Gale Storm, born Josephine Owaissa Cottle on April 5, 1922, in Bloomington, Texas, was an American actress and singer. She was the youngest of five children, and her father passed away when she was just 17 months old.

Her mother, Minnie, raised the family in Houston, where Gale Storm took dance and ice skating lessons and developed a strong interest in acting. Encouraged by her teachers, she entered and won a local radio talent contest called Jesse L. Lasky's "Gateway to Hollywood" in 1939, which led her to Hollywood and a contract with RKO Pictures.

Although she was dropped by the studio after six months, she continued to work in low-budget films and musicals.

Her film career included roles in movies such as "Tom Brown's School Days" (1940), "G.I. Honeymoon" (1945), "It Happened on Fifth Avenue" (1947), and "The Underworld Story" (1950). She also starred in the Western "Stampede" (1949) and the film noir "Between Midnight and Dawn" (1950). Her greatest recording success was a cover version of "I Hear You Knockin'," which hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1955.

In the 1950s, Gale Storm transitioned to television, starring in two popular TV programs, "My Little Margie" (1952-1955) and "The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna" (1956-1960). "My Little Margie" became one of the most watched sitcoms of the early 1950s, and Gale's warmth and charm made her a beloved television star.

She continued to work in summer stock and dinner theater, performing in comedies and musicals such as "Cactus Flower," "Forty Carats," "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," and "South Pacific".

Gale Storm passed away on June 27, 2009, in Danville, California, leaving behind a legacy of entertainment that spanned over four decades.