Judy Tyler (born Judith Mae Hess; October 9, 1932 – July 3, 1957) was an American singer and actress.Obituary '' Variety'', July 10, 1957, page 127.

Early life and career

Elvis Presley and Judy Tyler in Jailhouse Rock trailer

Judy Tyler spent her teen years in

Teaneck, New Jersey Teaneck () is a Township (New Jersey), township in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. The town is know for their pancake throwing contest held ...

. She came from a show business family and was encouraged to study dance and acting. Tyler's acting career began as a teenager, with regular appearances on '' Howdy Doody'' as Princess Summerfall Winterspring from 1950 to 1953. Like her mother, Tyler became a chorus girl, and then landed a starring role in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical '' Pipe Dream''. ''

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

'' did a story on rising Broadway talent with Tyler on its cover as one of the up-and-coming stars. Tyler lived with her parents in Teaneck while appearing on ''Howdy Doody'' and Broadway. Offered an opportunity in Hollywood, Tyler appeared in the film '' Bop Girl Goes Calypso'' (1957), then starred opposite

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

in '' Jailhouse Rock'' (1957). On December 28, 1957, nearly six months after she died, Tyler was a cast member in a televised '' Perry Mason'' episode, "The Case of the Fan Dancer's Horse," the last screen role she filmed. elevision Schedule, Saturday December 28 Oklahoma City Advertiser, 27 December 1957, 12.

Death

A few days after her ''Jailhouse Rock'' filming ended, Tyler and her second husband, Gregory Lafayette (born Earl Gregory Nisonger Jr.), began driving home to New York from Hollywood. While driving through

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

on July 3, 1957, they were involved in an automobile accident on U.S. Route 287 near Rock River. Tyler was killed instantly, aged 24, and Lafayette died the next day, aged 19. ''The Casper Morning Star'' reported the passenger killed in the oncoming car, driven by Paul Reed, was Don D. Jones, 23, of Hanna, Wyoming. Police said Lafayette's car swerved to avoid hitting a slow-moving car-and-trailer entering the highway and collided head-on with the other vehicle in the crash.

Filmography

Films

Television

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tyler, Judy 1932 births 1957 deaths American film actresses American television actresses Actresses from Milwaukee Musicians from Teaneck, New Jersey Road incident deaths in Wyoming People from Shorewood, Wisconsin 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American musicians