelve, her father died and she moved to Madison, Indiana with her mother and it was there she studied voice and took piano lessons. After high school, Irene studied with the conservatory of music and soon after won a scholarship through a contest to the Chicago Music College. It was during this time she was there she appeared in many plays. Irene was also to meet Francis Dennis Griffen and married him in 1928 and would remain married to him until her death.

Hollywood beckoned Dunne in 1930. Irene would star in 42 films during her career, most of them comedies and dramas, but in the beginning she starred in several musicals. Her films were so popular with audiences, that they were blacklisted because the producers of the remakes were afraid of competition from Dunne's old films. Irene was incredibly witty and her best films (in my opinion) are her comedies, especially when she was cast opposite stars of equal wit like Cary Grant.
 
Irene retired from Hollywood in 1952 to start a political career. Dunne was appointed an alternate delegate to the United Nations by Eisenhower and later she would serve on the board of directors with fellow actor and musical star George Murphy. Irene Dunne was well awarded, although maybe not as highly recognized as she should have been during her career. Dunne had five academy award nominations and was inducted into the Kennedy Center Honors in 1985.

From slapstick to drama, few could compete on the level of Irene Dunne. She will always remembered by fans--and rediscovered through classic imprints on screen with Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy and so many other co-stars matching wit for wit, laugh for laugh, and tear for tear.