Selena Royle (November 6, 1904 – April 23, 1983) was an American actress of stage, radio, television and film and later, an author.

Early life and career

Actress

Royle was born in New York City to playwright Edwin Milton Royle and actress Selena Fetter. She had an older sister, Josephine Fetter Royle. Her mother recounted in a newspaper article that she used to take Selena along with her to her rehearsals and performances. One night, then seven-year-old Selena went missing. While the mother frantically searched for her, holding up act two, the audience became restless. The youngster finally turned up - she had gone on stage dressed in her mother's second-act costume; she made a bow, much to the audience's amusement. She later remarked, "And that is the first time I was ever on stage, and I liked it so well I stayed." Her father wrote the 1921 Broadway play ''Lancelot and Elaine'' to provide both her and sister Josephine with their first professional roles, as

Guinevere Guinevere ( ; ; , ), also often written in Modern English as Guenevere or Guenever, was, according to Arthurian legend, an early-medieval queen of Great Britain and the wife of King Arthur. First mentioned in literature in the early 12th cen ...

and Elaine respectively. Eventually, she landed a part on her own in the 1923

Theatre Guild The Theatre Guild is a theatrical society founded in New York City in 1918 by Lawrence Langner, Philip Moeller, Helen Westley and Theresa Helburn. Langner's wife, Armina Marshall, then served as a co-director. It evolved out of the work of ...

production of ''

Peer Gynt ''Peer Gynt'' (, ) is a five-Act (drama), act play in verse written in 1867 by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen. It is one of Ibsen's best known and most widely performed plays. ''Peer Gynt'' chronicles the journey of its title character fr ...

'', with Joseph Schildkraut, and became a respected Broadway actress. She made one film in the 1930s, '' Misleading Lady'', but otherwise worked on the stage and on radio. Royle began her radio career in 1926 or 1927 and performed "almost continuously since", according to a 1939 newspaper item. Her body of work includes playing the title role in ''Hilda Hope, M.D.'' She also played Martha Jackson in ''Woman of Courage'', Mrs. Allen in '' Against the Storm'', Joan in '' The O'Neills'', and Mrs. Gardner in '' Betty and Bob'', and appeared in '' Kate Hopkins, Angel of Mercy''. In the 1940s, she returned to film and had a successful run, mainly playing maternal characters such as the bereaved mother of '' The Fighting Sullivans'' (1944), mother to Jane Powell in the big screen adaptation of '' A Date with Judy'' (1948) and the title character's mother opposite Ingrid Bergman as ''

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...

'' (1948).

HUAC

She made several appearances on early television. However, in 1951, she refused to testify before the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative United States Congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 19 ...

. She sued the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

, which had published '' Red Channels'', in which her name was listed, and won but her acting career ended, her last film being '' Murder Is My Beat'' (1955).

Writer

She also wrote several books, including ''Guadalajara: as I Know It, Live It, Love It'' (which went through several editions) and a couple of cookbooks, and some magazine articles. She was the "radio editor" of the short-lived New York periodical ''Swank''.

Personal life and death

Her first husband was Earle Larrimore, a cousin of actress Laura Hope Crews. They married in 1932 and divorced in 1942. She was married to actor Georges Renavent from 1948 until his death in 1969. Royle died in

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

, Mexico, on April 23, 1983, aged 78.

Complete filmography

* '' The Misleading Lady'' (1932) as Alice Connell * ''

Stage Door Canteen The Stage Door Canteen was an entertainment venue for American and Allied servicemen that operated in the Broadway theatre district of New York City throughout World War II. Founded by the American Theatre Wing (ATW) in 1942, the entertainers w ...

'' (1943) as Selena Royle * '' The Fighting Sullivans'' (1944) as Mrs. Alleta Sullivan * '' Mrs. Parkington'' (1944) as Mattie Trounson * '' Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' (1944) as Mrs. Reynolds * '' This Man's Navy'' (1945) as Maude Weaver * '' Main Street After Dark'' (1945) as 'Ma' Abby Dibson * '' The Harvey Girls'' (1946) as Miss Bliss * '' The Green Years'' (1946) as Mama Leckie * '' Night and Day'' (1946) as Kate Porter * '' Till the End of Time'' (1946) as Mrs. Kincheloe * '' Courage of Lassie'' (1946) as Mrs. Merrick * '' Gallant Journey'' (1946) as Mrs. Zachary Montgomery * '' No Leave, No Love'' (1946) as Mrs. Hanlon * '' The Romance of Rosy Ridge'' (1947) as Sairy MacBean * '' Cass Timberlane'' (1947) as Louise Wargate * '' You Were Meant for Me'' (1948) as Mrs. Cora Mayhew * '' Summer Holiday'' (1948) as Mrs. Essie Miller * '' Smart Woman'' (1948) as Mrs. Wayne * '' A Date with Judy'' (1948) as Mrs. Dora Foster * '' Moonrise'' (1948) as Aunt Jessie * ''

'' (1948) as Isabelle d'Arc * '' Bad Boy'' (1949) as Judge Florence Prentiss * '' My Dream Is Yours'' (1949) as Freda Hofer * '' You're My Everything'' (1949) as Mrs. Adams * '' The Heiress'' (1949) as Elizabeth Almond * '' The Damned Don't Cry'' (1950) as Patricia Longworth * ''

The Big Hangover ''The Big Hangover'' is a 1950 American comedy film released by MGM. The film starred Van Johnson and Elizabeth Taylor and was written and directed by Norman Krasna. Supporting players include Percy Waram, Fay Holden, Leon Ames, Edgar Buchanan, Se ...

'' (1950) as Kate Mahoney * '' Branded'' (1950) as Mrs. Lavery * '' He Ran All the Way'' (1951) as Mrs. Dobbs * '' Come Fill the Cup'' (1951) as Mrs. Dolly Copeland * ''I Lift Up My Lamp'' (1952, TV movie) as Cast Member * '' Robot Monster'' (1953) as Mother * ''The Good Samaritan'' (1954, TV movie) as Schoolteacher * '' Murder Is My Beat'' (1955) as Beatrice Abbott

References

External links

* *
Selena Fetter (mother of Selena Royle)'s portrait
, University of Louisville archives; accessed May 24, 2018. {{DEFAULTSORT:Royle, Selena 1904 births 1983 deaths Actresses from New York City American expatriates in Mexico American film actresses American radio actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Hollywood blacklist 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American women writers American women non-fiction writers Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players