Jean Fenwick (born Sigfreda Harriet Krauth; May 30, 1907 — December 5, 1998) was an American actress born in Trinidad.

Early life

Fenwick was born in Trinidad in 1907, the older sister of Violet Ethelred Krauth (who became actress

Marian Marsh Marian Marsh (born Violet Ethelred Krauth; October 17, 1913 – November 9, 2006) was a Trinidad-born American film actress and later an environmentalist. Early life Violet Ethelred Krauth was born on October 17, 1913, in Trinidad, British W ...

) and Anthony Edward Krauth (who also acted, under the name "Tony Marsh"). Their parents, Leo Krauth and Harriet Morgan Krauth, ran a chocolate factory. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

the Krauths moved to Boston, Massachusetts. In 1925, Harriet was one of the first 18 students chosen to open the Paramount Pictures School in New York City, along with

Thelma Todd Thelma Alice Todd (July 29, 1906 – December 16, 1935) was an American actress and businesswoman who carried the nicknames "The Ice Cream Blonde" and "Hot Toddy". Appearing in about 120 feature films and shorts between 1926 and 1935, she ...

. The family moved again, to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...

, when Harriet was a teenager starting in films.

Career

In 1926, Fenwick was signed as a contract player at

FBO Studios Film Booking Offices of America (FBO), registered as FBO Pictures Corp., was an American film studio of the silent era, a midsize producer and distributor of mostly low-budget films. The business began in 1918 as Robertson-Cole, an Anglo-Americ ...

, where she first used the screen name Jean Morgan before settling on Jean Fenwick. Films in which Fenwick appeared included ''

Cross Country Cruise ''Cross Country Cruise'' is a 1934 American Pre-Code romance film directed by Edward Buzzell and written by Elmer Blaney Harris. The film stars Lew Ayres, June Knight, Alice White, Alan Dinehart, Minna Gombell, and Eugene Pallette. The film w ...

'' (1933, with

Lew Ayres Lewis Frederick Ayres III (December 28, 1908 – December 30, 1996) was an American actor whose film and television career spanned 65 years. He is best known for starring as German soldier Paul Bäumer in the film '' All Quiet on the Western Fr ...

), '' Mary of Scotland'' (1936, directed by

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

and starring

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

),Bill Levy
''John Ford: A Bio-Bibliography''
(Greenwood Publishing 1998): 129. ''

Conquest Conquest is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms. Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent, t ...

'' (1937, with

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragic c ...

), ''

Arrest Bulldog Drummond ''Arrest Bulldog Drummond'' is a 1938 American crime thriller film directed by James P. Hogan. Plot Bulldog (John Howard) and Algy ( Reginald Denny), in the midst of preparations for the former's wedding in London, are summoned to more import ...

'' (1939), ''

Divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

'' (1945), and '' Street Corner'' (1948). Later in her career, she appeared in television productions, including episodes of ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'' (1957), and '' One Step Beyond'' (1960)

Personal life

Fenwick died in

Woodland Hills, California Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Geography Woodland Hills is in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, which is located east of C ...

in 1998, aged 91 years.

References

External links

*
Jean Fenwick's listing on BFI
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fenwick, Jean 1907 births 1998 deaths American film actresses American silent film actresses Trinidad and Tobago emigrants to the United States 20th-century American women 20th-century American people