The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred H. Fortier, Stella Theophane Fortier She graduated from
Somerville High School She acted in
stock theater after high school, and moved to New York City in late 1930. In the early 1930s, she performed with this name on Broadway in the musical revues
Ballyhoo of 1930 and the
Ziegfeld Follies of 1931, and the musical
Hot-Cha! (1932). For the Broadway play
Cold in Sables (1931) she adopted the moniker of Frances Grant for her first appearance in a dramatic role, the role of Mobelia. In 1932 Stella and
Lucille Ball were both plucked out of the
Ziegfeld Follies by Hollywood scouts to come to California for screen tests. She first used this name on screen in the
Will Rogers film
Doubting Thomas (1935); As Frances Grant she had her first major film role, the part of Nugget, in the 1935
Western film
Thunder Mountain opposite
George O'Brien. In the following year she appeared as the leading lady of
Gene Autry in
Red River Valley (1936) and
Oh, Susanna! (1936). In the latter film, Grant sings a duet with Autry on the song "Water Wheel" with Autry accompanying them on guitar. That same year she had leading roles in
Born to Fight with
Frankie Darro,
The Traitor with
Tim McCoy, and
Cavalry opposite
Bob Steele. Her last leading role was in
Rich Relations (1937). She appeared in three additional films as a dancer uncredited. In the 1940s and 1950s, Grant worked as a dance director in films such as
Masquerade in Mexico (1945),
Mrs. Mike (1949), and
Fancy Pants (1950). In 1939 Stella married the American boxer James "Jimmy" F. McCarron who had been a part of the American team at the
1932 Summer Olympics. The pair knew each other from their childhood, having attended the same schools in Somerville and dating each other in high school. The couple had two daughters, Phyllis and Linda. McCarron continued to work as a dancer, actress, and nightclub performer in Boston into the 1940s. She founded the Stella Fortier McCarron School of Dance in Boston, and was a member of both the Boston Dance Guild and Dance Masters of America. She also operated dance studios in
Lexington, Massachusetts and
Concord, Massachusetts. She retired from teaching in 1970, and lived the last 25 years of her life in Lexington. Stella McCarron died in
Lexington, Massachusetts, on February 20, 1982, at the age of 68. ==Filmography==