Tough to find vintage inscribed black fountain pen signature on a 4x5-inch tan autograph album page, acquired in-person following a play appearance in 1943. In good condition. Fascinating leading lady Miriam Hopkins studied to be a dancer, but her first major opportunity with a touring ballet troupe was cut short following an ankle injury. Opting for an acting career, she drew upon her Georgia background to specialize in playing Southern belles, most notably in the 1933 Broadway play "Jezebel." She entered films with 1930's Fast and Loose, exhibiting a histrionic, uninhibited style critics deemed "an acquired taste."  During the early stages of her film career, Hopkins contributed at least two memorable performances: Champagne Ivy, the doomed cockney songstress in the horror classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), and the title role in Becky Sharp (1935). Relatively charming offscreen, Hopkins could be a terror on the set, driving co-stars to distraction with her lateness, lack of concentration and self-centered attitude towards camera angles; she owned the distinction of being one of the few actors ever reprimanded in full view of the production crew by the otherwise gentlemanly Edward G. Robinson. Still, she had her following, and was noteworthy in films like Trouble in Paradise (1932), Old Acquaintance (1943), The Heiress (1949), and The Children's Hour (1961).

• Tweet