Gene Tierney | |
|---|---|
 Tierney in the 1940s | |
| Born | Gene Eliza Tierney (1920-11-19)November 19, 1920 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | November 6, 1991(1991-11-06) (aged 70) |
| Resting place | Glenwood Cemetery, Houston |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1938–1980 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
Gene Eliza Tierney (November 19, 1920 – November 6, 1991)[1] was an American stage and film actress. Acclaimed for her great beauty, Tierney was a prominentleading lady during theGolden Age of Hollywood.[2][3] She starred as Laura Hunt inOtto Preminger'sLaura (1944), afilm noir classic, and as Ellen Berent inJohn M. Stahl'sLeave Her to Heaven (1945), which earned her a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Actress.[4][5]Darryl F. Zanuck, co-founder of20th Century Fox, said Tierney was "unquestionably, the most beautiful woman in movie history."
Tierney was a 20th Century Fox contract player who did much of her work for thestudio. She starred in many commercially successful Fox films, includingThe Return of Frank James (1940; her film debut),Tobacco Road (1941),Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake (1942),Heaven Can Wait (1943),A Bell for Adano (1945),The Razor's Edge (1946),The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947),The Iron Curtain (1948),Whirlpool andNight and the City (both 1950),The Mating Season (1951),On the Riviera (1951),The Egyptian (1954),The Left Hand of God (1955), andThe Pleasure Seekers (1964; her last film role). After her Hollywood career began to decline, Tierney made sporadic appearances on manytelevision shows. Her role in theminiseriesScruples (1980), marked her last work credit.
Gene Eliza Tierney was born on November 19, 1920, inBrooklyn, New York, the daughter of Howard Sherwood Tierney and Belle Lavinia Taylor. She was named after a beloved uncle, who died young.[4]: 25 She had an elder brother, Howard Sherwood "Butch" Tierney Jr., and a younger sister, Patricia "Pat" Tierney. Her father was a successful insurance broker of Irish descent on his paternal side; their mother was a former physical education instructor.[4]
She attended St. Margaret's School for Girls inWaterbury, Connecticut (which merged into what becameChase Collegiate School) andUnquowa School inFairfield, Connecticut.[6] Tierney spent two years in Europe, attendingBrillantmont International School inLausanne,Switzerland, where she learned to speak fluent French. She returned to the US in 1936 and attendedMiss Porter's School inFarmington, Connecticut. On a family trip to theWest Coast, she visitedWarner Bros. studios, where her mother's cousin – Gordon Hollingshead – worked as a producer of historical short films. DirectorAnatole Litvak, taken by the 17-year-old's beauty, told Tierney that she should become an actress. Warner Bros. wanted to sign her to a contract, but her parents advised against it because of the relatively low salary; they also wanted her to take her position in society.[4]: 11–13
Tierney'ssociety debut occurred on September 24, 1938, when she was 17 years old.[4]: 14 Quickly bored with society life, she decided to pursue an acting career. Her father said, "If Gene is to be an actress, it should be in thelegitimate theatre."[7] Tierney studied acting at a smallGreenwich Village acting studio in New York with Yiddish Broadway actor/director Benno Schneider.[8] She became aprotégée of Broadway producer-directorGeorge Abbott.[7][9]
In Tierney's first role onBroadway, she carried a bucket of water across the stage inWhat a Life! (1938). AVariety magazine critic declared, "Miss Tierney is certainly the most beautiful water carrier I've ever seen!" She also worked as an understudy inThe Primrose Path (1938).
The following year, she appeared in the role ofMolly O'Day in the Broadway productionMrs. O'Brien Entertains (1939).[4]: 19 New York Times criticBrooks Atkinson wrote, "As an Irish maiden fresh from the old country, Gene Tierney in her first stage performance is very pretty and refreshingly modest."[4]: 21 That same year, Tierney appeared as Peggy Carr inRing Two (1939) to favorable reviews. Theater criticRichard Watts Jr. of theNew York Herald Tribune wrote, "I see no reason why Miss Tierney should not have an interesting theatrical career – that is, if cinema does not kidnap her away."[4]: 36
Tierney's father set up a corporation, Belle-Tier, to fund and promote her acting career.Columbia Pictures signed her to a six-month contract in 1939. She metHoward Hughes, who tried unsuccessfully to seduce her. From a well-to-do family herself, she was not impressed by his wealth. Hughes eventually became a lifelong friend.[citation needed]
After a cameraman advised Tierney to lose a little weight, she wrote toHarper's Bazaar magazine for a diet, which she followed for the next 25 years. Tierney was initially offered the lead role inNational Velvet, but production was delayed.[4]: 23 When Columbia Pictures failed to find Tierney a project, she returned to Broadway and starred as Patricia Stanley to critical and commercial success inThe Male Animal (1940). InThe New York Times, Brooks Atkinson wrote, "Tierney blazes with animation in the best performance she has yet given".[4] She was the toast of Broadway before her 20th birthday.The Male Animal was a hit, and Tierney was featured inLife. She was also photographed byHarper's Bazaar,Vogue, andCollier's Weekly.[4]: 38
Two weeks afterThe Male Animal opened,Darryl F. Zanuck, the head of20th Century Fox, was rumored to have been in the audience. During the performance, he told an assistant to note Tierney's name. Later that night, Zanuck dropped by theStork Club, where he saw a young lady on the dance floor. He told his assistant, "Forget the girl from the play. See if you can sign that one." She was Tierney. At first, Zanuck did not think she was the actress he had seen. Tierney was quoted (after the fact), saying: "I always had several different 'looks', a quality that proved useful in my career."[4]: 38 [9]
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Tierney signed with20th Century-Fox[4]: 39 and her motion picture debut was in a supporting role as Eleanor Stone inFritz Lang'sWesternThe Return of Frank James (1940), oppositeHenry Fonda.
A small role as Barbara Hall followed inHudson's Bay (1941) withPaul Muni and she co-starred as Ellie Mae Lester inJohn Ford's comedyTobacco Road (also 1941), and played the title role inBelle Starr alongside co-starRandolph Scott, Zia inSundown, and Victoria Charteris (Poppy Smith) inThe Shanghai Gesture. She played Eve inSon of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake (1942), as well as the dual role of Susan Miller (Linda Worthington) inRouben Mamoulian'sscrewball comedyRings on Her Fingers, and roles as Kay Saunders inThunder Birds, and Miss Young inChina Girl (all 1942).
Receiving top billing inErnst Lubitsch's comedyHeaven Can Wait (1943), as Martha Strable Van Cleve, signaled an upward turn in Tierney's career. Tierney recalled during the production ofHeaven Can Wait:
Lubitsch was a tyrant on the set, the most demanding of directors. After one scene, which took from noon until five to get, I was almost in tears from listening to Lubitsch shout at me. The next day I sought him out, looked him in the eye, and said, 'Mr. Lubitsch, I'm willing to do my best but I just can't go on working on this picture if you're going to keep shouting at me.' 'I'm paid to shout at you', he bellowed. 'Yes', I said, 'and I'm paid to take it – but not enough.' After a tense pause, Lubitsch broke out laughing. From then on we got along famously.[4]
Tierney starred in what became her best-remembered role: the title role inOtto Preminger'sfilm noirLaura (1944),[5] oppositeDana Andrews (with whom she would work again inThe Iron Curtain and Preminger'sWhere The Sidewalk Ends).
After playing Tina Tomasino inA Bell for Adano (1945), she played the jealous, narcissisticfemme fatale Ellen Berent Harland inLeave Her to Heaven (1945),[5] adapted from a bestselling novel byBen Ames Williams. Appearing withCornel Wilde, Tierney was nominated for anAcademy Award forBest Actress. This was 20th Century-Fox's most successful film of the 1940s. It was cited by directorMartin Scorsese as one of his favorite films, and he assessed Tierney as one of the most underrated actresses of the Golden Era.[10]
Tierney starred as Miranda Wells inDragonwyck (1946), along withWalter Huston andVincent Price. It wasJoseph L. Mankiewicz' debut film as a director. In the same period, she starred as Isabel Bradley, oppositeTyrone Power, inThe Razor's Edge (also 1946), an adaptation ofW. Somerset Maugham'snovel of the same name. Her performance was critically praised.[citation needed]
Tierney played Lucy Muir in Mankiewicz'sThe Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), oppositeRex Harrison.[11] The following year, she co-starred again with Power, this time as Sara Farley in the successful screwball comedyThat Wonderful Urge (1948). As the decade came to a close, Tierney reunited withLaura director Preminger to star as Ann Sutton in the classic film noirWhirlpool (1950), co-starringRichard Conte andJosé Ferrer. She appeared in two other films noir:Jules Dassin'sNight and the City, shot in London, and Otto Preminger'sWhere the Sidewalk Ends (both 1950), reunited with both Preminger and leading manDana Andrews, with whom she appeared in five movies total includingThe Iron Curtain and, beforeLaura,Belle Starr andTobacco Road.
Tierney was lent toParamount Pictures, giving a comic turn as Maggie Carleton inMitchell Leisen'sensemblefarce,The Mating Season (1951), withJohn Lund,Thelma Ritter, andMiriam Hopkins.[4] She gave a tender performance as Midge Sheridan in theWarner Bros. film,Close to My Heart (1951), withRay Milland. The film is about a couple trying to adopt a child.[4] Later in her career, she was reunited with Milland inDaughter of the Mind (1969).
After Tierney appeared oppositeRory Calhoun as Teresa inWay of a Gaucho (1952), her contract at 20th Century-Fox expired. That same year, she starred as Dorothy Bradford inPlymouth Adventure, oppositeSpencer Tracy atMGM. Tracy and she had a brief affair during this time.[12] Tierney played Marya Lamarkina oppositeClark Gable inNever Let Me Go (1953), filmed in England.[4]
In the course of the 1940s, she reached a pinnacle of fame as a beautiful leading lady, on a par with "fellow sirens Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner and Ava Gardner".[2] She was called “the most beautiful woman in movie history" and many of her movies in the 1940s became classic films.[3][5]
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Tierney remained in Europe to play Kay Barlow inUnited Artists'Personal Affair (1953). While in Europe, she began a romance withPrince Aly Khan, but their marriage plans met with fierce opposition from his fatherAga Khan III.[13] Early in 1953, Tierney returned to the U.S. to co-star in the film noirBlack Widow (1954) as Iris Denver, withGinger Rogers andVan Heflin.
Tierney had reportedly started smoking after a screening of her first movie to lower her voice, because she felt that she sounded "like an angryMinnie Mouse."[14] She subsequently became a heavy smoker.[14]
Tierney struggled for years with episodes ofmanic depression. In 1943, she gave birth to a daughter, Daria, who was deaf and mentally disabled, due tocongenital rubella syndrome.[15][5] In 1953, she suffered problems with concentration, which affected her film appearances. She dropped out ofMogambo and was replaced byGrace Kelly.[4][page needed] While playing Anne Scott inThe Left Hand of God (1955), oppositeHumphrey Bogart, Tierney had a relapse. Bogart's sister Frances (known as Pat) had suffered from mental illness, so he showed Tierney great sympathy, feeding her lines during the production and encouraging her to seek help.[4]
Tierney consulted a psychiatrist and was admitted to Harkness Pavilion in New York. Later, she went tothe Institute of Living inHartford, Connecticut. After some 27shock treatments, intended to alleviate severe depression, Tierney fled the facility, but was caught and returned. She later became an outspoken opponent of shock treatment therapy, claiming it had destroyed significant portions of her memory.[16]
In late December 1957, Tierney, at her mother's apartment in Manhattan, stepped onto a ledge 14 stories above ground and remained for about 20 minutes in what was considered a suicide attempt.[17] Police were called, and afterwards, Tierney's family arranged for her to be admitted to theMenninger Clinic inTopeka, Kansas. The following year, after treatment fordepression, she was discharged. Afterwards, she worked as a sales girl in a local dress shop with hopes of integrating back into society.[17] A Topeka newspaper reported on her employment status, which gained national attention.[18]
Later in 1958, 20th Century Fox offered Tierney a lead role inHoliday for Lovers (1959), but the stress upon her proved too great, so only days into production, she dropped out of the film and returned to Menninger, for a time.[17]
Tierney made a screen comeback inAdvise and Consent (1962), co-starring withFranchot Tone and reuniting with director Otto Preminger.[4] Soon afterwards, she played Albertine Prine inToys in the Attic (1963), based on the play byLillian Hellman. This was followed by the international production ofLas Cuatro Noches de la Luna Llena (Four Nights of the Full Moon – 1963), in which she starred withDan Dailey. She received critical praise overall for her performances.[citation needed]
Tierney's career as a solid character actress seemed to be back on track as she played Jane Barton inThe Pleasure Seekers (1964), but then she suddenly retired. She returned to star in the television movieDaughter of the Mind (1969) withDon Murray andRay Milland. Her final performance was in the TVminiseriesScruples (1980).[4]
Tierney was married twice. Her first husband wasOleg Cassini, a costume and fashion designer, with whom she eloped on June 1, 1941. She was 20 years old, and Cassini was 28. Her parents opposed the marriage because he was from a Russian-Italian family, born in France.[17] She and Cassini had two daughters, Antoinette Daria Cassini (October 15, 1943 – September 11, 2010)[19] and Christina "Tina" Cassini (November 19, 1948 – March 31, 2015).[20][21][22]
In June 1943, while pregnant with Daria, Tierney contractedrubella (German measles), likely from a fan ill with the disease.[17] Antoinette Daria Cassini was born prematurely in Washington, D.C., weighing three pounds two ounces (1.4 kg) and requiring a total blood transfusion. The rubella caused congenital damage: Daria was deaf, partially blind with cataracts, and severely mentally disabled. She was institutionalized for much of her life.[17] This entire incident was inspiration for the plot in the 1962Agatha Christie novelThe Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side.
Christie's official website says about that novel,
"The plot was inspired by Agatha Christie's reflections on a mother's feelings for a child born with disabilities and there can be little doubt that Christie was influenced by the real-life tragedy of American actress Gene Tierney."
[23] Tierney's friendHoward Hughes paid for Daria's medical expenses, ensuring the girl received the best care. Tierney never forgot his acts of kindness.[4] Daria Cassini died on September 11, 2010, at the age of 66. Through Christina, Tierney had four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.[24]
Tierney and Cassini separated October 20, 1946, and entered into a property settlement agreement on November 10.[25] Periodicals during this period record Tierney withCharles K. Feldman,[26] including articles related to her "twosoming" with Feldman, her "current best beau".[27] Her divorce from Cassini was to be finalized in March 1948, but they reconciled before then. They later divorced in 1952, but remained friends until her death in November 1991.[28]
After his death in 2006, Cassini bequeathed $500,000 in trust to Daria and $1,000,000 to Christina.[29] Christina was unable to collect her inheritance, however, as Cassini's widow Marianne Nestor challenged the sum in court in a lengthy case.[30]
During her separation from Cassini, Tierney metJohn F. Kennedy, a young World War II veteran, who was visiting the set ofDragonwyck in 1946. They began a romance that she ended the following year after Kennedy told her he could never marry her because of his political ambitions.[12] In 1960, Tierney sent Kennedy a note of congratulations on his victory in the presidential election. Her former husband, Cassini, would go on to design outfits forJackie Kennedy.[28]
In 1952, newspapers documented that Tierney was in a romantic relationship withKirk Douglas.[31] Later, while filming forPersonal Affair in Europe, she began a romance withPrince Aly Khan.[13] They became engaged while Khan was going through a divorce fromRita Hayworth.[32] Their marriage plans, however, were met with fierce opposition from his father,Aga Khan III.[13]
In 1958, Tierney met Texas oil baron W. Howard Lee, who had been married to actressHedy Lamarr since 1953. Lee and Lamarr divorced in 1960 after a long battle overalimony.[33] Lee and Tierney married inAspen, Colorado, on July 11, 1960. They lived quietly inHouston, Texas, andDelray Beach, Florida,[17] until his death in 1981.[33]
Despite her self-imposed exile in Texas, Tierney received work offers from Hollywood, prompting her to make a comeback. She appeared in a November 1960 broadcast ofGeneral Electric Theater, during which time she discovered that she was pregnant. Shortly after, 20th Century Fox announced Tierney would play the leading role inReturn to Peyton Place, but she withdrew from the production after suffering a miscarriage.[2]
As a lifelongRepublican, Tierney supportedRichard Nixon andRonald Reagan in their elections.[34]Tierney is survived by her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren.[35]
Tierney's autobiography,Self-Portrait, in which she candidly discusses her life, career, her appearance, and mental illness, was published in 1979.[5]
In 1986, Tierney was honored alongside actorGregory Peck with the firstDonostia Lifetime Achievement Award at theSan Sebastian Film Festival in Spain.[36]
Tierney has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame at 6125Hollywood Boulevard.
Tierney, a lifelong smoker, died ofemphysema on November 6, 1991, in Houston, 13 days before what would have been her 71st birthday.[1] She is interred inGlenwood Cemetery in Houston.
Certain documents of Tierney's film-related material, personal papers, letters, etc., are held in theWesleyan University Cinema Archives, though her papers are closed to the public.[37]
| Year | Title | Format/genre | Role | Staged by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | What A Life! | Original play, comedy | Walk on, Water carrier | George Abbott |
| The Primrose Path | Original play, drama/comedy | Understudy | ||
| 1939 | Mrs O'Brien Entertains | Original play, comedy | Molly O'Day | |
| Ring Two | Peggy Carr | |||
| 1940 | The Male Animal | Patricia Stanley | Herman Shumlin |
| Year | Title | Role | Other cast members | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | The Sir Charles Mendl Show | Herself | Host: Sir Charles Mendl | |
| 1953 | Toast of the Town | Host:Ed Sullivan | Episode #6.33 | |
| 1954 | 26th Academy Awards | Host:Donald O'Connor,Fredric March | Presenter:Costume Design Awards | |
| 1957 | What's My Line? | Host:John Charles Daly | Episode: August 25, Mystery guest[38] | |
| 1960 | General Electric Theater | Ellen Galloway | Host:Ronald Reagan | Episode: "Journey to a Wedding" |
| 1969 | The F.B.I. | Faye Simpson | Efrem Zimbalist Jr. | Episode: "Conspiracy of Silence" |
| Daughter of the Mind | Lenore Constable | Ray Milland | TV movie | |
| 1974 | The Merv Griffin Show | Herself | Host:Merv Griffin | |
| 1979 | ||||
| 1980 | The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | Host:Johnny Carson | ||
| The Mike Douglas Show | Host:Mike Douglas | |||
| Dinah! | Host:Dinah Shore | |||
| Scruples | Harriet Toppington | Lindsay Wagner | TV miniseries | |
| 1999 | Biography | Herself (archive material) | Host:Peter Graves | "Gene Tierney: A Shattered Portrait", biographical documentary, March 26 |
| Year | Program | Episode/source |
|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Old Gold Comedy Theatre | A Lady Takes a Chance[39] |
| 1946 | Lux Radio Theatre | Dragonwyck[40] |
| Hollywood Star Time | Bedelia[41] |
| Year | Organization | Work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Academy Awards | Leave Her to Heaven | Best Actress | Nominated | [42] |
| 1960 | Hollywood Walk of Fame | — | Star - Motion Pictures | Honored | [43] |
| 1986 | San Sebastián International Film Festival | — | Donostia Lifetime Achievement Award | Won | [44] |
Tierney emerged as a leading lady of equal beauty and depth...Tierney attained a strata of celebrity that put her on par with fellow sirens Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner and Ava Gardner"
Called the most beautiful woman in movie history, Gene Tierney starred in a number of 1940s classics, includingLaura,Leave Her to Heaven andThe Ghost and Mrs. Muir.
Tierney, a classic beauty, may at first seem too elegant to be a sex symbol, but her Oscar-nominated performance as the femme fatale inLeave Her to Heaven firmly established her sexy cred. Plus, Tierney owned her look. She didn't let studio executives mess with her hair color or length, and refused to fix a slightoverbite, earning extra sexy points for confidence.
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