Helen Wood (actress)
American actress
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Helen Wood (June 4, 1917 – February 8, 1988)[1][2] was an American actress active in film and radio primarily during the 1930s. She is not to be confused with the actress and performer Helen [Ann] Wood (1935–1998), who later appeared in Deep Throat.
Helen Wood | |
|---|---|
Wood in 1935 | |
| Born | June 4, 1917 Clarksville, Tennessee, US |
| Died | February 8, 1988 (aged 70) Los Angeles, California, US |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1933–1949 |
| Spouses | Alfred Huenergardt
(m. 1940, divorced)Erle Henriksen (m. 1942) |
Biography
Wood was born in Clarksville, Tennessee, to Edwin Wood (who worked in real estate and insurance) and Hazel Case.[3] She had a younger sister, Mary Martha.[4]
After winning a beauty contest at Clarksville's Capitol Theatre in 1933 as a teenager, Wood earned a trip to Hollywood, where she was cast in Roman Scandals (1933). She then returned to Clarksville to finish high school. Upon her return to Hollywood after graduation, she signed a contract with MGM.[5][6]
She reportedly spent $4,000 on a vocal coach who helped her drop her Southern accent.[7] She later signed at 20th Century Fox, where she was made to compete for parts against fellow actresses Rita Hayworth (then Margarita Cansino) and Dixie Dunbar.[3] On-screen, she was frequently paired with actor Thomas Beck.[8] Supposedly she had to back out of a big role due to an illness early on in her career.[5]
She also worked in radio in the late 1930s.
Personal life
Selected filmography
- Roman Scandals (1933)
- Moulin Rouge (1934)
- Kid Millions (1934)
- Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
- Mary Jane's Pa (1935)
- In Caliente (1935)
- Anna Karenina (1935)
- She Married Her Boss (1935)
- The Goose and the Gander (1935)
- A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
- My Marriage (1936)
- Champagne Charlie (1936)
- High Tension (1936)
- Charlie Chan at the Race Track (1936)
- Sing, Baby, Sing (1936)
- Can This Be Dixie? (1936)
- Crack-Up (1936)
- Almost a Gentleman (1939)
- Sorority House (1939)
- The Pilgrimage Play (1949)