Helen Joyce Reynolds (October 7, 1924 – September 24, 2019) was an American film actress who was under contract with

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

during the 1940s.

Early life and education

Helen Joyce Reynolds was born in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

on October 7, 1924 to Joel B. Reynolds and Mary (Dunn) Reynolds. She attended the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. A talent scout who saw her in a play there arranged for a screen test, which led to a film contract.

Career

Reynolds made her acting debut with a small part in the 1942 film ''

Yankee Doodle Dandy ''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' is a 1942 American biographical musical film about George M. Cohan, known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway". It stars James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf, and features Irene Manning, George Tobias, Ro ...

'' (she is the enthusiastic teen asking the retired George M. Cohan about his show-business background). Her roles became more substantial throughout the decade, appearing in movies such as ''

George Washington Slept Here ''George Washington Slept Here'' is a 1942 comedy film starring Jack Benny, Ann Sheridan, Charles Coburn, Percy Kilbride, and Hattie McDaniel. It was based on the 1940 play of the same name by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, adapted by Everett F ...

'' as Madge, '' The Constant Nymph'' as Paula Sanger, and '' The Adventures of Mark Twain'' as Clara Clemens. She had top billing in the musical comedy film '' Janie'' as Janie Conway, directed by

Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz ( ; born Manó Kaminer; since 1905 Mihály Kertész; hu, Kertész Mihály; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed cla ...

. In 1944, she appeared in ''

Hollywood Canteen The Hollywood Canteen operated at 1451 Cahuenga Boulevard in the Los Angeles, California, neighborhood of Hollywood between October 3, 1942, and November 22, 1945 (Thanksgiving Day), as a club offering food, dancing and entertainment for servi ...

'' as herself. In 1945, Warner announced that Reynolds was retiring to resume her education, and that her contract with the studio had been abrogated. Her final leading role on the big screen came in ''

Girls' School Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education and gender-isolated education, is the practice of conducting education with male and female students attending separate classes, perhaps in separate buildings or schools. The practice of ...

'', a 1950 melodrama for

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

. Her Hollywood career ended in 1950, with ten credits to her name.

Personal life and death

On January 11, 1945, Reynolds married Lieutenant Robert Floyd Lewis of

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, in Hollywood. They separated in early 1947. On October 24, 1947, she married Donald Michael Gallery, the adopted son of

ZaSu Pitts Zasu Pitts (; January 3, 1894 – June 7, 1963) was an American actress who starred in many silent dramas, including Erich von Stroheim's epic 1924 silent film ''Greed'', and comedies, transitioning successfully to mostly comedy films with the ...

, in Hollywood. By 1950 the couple were estranged, and the marriage ended in divorce. By 1951, Reynolds was running a nursery in

Brentwood, California Brentwood is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population is 66,854 as of 2022, an increase of 287% from 23,302 at the 2000 census. Brentwood began ...

. That same year she married Dr. Carlyle L. Ahrens. Ahrens was 31 years her senior, and they divorced in March 1953. Reynolds married fourth Melvin Shaw in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

on May 1, 1957, and then finally to Arthur George White in

Clark County, Nevada Clark County is located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,265,461. Most of the county population resides in the Las Vegas Census County Divisions, which hold 1,771,945 people as of the 2010 Census, across ...

on December 7, 1963. White died in

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malibu ...

on April 7, 1980, at the age of 60. Reynolds died in Los Angeles on September 24, 2019, at the age of 94.

Filmography

References

External links