Jo Helton (born Joan Jeter; June 7, 1933 – March 26, 2021) was an American actress on stage, film, and television and a social worker.

Early years

Helton was born Joan Jeter in

Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis and 130 Miles Southwest of Nashville, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population wa ...

, on June 7, 1933, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Jeter. She graduated from Jackson High school and

Memphis State University The University of Memphis (Memphis) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 20,000 students. The university maintains the Herff Col ...

(MSU), where her studies focused on acting. While she was there, she married her high-school sweetheart. He was drafted and stationed in New Jersey, and while they lived there she studied under actress

Uta Hagen Uta Thyra Hagen (12 June 1919 – 14 January 2004) was a German-American actress and theatre practitioner. She originated the role of Martha in the 1962 Broadway premiere of '' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' by Edward Albee, who called her "a ...

. During that time she worked as a typist, secretary, and file clerk, taking "whatever was available" to meet expenses.

Career

Before she became a professional actress, Helton was a copywriter for an advertising agency in Memphis, Tennessee.

Acting

Helton performed in Memphis with Theatre 12 (later known as Front Street Theatre). In 1958, she was leading lady of the Cincinnati Summer Playhouse. While she was in New York City, she was the

stand-in A stand-in, sometimes a lighting double, for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting and camera setup. Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of film and tele ...

for

Kim Novak Marilyn Pauline "Kim" Novak (born February 13, 1933) is an American retired actress and painter. Her contributions to cinema have been honored with two Golden Globe Awards, an Honorary Golden Bear, a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, and a s ...

during filming of ''

Middle of the Night Middle of the Night may refer to: * Middle of the Night (novel), ''Middle of the Night'' (novel), a 2024 novel by Riley Sager * ''Middle of the Night'', a 1954 play by Paddy Chayefsky * Middle of the Night (film), ''Middle of the Night'' (film), a ...

'' (1959). Then she went to Hollywood and began acting on film and television. She portrayed nurse Conant on ''

Dr. Kildare Dr. James Kildare is a fictional American medical doctor, originally created in the 1930s by the author Frederick Schiller Faust under the pen name Max Brand. Shortly after the character's first appearance in a magazine story, Paramount Pictur ...

'' on TV. Other shows on which she appeared included ''

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

'', ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...

'', and ''

The Untouchables Untouchable or Untouchables may refer to: People * Untouchability, the practice of socially ostracizing a minority group of very low social status * Untouchables, word for the Dalits or Scheduled Castes of India * Untouchables (law enforcement), ...

''. She portrayed nurse Everley Hayes in the film ''Bill Wallace of China'' (1967) and appeared in the films ''

The Young Swingers ''The Young Swingers'' is a 1963 American musical comedy film directed by Maury Dexter and written by Harry Spalding. The film stars Rod Lauren, Molly Bee, Gene McDaniels, Jack Larson, Karen Gunderson and Jo Helton. The film was released in Sept ...

'' (1963), ''

The Yellow Canary ''The Yellow Canary'' is a 1963 American thriller film directed by Buzz Kulik and starring Pat Boone and Barbara Eden. It was adapted by Rod Serling from a novel by Whit Masterson, who also wrote the novel that was the basis for Orson Welles' '' ...

'' (1963), ''Ready for the People '' (1964), and '' The Slender Thread'' (1965). Helton's work on stage included acting at the Theaterama Playhouse and the Professional Theater Center in California.

Social work

Acting left Helton feeling unsatisfied. She said, "I knew there were people on the other side of the bright lights with problems and feelings and I had a growing compulsion to be with those people -- to help them." She left California, selling one house and giving up the lease on another, and applied to be a volunteer with

Volunteers in Service to America AmeriCorps VISTA is a national service program designed to alleviate poverty. President of the United States, President John F. Kennedy originated the idea for VISTA, which was founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965, and incorporated ...

. Although that application was rejected, she put her "treasured antiques" in her station wagon, gave away the rest of her things, and returned to Tennessee. After taking a class in sociology at MSU, Helton enrolled in the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

-Knoxville's vocational rehabilitation counselor training program. University officials granted her a leave of absence for one quarter to make the Wallace film. She returned to the program and graduated with a master's degree in rehab counseling. Over the course of her graduate studies she did internships as a counselor in

Oak Ridge, Tennessee Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson County, Tennessee, Anderson and Roane County, Tennessee, Roane counties in the East Tennessee, eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, Knoxville. Oak Ridge's po ...

;

Milledgeville, Georgia Milledgeville () is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County, Georgia, Baldwin County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Founded in 1803 along the Oconee River, it served as the List of current and former capital cities in the ...

; and

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

. After graduating, she became superintendent of the Vocational School for Girls in Nashville. She initiated a program there that had girls volunteering to help people with mental or physical handicaps at Outlook Nashville, and she later became executive director of Outlook Nashville.

Personal life and death

After Helton made the Wallace film, which related the life and death of a

Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestantism in the United States, Pr ...

medical missionary who was killed in China, she spoke to Baptist groups about her experiences, sometimes along with the showing of the film. Helton was divorced from her first husband after she had become known as an actress, so she kept her married name. She married Ray Wintker in 1968, and they remained wed until his death in 1997. They had two daughters. She died on March 16, 2021, in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

Selected filmography

* ''

North to Alaska ''North to Alaska'' is a 1960 American comedy Western/ Northern film directed by Henry Hathaway and John Wayne (uncredited). The picture stars Wayne along with Stewart Granger, Ernie Kovacs, Fabian, and Capucine. The script is based on th ...

'' (1960) as Dance Hall Girl (uncredited) * ''

Peter Gunn ''Peter Gunn'' is an American detective fiction, private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens (actor), Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, lounge singer Edie Hart. The series was broadcast by NBC from Sept ...

'' (1961) (Season 3 Episode 27: "Short a Motive") as Ellen Clary * ''

'' (1961) (Season 3 Episode 3: "The Shelter") as Martha Harlowe * ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'' (1962) (Season 7 Episode 14: "Bad Actor") as Secretary * ''

'' (1963) (Season 4 Episode 16: "

On Thursday We Leave for Home On, on, or ON may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * On (band), a solo project of Ken Andrews * ''On'' (EP), a 1993 EP by Aphex Twin * ''On'' (Echobelly album), 1995 * ''On'' (Gary Glitter album), 2001 * ''On'' (Imperial Teen album), 200 ...

") as Julie Baines * ''

'' (1963) (Season 8 Episode 32: "Tell Chester") as Wendy

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Helton, Jo 1933 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Tennessee American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American social workers People from Jackson, Tennessee University of Memphis alumni University of Tennessee alumni