Born Edna Mae Durbin in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and raised in California from infancy, she demonstrated a talent for singing at an early age and at 14 was recommended to MGM by a talent agent. The studio put her in a musical short, EVERY SUNDAY (1936), together with another promising youngster, Judy Garland, and when it came to choosing between the two, they picked Garland and dropped Durbin. She was signed instead by Universal and within months proved to be a wise investment, saving the studio from bankruptcy with the hefty box-office receipts of her first feature film, THREE SMART GIRLS (1936). Shortly before that, she had captured nationwide attention singing on the Eddie Cantor radio show, and the success of the film made her an instant star. Appearing in a succession of tailor-made vehicles that exploited her wholesome sweetness and bubbling personality as well as her excellent singing voice, she quickly became an internationally popular star, one of the top box-office attractions of the late 30s and early 40s. Feature film credits include ONE HUNDRED MEN AND A GIRL (1937), MAD ABOUT MUSIC and THAT CERTAIN AGE (both 1938), THREE SMART GIRLS GROW UP and FIRST LOVE (both 1939), IT'S A DATE and SPRING PARADE (both 1940), NICE GIRL? and IT STARTED WITH EVE (both 1941), THE AMAZING MRS. HOLLIDAY, HERS TO HOLD and HIS BUTLER'S SISTER (all 1943), CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY and CAN'T HELP SINGING (both 1944), LADY ON A TRAIN (1945), BECAUSE OF HIM (1946), SOMETHING IN THE WIND and I'LL BE YOURS (both 1947) and UP IN CENTRAL PARK and FOR THE LOVE OF MARY (both 1948). In 1938 she shared a Special Academy Award with Mickey Rooney in 1938 "for bringing to the screen the spirit and personification of youth." Durbin matured on the screen from a peppy adolescent into a starry-eyed romantic beauty and was Hollywood's highest-paid woman star when she suddenly retired from films in 1948. She lived in wealthy retirement in France with her third husband, director Charles David, until his death in 1999.  Special Award 1938: (w. Mickey Rooney) "For their significant contribution in bringing to the screen the spirit and personification of youth, and as juvenile players setting a high standard of ability and achievement." Winners presented Miniature Statuettes 1 Special Award