Her stage name was derived from the names of stage legend Lynn Fontanne and author J.M. Barrie (without the "ie").
Lynn had two children by former husband Sidney Luft, who later married and divorced Judy Garland. Her first, a daughter, was born in August of 1945 but died shortly after. Lynn never quite got over the loss. Her second child, John Michael, was born in 1948.
Profiled in "Hollywood Players: The Thirties" by James Robert Parish and William T. Leonard, 1976.
Profiled in "Killer Tomatoes: Fifteen Tough Film Dames" bu Ray Hagen and Laura Wagner (McFarland, 2004).
Second only to Betty Grable in WWII pin-up popularity according to a GI's poll taken at the time.
She was tested for the prime female role in Blood and Sand (1941) opposite Tyrone Power but lost the part because her dancing skills were below par. Rita Hayworth won the role and Lynn was cast as Tyrone's sister instead.
Son with Sidney Luft, John Michael Luft (b. 18 September 1948)
While on the set of Shock (1946) one day, she was talking with co-star Anabel Shaw and mentioned that she was a direct descendant, on her mother's side, of Revolutionary War hero Alexander Hamilton. Shaw revealed that she was a direct descendant of Aaron Burr--the man who killed Hamilton in the famous duel.