Lorena Layson(1907-1985)
- Actress
She came to Los Angeles alone and signed a contract with Warner
Brothers in. In December 1934 she married Daniel J.Danker Jr., head of
the J. Walter Thompson Hollywood Office. He was a Vice-President and
later a board member of the Company. The Thompson Hollywood Office
produced many popular radio programs such as the Lux Radio Theater.
Danny Danker was known as the Mayor of Hollywood because he knew, and
was friends with, so many people in the radio and picture businesses.
The Dankers had one child, Suzanne. Danker died suddenly in July, 1944
and Lorena went to work for The Thompson Co., getting actors for the
Cecil B. DeMille, Lux Radio Theater. She met Louis B. Mayer, as part of
her job, and they married in December, 1948. Mayer adopted Suzanne.
Mayer's own daughters, Edith Goetz(Mrs William) and Irene Selznick(Mrs.
David) were about Lorena's age. Mayer, perhaps the top movie producer
of his era, ran MGM for Loews until the early fifties. Mayer died in
late 1957. Lorena married Michael Nidorf in 1961. Nidorf was a
successful show business agent and manager. Nidorf died in the late
seventies. .
