Shirley Adrienne Bell Cole, also known as Shirley Bell, was an American radio actress; best known as the voice of Little Orphan Annie in the eponymous radio show of the same name.
Background
Born Shirley Adrienne Bell in Chicago"s South Side, she grew up in various apartments as her family endured the Depression. Her mother was described as "the consummate stage mother," while her father "left the family when Shirley was a toddler." She attended Lake View High School in Chicago.
Career
Beginning when she was 10 years old, Bell was the primary voice actress of the character Little Orphan Annie from 1930 to 1940 (except for a brief time when a problem with her contract kept her out). She also was on Captain Midnight in the role of Patsy. In 1995, Bell was heard in a reenactment of Little Orphan Annie on Chuck Schaden"s Those Were the Days radio show.
He was born in Chicago, Illinois, where the couple raised three daughters (Randy, Cathy, and Lory) in the affluent Chicago suburb Glencoe.
Irwin Cole died in 1998. Commercials In the 1970s, Cole recorded voice-overs for television commercials.
Cole died in Arizona January 12, 2010. A memorial service was held in Chicago, Illinois, February 21, 2010.
Membership
Cole was first heard on radio at age 6, as a member of the World's Greatest Newspaper Players.