Renee Godfrey (born Renee Vera Haal; September 1, 1919 – May 24, 1964) was an American stage and motion picture actress and singer.

Early life

Godfrey was born September 1, 1919, in New York, with Dutch and French ancestry as the daughter of Emil Haall, a Dutch diamond merchant, and his wife.

Career

Beginning at age 11, she worked as a model, and as a sophomore in high school she switched to night classes so that she could model during the day. She posed for artist John La Gatta and photographers

Edward Steichen Edward Jean Steichen (March 27, 1879 – March 25, 1973) was a Luxembourgish American photographer, painter, and curator, renowned as one of the most prolific and influential figures in the history of photography. Steichen was credited with tr ...

, Victor Keppler, John Hutchins, and others. She appeared in advertisements that were published nationally, and she had the most-photographed hands and legs in New York. When a film executive saw her image on a billboard, that led the way to her work in motion pictures. Godfrey was featured on both radio and television programs in Britain. She initially entered films at

RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheu ...

, working as Renee Haal, and made her début in

Sam Wood Samuel Grosvenor Wood (July 10, 1883 – September 22, 1949) was an American film director and producer who is best known for having directed such Hollywood hits as '' A Night at the Opera'', '' A Day at the Races'', '' Goodbye, Mr. Chips'', '' ...

's '' Kitty Foyle'' (1940). Also in 1940, she was selected by RKO as that studio's actress most likely to succeed in a film career. Her work in ''Unexpected Uncle'' resulted in her signing a long-term contract with RKO early in 1942. She began working as Renee Godfrey in ''

Up in Arms ''Up in Arms'' is a 1944 musical film directed by Elliott Nugent and starring Danny Kaye and Dinah Shore. It was nominated for two Academy Awards in 1945. Plot Danny Weems works as an elevator operator in a New York Medical building, so he can b ...

'' (1944). During World War II, she and her husband entertained troops with amateur

magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

shows that they put on through the

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

. She continued working in small roles, such as Vivian Vedder in ''

Terror by Night ''Terror by Night'' is a 1946 Sherlock Holmes crime drama directed by Roy William Neill and starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. The story revolves around the theft of a famous diamond aboard a train. The film's plot is a mostly original st ...

'' (1946) and Mrs. Stebbins in Stanley Kramer's '' Inherit the Wind''. She worked into the 1960s, appearing in '' Can-Can'' and ''

Tender Is the Night ''Tender Is the Night'' is the fourth and final novel completed by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in French Riviera during the twilight of the Jazz Age, the 1934 novel chronicles the rise and fall of Dick Diver, a promising young p ...

''. For the most part, however, Godfrey was out of view. Her director-husband, who had flourished on 50s TV, was in ill health by the end of the decade. Taking secretarial and real estate classes to help support the family income, Godfrey tried making a comeback of sorts, finding bit roles in the films. She was also a guest player on such shows as ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'', '' Hazel'', ''

The Donna Reed Show ''The Donna Reed Show'' is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the middle-class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz co-stars as her pediatrician husband Dr. Alex Stone, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children, Mary ...

'' and ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

''.

Personal life

In 1938, she went to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

for a singing engagement and met actor/director/screenwriter Peter Godfrey, who was almost 20 years her senior. They married on August 6, 1941. With primary focus on raising her three children (which included a set of twins), she was seen only sporadically on TV during the 1950s with guest roles on programs hosted by

Loretta Young Loretta Young (born Gretchen Young; January 6, 1913 – August 12, 2000) was an American actress. Starting as a child, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1953. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the fil ...

and

Jane Wyman Jane Wyman ( ; born Sarah Jane Mayfield; January 5, 1917 – September 10, 2007)"Actress, P ...

Death

She died in Los Angeles, California, on 24 May 1964 from the effects of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. She was 44 years old. Her final performance, in the film ''

Those Calloways ''Those Calloways'' is a 1964 American family drama film, adapted from the 1950 children's novel ''Swiftwater'' by Paul Annixter. The film was produced by Walt Disney and directed by Norman Tokar. It was the last credit for veteran film composer ...

'', was released posthumously. Her body was buried at Glendale's

Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries is an American corporation that owns and operates a chain of cemeteries and mortuaries in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties in Southern California. History The company was founded by a group of ...

Filmography

Films roles

* '' Kitty Foyle'' (1940) - Shopgirl in Elevator (uncredited) * '' Let's Make Music'' (1941) - Helen, Chorus Girl (uncredited) * '' Citizen Kane'' (1941) - Nurse (uncredited) * '' Hurry, Charlie, Hurry'' (1941) - Josephine Whitley (as Renee Haal) * '' Unexpected Uncle'' (1941) - Carol West (as Renee Haal) * '' Wedded Blitz'' (1942) - (as Renee Haal) * '' Framing Father'' (1942) - Mary Adams (as Renee Haal) * '' Highways by Night'' (1942) - Ellen Cromwell * ''

'' (1944) - Goldwyn Girl (uncredited) * '' Bedside Manner'' (1945) - Stella Livingston * ''

'' (1946) - Vivian Vedder * ''

Winter Wonderland "Winter Wonderland" is a song written in 1934 by Felix Bernard and lyricist Richard Bernhard Smith. Due to its seasonal theme, it is often regarded as a Christmas song in the Northern Hemisphere. Since its original recording by Richard Himbe ...

'' (1947) - Phyllis Simpson * ''

Down Missouri Way ''Down Missouri Way'' is a 1946 American musical film directed by Josef Berne and written by Sam Neuman. The film stars Martha O'Driscoll, John Carradine, Eddie Dean, William Wright, Roscoe Karns and Renee Godfrey. The film was released on ...

'' (1946) - Gloria Baxter * '' French Leave'' (1948) - Mimi * ''

The Decision of Christopher Blake ''The Decision of Christopher Blake'' is a 1948 American drama film based upon the Moss Hart play. It was adapted by Ranald MacDougall and directed by Peter Godfrey. The film stars Alexis Smith, Robert Douglas, Cecil Kellaway, Ted Donaldson, ...

'' (1948) - Sheila, Actress in Play (uncredited) * '' Can-Can'' (1960) - Dowager (uncredited) * '' Inherit the Wind'' (1960) - Mrs. Stebbins * ''

'' (1962) - Nurse (uncredited) * ''

'' (1965) - Sarah Mellott (uncredited) (final film role)

Television roles

* ''

Duffy's Tavern ''Duffy's Tavern'' is an American radio situation comedy that ran for a decade on several networks ( CBS, 1941–42; NBC-Blue Network, 1942–44; and NBC, 1944–51), concluding with the December 28, 1951, broadcast. The program often featured ...

'' (1 episode, 1954) - Renee * '' Dr. Hudson's Secret Journal'' (1 episode, 1955) - Nurse * ''

The Star and the Story ''The Star and the Story'' is an American television anthology series which aired 1955–1956 in first-run syndication. A filmed half-hour series, episodes were approximately 25 minutes long, excluding commercials. Produced by Four Star Produc ...

'' (1 episode, 1956) - Miss Harrington * '' Buffalo Bill, Jr.'' (2 episodes, 1956) - Linda Abbott * ''

Letter to Loretta ''The Loretta Young Show'' (originally known as ''Letter to Loretta'') is an American anthology drama television series broadcast on Sunday nights from September 2, 1953, to June 4, 1961, on NBC for a total of 165 episodes. The series was hosted ...

'' (1 episode, 1956) - Andree Chartaud * ''

Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre ''Fireside Theatre'' (also known as ''Jane Wyman Presents'') is an American anthology drama series that ran on NBC from 1949 to 1958, and was the first successful filmed series on American television. Productions were low-budget and often based ...

'' (2 episodes, 1957) - Dorothy / Mrs. Dioso * ''

Zane Grey Theater ''Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre'' is an American Western anthology television series that was broadcast on CBS from October 5, 1956, until September 20, 1962. Format Many episodes were based on novels by Zane Grey, to all of which Four Star F ...

'' (2 episodes, 1960) - Alicia * ''

The Ann Sothern Show ''The Ann Sothern Show'' is an American sitcom starring Ann Sothern that aired on CBS for three seasons from October 6, 1958, to March 30, 1961. Created by Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf, the series was the second starring vehicle for Sothern, who ...

'' (1 episode, 1961) - Martha Newton * '' Frontier Circus'' (1 episode, 1962) - Stella * '' Hazel'' (1 episode, 1962) - Miss Lewis * ''

'' (1 episode, 1962) - Gloria * ''

'' (2 episodes, 1960–1962) - Lady Librarian / Miss Winslow * ''

General Electric Theater ''General Electric Theater'' was an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations. Radio After an audition show ...

'' (1 episode, 1962) - Ethel * ''

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was re ...

'' (1 episode, 1962) - Hartman's Secretary

References

External links

*
Renee Godfrey at weblo.com

Biography at New York Times online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Godfrey, Renee 1919 births 1964 deaths Deaths from cancer in California Actresses from New York (state) Singers from New York (state) American stage actresses American television actresses American film actresses 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)