Helene Whitney (born Kenyon Fortescue, July 4, 1914 – March 28, 1990) was an American actress who appeared in films in the late 1930s and 1940s. She was known as Helene Reynolds after her marriage.
Helene Whitney | |
|---|---|
 Whitney (as Fortescue Reynolds) in Los Angeles, 1930s | |
| Born | Kenyon Fortescue July 4, 1914 |
| Died | March 28, 1990 (aged 75) Atlantis, Florida, U.S. |
| Other names | Helen Fortescue Joyce Gardner Helene Reynolds |
| Years active | 1939–1948 |
| Spouse | J. Louis Reynolds (1936–1939; divorced) |
| Parent(s) | Granville Roland Fortescue Grace Fortescue |
Biography
editWhitney was born Kenyon Fortescue in 1914, but was known as Helene.[1][2] Through her mother, Grace Fortescue, she was a grandniece (and cousin twice removed) of Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the telephone. Through her father Granville Roland Fortescue, she was a first cousin once removed of US President Theodore Roosevelt.
She grew up in Washington D.C. where she attended the National Cathedral School for Girls.[3] She married Julian Louis Reynolds,[2] son of Richard S. Reynolds, Sr.[4] and heir to the Reynolds aluminum and tobacco fortunes, on July 15, 1936, in Washington, becoming Helene Fortescue Reynolds.[5] After three years of marriage, they divorced in May 1939.[5][6][7]
She became an actress, using the stage names of Joyce Gardner, Helene Whitney and Helene Reynolds, appeared in films in the late 1930s and 1940s and later in stage productions.[3] After her acting career ended, she became a Manhattan art gallery proprietor and artist in the 1960s.[1] She died of pneumonia at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Atlantis, Florida aged 75 on March 28, 1990.[3]
Filmography
editAs Helene Whitney/Helen Whitney
| Year | Title | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | The Hunchback of Notre Dame | Fleur de Lys | NYT |
| 1940 | The Saint's Double Trouble | Anne Bitts | IMDb |
| 1940 | Millionaire Playboy aka Glamour Boy (UK) | uncredited | IMDb |
| 1940 | The Philadelphia Story | Main Line Society Woman | IMDb |
| 1941 | City of Missing Girls | Katherine Crawford | IMDb |
As Helene Reynolds
| Year | Title | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Confirm or Deny | Dorothy | IMDb |
| 1941 | Blue, White and Perfect | Helen Shaw | NYT |
| 1942 | Girl Trouble | Helen Martin | IMDb |
| 1942 | Roxie Hart | Velma Wall | IMDb |
| 1942 | Tales of Manhattan | Actress | IMDb |
| 1942 | Moontide | Woman in boat | IMDb |
| 1942 | The Man Who Wouldn't Die | Anna Wolff | NYT |
| 1943 | Dixie Dugan | Jean Patterson | IMDb |
| 1943 | Heaven Can Wait | Peggy Nash | IMdb |
| 1943 | Wintertime | Marian Daly (uncredited) | NYT |
| 1943 | The Meanest Man in the World | Wife (Park Ave. Neighbor) | IMDb |
| 1944 | Bermuda Mystery | Angela | IMDb |
Television
editAs Helene Reynolds
| Year | Title | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | The Front Page | Mollie Malloy | IMDb |
| 1948 | Mirage in Manhattan (Chevrolet Tele-Theatre) | IMDb |
Stage
edit- Oh, Captain! (February 4, 1958 – July 19, 1958)
- Happy Hunting (December 6, 1956 – November 30, 1957)
- Call Me Madam (October 12, 1950 – May 3, 1952)
- Miss Liberty (July 15, 1949 – April 8, 1950)
- High Button Shoes (October 9, 1947 – July 2, 1949)
- Yours Is My Heart (September 5, 1946 – October 5, 1946)
Family tree
edit
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References
edit- ^ a b Spinzia, Raymond E. "Those Other Roosevelts: The Fortescues". THE FREEHOLDER: Magazine Online. The Oyster Bay Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2008-12-07. Retrieved 2009-01-03.
- ^ a b Ancestry.co Historical Person Overview: Kenyon "Helene" Fortescue, accessed May 2017.
- ^ a b c "Obituary: Helene Fortescue Reynolds". The Washington Post. Mar 31, 1990. p. B5. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
- ^ "Milestones". Time. July 27, 1936. Archived from the original on December 15, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
- ^ a b "Helene Reyonlds To Seek Friendly Divorce in Reno". The Washington Post. Mar 26, 1939. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved 2009-01-03.
- ^ Fine, Mary Jane (January 23, 1984). "Reliving a scandalous past". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2009-01-03. "The papers crowed about the wedding, when Helen Fortescue and Julian Reynolds married on July 15, 1936, in Washington, DC, where Helene had grown up. They gloated over the divorce a few years later in story after sparing nary a detail.... The divorce was granted in May of 1939."
- ^ "Former Helen Fortesque at Reno to divorce Reynolds". The New York Times. March 28, 1939. p. 2. Retrieved 2009-01-03. "Mrs. Helen E. Fortesque Reynolds arrived here today by plane from New York, prepared to take up residence to divorce Julian Louis Reynolds, tobacco heir."
