Helen Menken

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Helen Menken , actually Helen Meinken , (born December 12, 1901 in New York City , New York , † March 27, 1966 there ) was an American actress . The stage actress, renowned at her time, was the first wife of Humphrey Bogart .

Life

The daughter of deaf parents had her first appearance on Broadway in 1917. Her greatest stage successes included the comedy Seventh Heaven (from 1917), the historical drama Mary of Scotland (from 1933, with Helen Hayes in the title role and Helen Menken as Queen Elizabeth ) and that a Pulitzer prize excellent piece The Old Maid (1935).

Seventh Heaven was successfully filmed in 1927 with Janet Gaynor in Menkens role (English title: In the seventh heaven). John Ford directed the film adaptation of Mary of Scotland in 1936 with Katharine Hepburn as Maria and Florence Eldridge as Elisabeth . And finally, Bette Davis starred in the 1939 film version of The Old Maid .

Helen Menken, on the other hand, never found her way to Hollywood, where her former husband Humphrey Bogart was just becoming a star when she ended her stage career in 1936. The two had married in New York in 1926, but separated on friendly terms the following year. It was the first of Helen Menken's three marriages.

After her stage career she worked for the radio and was active in the American Theater Wing (ATW), an organization for the promotion of theater, of which she was long-time chairman. The ATW also initiated the presentation of the Tony Awards , the Broadway equivalent of the Oscar .

In 1966, shortly after her cardiac death, Helen Menken received a posthumous Tony Award for her life's work.

Broadway appearances

  • 1917–1918: Parlor, Bedroom and Bath (world premiere)
  • 1918–1919: Three Wise Fools (world premiere)
  • 1921: The Triumph of X (world premiere)
  • 1921: The Mad Dog (world premiere)
  • 1922–1924: Seventh Heaven (world premiere)
  • 1926: Makropoulos Secret (world premiere)
  • 1926: Litle Eyolf (revival)
  • 1926–1927: The Captive (world premiere)
  • 1928: The Beaux Stratagem (revival)
  • 1928–1929: Congai (world premiere)
  • 1930: The Infinite Shoeblack (world premiere)
  • 1931: Rock Me, Julie (world premiere)
  • 1931: The Merchant of Venice (revival)
  • 1933: Saint Wetch (world premiere)
  • 1933–1934: Mary of Scotland (world premiere)
  • 1935: The Old Maid (world premiere)
  • 1936: The Laughing Woman (world premiere)

Web links

Commons : Helen Menken  - Collection of Images
personal data
SURNAME Menken, Helen
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Meinken, Helen (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-american actress
DATE OF BIRTH December 12, 1901
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City , New York , United States
DATE OF DEATH March 27, 1966
Place of death New York City , New York , United States