Helen Westley

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Helen Westley about 1915

Helen Westley (* 28. March 1875 as Henrietta Remsen Meserole Manney in Brooklyn , New York City ; † 12. December 1942 in Middle Bush , New Jersey ) was an American actress .

Life

Westley studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and began her career in the theater. She joined the theater company " Washington Square Players ", founded in 1914 , which later became part of the " Theater Guild " founded in 1919 . Westley starred in many Broadway productions with the Theater Guild, for instance in George Bernard Shaw's Heartbreak House , in The Lucky One by Alan Alexander Milne and Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite .

In 1931 she played the leading female role in the world premiere of the play Green Grow the Lilacs , on which the successful musical Oklahoma! based. Westley played her last role on Broadway in 1939 in The Primrose Path .

In 1934, at the age of 59, Westley made her first film. Directed by Sidney Lanfield , she played Mrs. Morris in Moulin Rouge . That same year she starred alongside Anne Shirley and OP Heggie the Marilla Cuthbert in the film adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery's novel Anne of Green Gables . In 1935 Westley took on the role of Aunt Minnie in the musical Roberta . She played several times on the side of the child star Shirley Temple , including in 1937 as "blind Anna" in Heidi . The following year she took on a role in Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm again alongside Shirley Temple . In 1940 she filmed hell with Bette Davis , where's your win? , the following year played the cousin Phillipa in Adam Had Four Sons at Ingrid Bergman's side . Westley played her last film role as Aunt Jessie in My Favorite Spy .

Helen Westley was married to actor John Westley from 1900 to 1912. The marriage produced a daughter. Westley died at the age of 67 on December 12, 1942 in Middlebush, New Jersey.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Commons : Helen Westley  - Collection of Images
personal data
SURNAME Westley, Helen
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Manney, Henrietta Remsen Meserole (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-american actress
DATE OF BIRTH March 28, 1875
PLACE OF BIRTH Brooklyn , New York City , New York , United States
DATE OF DEATH December 12, 1942
Place of death Middlebush , New Jersey , United States