Hedda Hopper was an American stage and screen actor, best known for her gossip column, ‘Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood,’ in the ‘Los Angeles Times.’ Born Elda Furry, in Pennsylvania, she ran away from home to work in the entertainment industry. After marrying matinee idol DeWolf Hopper, she took on his last name. After working as a chorus girl and then in lead and secondary roles in theater, she began appearing in silent movies and completed over 120 films during her career. During the 1930s, when film roles became scarce, she got an offer for writing a gossip column. She used her contacts in Hollywood to write gossip about celebrities, thus building up the popularity of her column and achieving a readership of millions. This was followed by a radio show and then a TV show, ‘The Hedda Hopper Show.’ Soon, she gained so much power that she could make or mar a Hollywood career. She was an ardent supporter of conservatism and “American values” and was totally against those who supported communism. She and her husband divorced later. They had a son. Hopper worked till she died due to double pneumonia at 80.
