Helen Vinson

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Helen Vinson (born September 17, 1907 in Beaumont , Texas , as Helen Rulfs , † October 7, 1999 in Chapel Hill , North Carolina ) was an American actress .

Life

After studying at the University of Texas at Austin, Helen Vinson quickly made a career in theater and made the leap to Broadway , where she appeared in the play Los Angeles , among others . In 1932 she signed a contract with the Warner Brothers film company and made her debut at the side of Kay Francis and William Powell in A Thief With Class . Other roles followed, including in I'm an escaped chain convict alongside Paul Muni and as a friend of Loretta Young in Grand Slam and They Call It Sin .

Helen Vinson quickly specialized in the role of the other woman , often taking on the role of the cynical adulteress or the malicious wife who does her best to prevent her husband from being happy with another woman. A good example of this was her appearance alongside Ann Harding in The Life of Vergie Winters from 1934, in which Vinson uses a lie to ensure that Harding is innocently imprisoned for 20 years. On The Wedding Night , Vinson was the selfish wife of Gary Cooper , who intrigued to prevent his happiness with Anna Sten . She had one of her best roles towards the end of the decade in Just Name, the mean, vengeful friend of Kay Francis .

The film historian James Quirk gave her the not entirely serious title The Bitch You Love to Hate due to her ability to credibly portray unsympathetic characters . In 1945 Vinson retired into private life after more than 40 films. A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was dedicated to her film work .

Helen Vinson was married to professional tennis player Fred Perry from 1935 to 1940 . Her third marriage was in 1946 with Donald Hardenbrook, with whom she remained married until his death in 1976. She died in 1999 at the age of 92.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Commons : Helen Vinson  - Collection of Images
personal data
SURNAME Vinson, Helen
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Rulfs, Helen (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-american actress
DATE OF BIRTH 17th September 1907
PLACE OF BIRTH Beaumont , Texas , United States
DATE OF DEATH October 7, 1999
Place of death Chapel Hill , North Carolina , United States