Sister of Polly Ann Young and Sally Blane, half-sister of Georgiana Young, sister-in-law of Norman Foster, half-sister-in-law of Ricardo Montalban, mother of Judy Lewis.
Sister of John R. Young. All the Young children were child extras in silent films.
Turned down the part of Ellie Andrews in It Happened One Night (1934). Claudette Colbert was then given the role and won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance.
Was voted America's Sweetheart of the 1930s.
Young had a low tolerance for foul language, so much in fact that whenever she went to set she brought with her a "swear box". Her swear box was used to hold money from cast and crew members who swore within her presence who in return would put money in the box. Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Mitchum put large sums of money in the swear box telling Young that the amount deposited would cover them for the day.
Young was a pro-business Republican. She appeared in print and radio ads in support for such presidents as Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan. She even donated money to the Republican National Committee and like close friend Irene Dunne she was active in an array of conservative Republican causes.