Later years She subsequently appeared as Chinese casino owner of dubious repute, Mother Gin Sling, in Josef von Sternberg's film The Shanghai Gesture (1941), in which she was "unrecognizable", presumably due to the ‘yellowface’ make-up created for her character and others for the film. During production, it was publicized that Munson had planned to marry Federal Housing agent Stewart McDonald. Though the couple ultimately did not marry, they remained romantically involved through 1942. Her last film was The Red House, released in 1947. Munson's work on radio included co-starring (as Lorelei) with Edward G. Robinson on Big Town. Munson married painter Eugene Berman on January 20, 1950 in Beverly Hills. Death Plagued by ill health stemming from an unnamed surgical procedure, Munson committed suicide at the age of 51 with an overdose of barbiturates in her apartment in The Belnord on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Her body was discovered by her husband Berman on the afternoon of February 11, 1955. A note found next to her bed read: "This is the only way I know to be free again... Please don't follow me." An autopsy determined that Munson had ingested the barbiturates between 4:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. on February 11. She was interred at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. Munson posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located on the north side of the 6200 block of Hollywood Boulevard. Posthumous speculations Billy Harbin and Kim Marra have termed Munson's marriages as "lavender marriages" intended to conceal her bisexuality and affairs with women. Munson has been listed as a member of a group termed the "sewing circle", a clique of lesbians organized by actress Alla Nazimova, who was one of Munson's lovers. Filmography Stage credits Notes and references Notes References Sources External links Photos of Ona Munson from Shanghai Gesture, 1941 by Ned Scott Ona Munson papers, 1906–1949, held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts 1903 births 1955 suicides 20th-century American actresses 20th-century LGBT people Actresses from Portland, Oregon American film actresses American musical theatre actresses American people of French-Canadian descent American radio actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Catlin Gabel School alumni Drug-related deaths in New York City Drug-related suicides in New York City Female suicides American LGBT actors LGBT people from Oregon Vaudeville performers