Irene Mary Purcell (August 7, 1896 – July 9, 1972) was an American film and stage actress, who appeared mostly in comedies, and later married

Herbert Fisk Johnson Jr. Herbert Fisk Johnson Jr. (November 15, 1899 – December 13, 1978), was an American businessman and manufacturer. He was the grandson of company founder Samuel Curtis Johnson Sr., Samuel Curtis Johnson. He was the third generation of his family ...

, the wealthy grandson of the founder of S. C. Johnson & Son.

Career

She appeared opposite William Haines in

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...

film '' Just a Gigolo'' (1931), directed by Jack Conway and adapted from the 1930 play ''Dancing Partner'', by David Belasco. The same year, she played the lead role 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 (film), A Night at the Opera'', ''A Day at the Races (fi ...

's romantic comedy '' The Man in Possession'', adapted from H. M. Harwood's play of the same name. She was paired opposite

Reginald Owen John Reginald Owen (5 August 1887 – 5 November 1972) was a British actor. He was known for his many roles in British and American films and television programs. Career The son of Joseph and Frances Owen, Reginald Owen studied at Sir Herbert ...

and Robert Montgomery. Purcell starred alongside Buster Keaton and

Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, vaudevillian, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced songs ...

in the comedy ''

The Passionate Plumber ''The Passionate Plumber'' is a 1932 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Edward Sedgwick, and starring Buster Keaton, Jimmy Durante, and Irene Purcell. The screenplay by Laurence E. Johnson and Ralph Spence is based on the 1926 play ''D ...

'' (1932), directed by

Edward Sedgwick Edward Sedgwick (November 7, 1889 – March 7, 1953) was an American film director, writer, actor and producer. Early life He was born in Galveston, Texas, the son of Edward Sedgwick, Sr. and Josephine Walker, both stage actors. At the age ...

. Despite not so favorable reviews, the film was a commercial success. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' wrote that Purcell "fits the mood of the comedy nicely". A French-language version of the latter film, ', was filmed by MGM at the same time. She was a part of a June 9, 1935 '' Lux Radio Theatre'' broadcast, based on the 1930 play ''Candle-Light''. Her notable Broadway appearances were in Jean Furguson Black's comedy ''Penny Wise'' (1937), J. Frank Davis' ''The Ladder'' (1926), Elmer Harris' comedy ''The Great Necker'' (1928), Dillard Long's comedy ''A Good Woman, Poor Thing'' (1933), Lynn Starling's comedy ''The First Apple'' (1933), Frederic and Fanny Hatton's comedy ''Dancing Partner'' (1930), and Martin Flavin's ''Cross Roads'' (1929). She toured New Zealand and Australia with the play ''The Women'' in 1938-9. Purcell was a trustee of Ripon College and member of Governor's Council on the Arts (Wisconsin). She also served as an adviser to Johnson Foundation.

Personal life

On October 4, 1941, she married

, president of S. C. Johnson & Son, at his apartment in Chicago. The couple had met for the first time in 1938 in Australia. Post-marriage they lived at

Wingspread Wingspread, also known as the Herbert F. Johnson House, is a historic house in Wind Point, Wisconsin. It was built in 1938–39 to a design by Frank Lloyd Wright for Herbert Fisk Johnson Jr., then the president of S.C. Johnson, and was consid ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

. She died in

Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River. Racine is situated 22 miles (35 km) south of Milwaukee and approximately 60 ...

in 1972.

References

Bibliography

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External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Purcell, Irene 1896 births 1972 deaths Actresses from Indiana American silent film actresses American film actresses People from Whiting, Indiana 20th-century American actresses