Helen Vinson (born Helen Rulfs, September 17, 1907 – October 7, 1999) was an American film actress who appeared in 40 films between 1932 and 1945.

Early life

Vinson was born in

Beaumont, Texas Beaumont is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, located in Southeast Texas on the Neches River about east of Houston (city ...

, the daughter of oil man Edward Rulfs. She developed a passion for horses during her youth. She studied at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

Theater

In Austin, she met March Culmore, director of the Little Theater in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. Culmore took her as a pupil and she was soon playing lead roles with the theater. From Texas, she moved quickly to

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

, where her credits included ''Los Angeles'' (1927), ''Death Takes a Holiday'' (1931), ''Berlin'' (1931), and ''The Fatal Alibi'' (1932). A succession of performances followed and led to a contract with

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

Later, she regretted her quick leap to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

and motion pictures, saying, "If I'd stayed in New York longer, I'd be getting a much bigger salary out here now."

Film career

Vinson's

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

screen roles often featured her as the 'other' woman with an active romantic life. Her first film role was ''

Jewel Robbery ''Jewel Robbery'' is a 1932 American pre-Code romantic comedy heist film, directed by William Dieterle and starring William Powell and Kay Francis. It is based on the 1931 Hungarian play ''Ékszerrablás a Váci-utcában'' by Ladislas Fodor and ...

'' (1932), which starred

William Powell William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor, known primarily for his film career. Under contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the ''The Thin Man (film), Thin M ...

and

Kay Francis Kay Francis (born Katharine Edwina Gibbs; January 13, 1905 – August 26, 1968) was an American stage and film actress. After a brief period on Broadway in the late 1920s, she moved to film and achieved her greatest success between 1930 an ...

. She appeared as Doris Delafield in ''

The Kennel Murder Case ''The Kennel Murder Case'' is a 1933 murder mystery novel written by S. S. Van Dine with fictional detective Philo Vance investigating a complex locked-room mystery. Plot summary One of the Coe brothers is found dead in his bedroom, lock ...

'', starring Powell as

Philo Vance Philo Vance is a fictional amateur detective originally featured in 12 crime novels by S. S. Van Dine in the 1920s and '30s. During that time, Vance was immensely popular in books, films, and radio. He was portrayed as a stylish—even foppish� ...

. One of her memorable roles was in ''

The Wedding Night ''The Wedding Night'' is a 1935 American romantic tragedy film directed by King Vidor and starring Gary Cooper and Anna Sten. Written by Edith Fitzgerald and based on a story by Edwin H. Knopf, the film is about a financially strapped novelis ...

'' (1935), when she played the wife of

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, silent screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...

's character and the rival of

Anna Sten Anna Sten (December 3, 1908November 12, 1993, born Anna Petrivna Fesak) was a Ukrainian-born American actress. She began her career in stage plays and films in the Soviet Union, then traveled to Germany, where she starred in several films. Her p ...

, in a story about the

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

tobacco fields. In the

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

film ''

In Name Only ''In Name Only'' is a 1939 romantic film starring Cary Grant, Carole Lombard, and Kay Francis, directed by John Cromwell. It was based on the 1935 novel ''Memory of Love'' by Bessie Breuer. The fictional town where it is set, Bridgefield, Co ...

'' (1939), she was cast as the treacherous friend of

Carole Lombard Carole Lombard (born Jane Alice Peters; October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress, particularly noted for her energetic, often off-beat roles in screwball comedies. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Lombard ...

and

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...

's characters. She played an undercover federal agent posing as a

femme fatale A ( , ; ), sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and Seduction, seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype ...

opposite

Richard Cromwell Richard Cromwell (4 October 162612 July 1712) was an English statesman who served as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1658 to 1659. He was the son of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. Following his father ...

in the anti-

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

drama ''

Enemy Agent ''Enemy Agent'' is a 1940 American spy thriller film directed by Lew Landers and starring Richard Cromwell, Helen Vinson, and Robert Armstrong.McLaughlin p.325 The supporting cast includes Jack La Rue, Jack Carson, Philip Dorn and Milburn Ston ...

'' (1940). She followed that role with that of Helen Draque in ''

The Thin Man Goes Home ''The Thin Man Goes Home'' is a 1944 American comedy mystery film directed by Richard Thorpe. It is the fifth of the six '' Thin Man'' films starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Dashiell Hammett's dapper ex-private detective Nick Charles a ...

''. Vinson's film career ended in 1945. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, she has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

at 1560

Vine Street Vine Street is a street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, that runs north–south between Franklin Avenue, Los Angeles, and Melrose Avenue. The intersection of Hollywood and Vine being symbolic of Hollywood itself. The intersection has be ...

Private life and death

Vinson married Harry Nelson Vickerman, a carpet manufacturer, in Houston, Texas, in May 1925. They divorced on February 7, 1934. In 1935, she married

Fred Perry Frederick John Perry (18 May 1909 – 2 February 1995) was a British tennis and table tennis player and former World number 1 male tennis player rankings, world No. 1 from England who won 10 Majors, including eight Grand Slam (tennis), ...

, a British tennis champion. They lived in England before moving to Hollywood. They divorced in 1938, after which she married Donald Hardenbrook, a "wealthy New York socialite". Away from film-making and following her retirement, Vinson made frequent trips to New York City to see Broadway shows, visited friends in her home state of Texas, and enjoyed the

Mardi Gras Mardi Gras (, ; also known as Shrove Tuesday) is the final day of Carnival (also known as Shrovetide or Fastelavn); it thus falls on the day before the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. is French for "Fat Tuesday", referring to it being ...

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. She loved horses and had a private mount named ''Arrabella''. Helen Vinson died in

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, Orange and Durham County, North Carolina, Durham counties, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 United States census, making Chapel Hill the List of municipa ...

in 1999, aged 92.

Filmography

* ''

'' (1932) – Marianne * '' Two Against the World'' (1932) – Corinne Walton * '' The Crash'' (1932) – Esther Parrish (uncredited) * ''

They Call It Sin ''They Call It Sin'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Thornton Freeland and starring Loretta Young as a farmer's daughter who follows a traveling salesman to New York City, only to discover he already is engaged. Plot Small-to ...

'' (1932) – Enid Hollister * ''

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang ''I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang'' is a 1932 American pre-Code crime tragedy film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Paul Muni as a convicted man on a chain gang who escapes to Chicago. It was released on November 10, 1932. The film r ...

'' (1932) – Helen * ''

Lawyer Man ''Lawyer Man'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by William Dieterle, based on the novel by Max Trell. The film stars William Powell and Joan Blondell. It was produced by Warner Bros. By the time of the release, several actors we ...

'' (1932) – Barbara Bentley * ''

Second Hand Wife ''Second Hand Wife'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film written and directed by Hamilton MacFadden. The film stars Sally Eilers, Helen Vinson, Ralph Bellamy, and Victor Jory. The film was released on January 8, 1933 by Fox Film Corporation ...

'' (1933) – Betty Cavendish * ''

Grand Slam Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games Athletics * Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league Auto racing * ...

'' (1933) – Lola Starr * '' The Little Giant'' (1933) – Polly Cass * ''

Midnight Club ''Midnight Club'' is a series of arcade-style racing video games developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games. ''Midnight Club'' is similar to the '' Midtown Madness'' series (previously developed by Angel Studios), with a f ...

'' (1933) – Iris Whitney * ''

The Power and the Glory ''The Power and the Glory'' is a 1940 novel by British author Graham Greene. The title is an allusion to the doxology often recited at the end of the Lord's Prayer: "For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever, amen." ...

'' (1933) – Eve Borden * ''

'' (1933) – Doris Delafield * ''

As Husbands Go ''As Husbands Go'' is a 1934 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Hamilton MacFadden and written by S. N. Behrman and Sonya Levien. It is based on the 1931 play ''As Husbands Go'' by Rachel Crothers. The film stars Warner Baxter, Helen ...

'' (1934) – Lucille Lingard * ''

The Life of Vergie Winters ''The Life of Vergie Winters'' is a 1934 American Pre-Code film, starring Ann Harding and John Boles. Plot From her Parkville jail cell, Vergie Winters watches the funeral procession of Senator John Shadwell and remembers her twenty-year pas ...

'' (1934) – Laura Shadwell * ''

Let's Try Again ''Let's Try Again'' is a 1934 American melodrama film starring Clive Brook. It was known in Britain as ''Marriage Symphony''. It earned $183,000 at the box office at a time when a film of its budget was expected to earn $250,000.Richard Jewell a ...

'' (1934) – Ann (Credits) / Nan Blake * '' Gift of Gab'' (1934) – Nurse * ''

The Captain Hates the Sea ''The Captain Hates the Sea'' is a 1934 comedy film directed by Lewis Milestone and released by Columbia Pictures. The film, which involves a '' Grand Hotel''-style series of intertwining stories involving the passengers on a cruise ship, was th ...

'' (1934) – Janet Grayson * ''

Broadway Bill ''Broadway Bill'' is a 1934 American comedy-drama film directed by Frank Capra and starring Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy. Screenplay by Robert Riskin and based on the short story "Strictly Confidential" by Mark Hellinger, the film is about a ...

'' (1934) – Margaret * '' A Notorious Gentleman'' (1935) – Nina Thorne * ''

'' (1935) – Dora Barrett * ''

Private Worlds ''Private Worlds'' is a 1935 American drama film which tells the story of the staff and patients at a mental hospital and the chief of the hospital, who has problems dealing with a female psychiatrist. The film stars Claudette Colbert, Charles ...

'' (1935) – Claire Monet * ''

Age of Indiscretion Age or AGE may refer to: Time and its effects * Age, the amount of time someone has been alive or something has existed ** East Asian age reckoning, an Asian system of marking age starting at 1 * Ageing or aging, the process of becoming older ** ...

'' (1935) – Eve Lenhart * '' The Tunnel'' (1935) – Varlia Lloyd * ''

King of the Damned ''King of the Damned'' is a 1935 British prison film directed by Walter Forde and starring Conrad Veidt, Helen Vinson, Noah Beery and Cecil Ramage. Plot summary Convict 83 is a prisoner on an island, where the harsh regime of the Governor push ...

'' (1935) – Anna Courvin * '' Love in Exile'' (1936) – Countess Xandra St. Aurion * '' Reunion'' (1936) – Gloria Sheridan * ''

Vogues of 1938 The Vogues are an American pop/rock and roll group from Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The original lineup consisted of Bill Burkette (lead baritone), Don Miller (baritone), Hugh Geyer (first tenor), and Chuck Blasko (sec ...

'' (1937) – Mary Curson * ''

Live, Love and Learn ''Live, Love and Learn'' is a 1937 American romantic comedy film starring Robert Montgomery, Rosalind Russell, and Robert Benchley. The movie was directed by George Fitzmaurice. Plot A wealthy woman marries a poor bohemian artist. When he be ...

'' (1937) – Lily Chalmers * ''

'' (1939) – Suzanne * ''

Married and in Love ''Married and in Love'' is a 1940 American film directed by John Farrow. Plot A doctor, Leslie Yates, and a writer, Doris Wilding, once romantically involved, run into each other after a long time apart. Both are now married to other people. Lesl ...

'' (1940) – Doris Wilding * ''

Curtain Call A curtain call (often known as a walkdown or a final Bowing, bow) occurs at the end of a performance when one or more performers return to the stage to be recognized by the audience for the performance. In musical theatre, the performers typi ...

'' (1940) – Charlotte Morley * ''

'' (1940) – Irene Hunter * '' Beyond Tomorrow'' (1940) – Arlene Terry * ''

Torrid Zone The torrid zone was the name given by ancient Greek and Roman geographers to the equatorial area of the Earth, so hot that it was thought to be impenetrable. That notion became a deterrent for European explorers until the 15th century. Origin A ...

'' (1940) – Gloria Anderson * '' Bowery Boy'' (1940) – Peggy Winters * '' Nothing But the Truth'' (1941) – Linda Graham * ''

Chip Off the Old Block ''Chip Off the Old Block'' is 1944 American comedy musical film starring Donald O'Connor, Peggy Ryan, and Ann Blyth. It was Blyth's film debut. Plot The son of a strict Navy man, O'Connor falls in love with a girl from a performing family. In ...

'' (1944) – Glory Marlow Jr. * ''

The Lady and the Monster ''The Lady and the Monster'' is a 1944 American science fiction horror film directed by George Sherman, and starring Vera Ralston, Richard Arlen, and Erich von Stroheim. The film is about the attempts to keep alive the brain of a multimillionai ...

'' (1944) – Chloe Donovan * ''

Are These Our Parents? ''Are These Our Parents?'' is a 1944 American romantic drama film directed by William Nigh. It stars Helen Vinson, Lyle Talbot, Ivan Lebedeff. Plot A mother's preference for partying, boozing, and running around with an assortment of sleazy ch ...

'' (1944) – Myra Salisbury * ''

'' (1945) – Helena Draque (final film role)

References

* *

External links

* *
Helen Vinson
and Fred Perry New York Public Library Digital Gallery image (1935) *
Helen Vinson
at Virtual History {{DEFAULTSORT:Vinson, Helen 1907 births 1999 deaths Actresses from Texas American film actresses American stage actresses People from Beaumont, Texas University of Texas at Austin alumni 20th-century American actresses