Biography
Gertrude Purcell (14 June 1895 – 1 May 1963) was an American screenwriter, playwright and stage actress. Born in New York City, she attended Hunter College and Columbia University before writing several plays that reached Broadway in the 1920s, including Voltaire (1922).
She moved into film work in the early 1930s, initially under contract at Paramount and later as a freelancer for major studios. Her credits include the adaptation of Stella Dallas (1937), the screenplay for Destry Rides Again (1939) and the screenplay for The Invisible Woman (1940). She was married to producer Islin Auster.
In 1947 Purcell testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee about her earlier Communist Party membership. She attempted suicide shortly afterwards and largely retired from screenwriting, though she contributed a few later scripts.
