Dale Evans

When she sent for a copy of her birth certificate in 1954, which she needed to get a passport, it read that her birth name was Lucille Wood Smith and that her birthday was Oct 30, 1912. However, her mother swears that they made a mistake and that her name was Frances Octavia Smith, with a birthdate of October 31, 1912.

Gave birth to her 1st child at age 15, a son Thomas Frederick Fox on November 28, 1927. Child's father is her now ex-1st husband, Thomas Fox. He died from congestive heart failure at the age of 83 on May 16, 2012.

Divorced in 1936, she moved to Dallas, Texas, and again found local success as a radio singer. She married Butts and they moved to Chicago, where she began to attract increasing attention from both radio audiences and film industry executives. She signed with Fox Pictures and made a few small film appearances, then was cast as leading lady to rising cowboy star Roy Rogers. She and Rogers clicked and she became his steady on-screen companion.

American leading lady of musical westerns of the 1940s. Born Frances Octavia Smith in Uvalde, Texas. She was raised in Texas and Arkansas. Married at 14 and a mother at 15, she was divorced at 17 (some sources say widowed). Intent on a singing career, she moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and worked in an insurance company while taking occasional radio singing jobs. After another unhappy marriage, she went to Louisville, Kentucky, and became a popular singer on a local radio station. There she took the stage name Dale Evans (from her third husband, Robert Dale Butts, and actress Madge Evans).

In 1946, Rogers' wife died and Evans' marriage to Butts ended about the same time. Rogers and Evans had been close onscreen in a string of successful westerns, and now became close off-screen as well. A year later she married Rogers and the two become icons of American pop culture. Their marriage was dogged by tragedy, including the loss of three children before adulthood, but Evans was able not only to find inspiration in the midst of tragedy but to provide inspiration as well, authoring several books on her life and spiritual growth through difficulty.

Her 3rd child, adopted daughter Marion Rogers, with her now late 4th husband Roy Rogers was born in Scotland in 1948. She initially came as a foster child, as her parents were unable to care for her, and after returning to her parents a few times, she ultimately chose to remain with Roy and Dale.

Daughter Robin Elizabeth Rogers was born in August of 1950. She died two days shy of her second birthday.Son John David, nicknamed Sandy, died at the age of 18 while in the army and stationed in Germany.Daughter Debbie, originally named In Ai Lee, who was of Korean and Puerto Rican ancestry, die in a bus crash at the age of twelve.

Adopted her 5th child, a daughter Mary Little Doe "Dodie" Rogers (aka Little Doe Rogers) who was born in October 1952. Child's father is her now late 4th husband, Roy Rogers. Roy was of partially Native American heritage, so they chose Dodie in honor of this.

Adopted her 6th child, a daughter Deborah Lee "Debbie" Rogers in 1955. Child's father is her now late 4th husband, Roy Rogers. She died at the age of 9, in a bus accident returning from a church youth group trip to Mexico. Debbie was born in Korea.

Inducted (with her husband Roy Rogers) into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1976.

On September 22 1996, Dale Evans was presented the Women in Film/Dallas' Legacy Award at the 10th Annual Topaz Awards in Dallas. The award was accepted by her step-daughter, Cheryl Rogers-Barnett.

Underwent heart surgery on October 12, 1999 to replace a pacemaker battery.