Walter Clarence Thornton was an American model and modeling agent who founded the Walter Thornton Model Agency in 1930 and went on to worldwide fame with his World War II-era "Walter Thornton Pin-Up Girls." Thornton rose to success from being an unsheltered orphan and a bricklayer. Thornton was twice a judge of the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, NJ. His company represented both male and female models, as well as a separate agency for child models. Many of his models achieved Hollywood fame and success. He retired from the agency in 1958 and spent the rest of his life in Ajijic, Mexico.

Susan Hayward was an American actress best known for her film portrayals of women that were based on true stories.