Helen Raymond (September 3, 1878 – November 26, 1965) was an American stage

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

who did comedy roles on

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 ...

, and also appeared in

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 ...

motion pictures and in vaudeville.

Early years

Raymond was born September 3, 1878, in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and graduated from the

Philadelphia Conservatory of Music Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

with an emphasis in piano.

Career

Raymond performed in vaudeville in addition to her other work on stage. One of her early theatrical roles was Mrs. Eichorn in ''Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch'' in a New York production and in a touring troupe in Australia and in the United States. Her

debut came in 1915 in '' Very Good Eddie''. Raymond's success in the Broadway production of ''Twin Beds'' resulted in her going to London to perform in that show for three seasons. Presenting the play in England required a change of title, however. to ''Be Careful, Baby'', which Raymond said "had no connection with the plot at all". In 1931, Raymond starred in ''Stepping Sisters'' in Philadelphia. The play, in which Raymond portrayed a burlesque queen, ran for seven months in Chicago and for 10 months in New York. In June 1941, Raymond called that role her "greatest personal success" up to that time. Raymond portrayed Mrs. Wadsworth T. Harcourt in a 64-week run of ''Anything Goes'' (1934) and ''One Touch of Venus'' (1943). Her final appearance in a Broadway production was as Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn in ''The Music Man'', from 1957-1960. She performed for at least eight seasons with the

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, Municipal Opera, and she acted with the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera at the Jones Beach Marine Theater. In the summer of 1942, Helen created the role of the

Wicked Witch of the West The Wicked Witch of the West, a fictional character in the classic children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900) by the American author L. Frank Baum, is the evil ruler of the Winkie Country, the western region in the Land of Oz. ...

, at The Municipal Opera Association of St. Louis, in the first stage production of ''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...

'' to use the songs from the 1939 MGM film. Working for Realart Pictures Inc., Raymond made her first motion picture in 1920, the feature, '' Dangerous to Men''. She next starred as

Mary Pickford Gladys Louise Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American film actress and producer. A Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood, pioneer in the American film industry with a Hollywood care ...

's maid in '' Through the Back Door'' (1921). Raymond acted in at least seven films all together, the final one being ''The Huntress'' (1923). She appeared in an episode of the TV series ''Producers Showcase'' in 1955, entitled ''The Women''.

Personal life

On November 19, 1914, Raymond married Ira John Perry, a "wealthy St. Louisan", in Baltimore, Maryland. The couple lived in St. Louis until she left in January 1915 to resume her career. She went to New York and starred in ''Twin Beds''. He sued for divorce on July 5, 1916, on grounds of desertion. He specified in the complaint, "She told me that she regretted the marriage and that she preferred a stage life to that of the home."

Death

On November 26, 1965, Raymond died at the Lynwood Nursing Home in New York City, aged 87. She had previously lived at 610 Cathedral Parkway.

References

*''

The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...

'', ''Actress Here With Foreign Laurels'', March 28, 1920, page III 1.

External links

* *
Still from ''Twin Beds'' (1920) with Raymond
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raymond, Helen 1878 births 1965 deaths 20th-century American actresses American film actresses American stage actresses Actresses from New York City Actresses from Philadelphia Broadway theatre people American vaudeville performers