Sidney Fox | |
|---|---|
 Fox in 1934 | |
| Born | Sarah Liefer (1907-12-10)December 10, 1907[1] |
| Died | November 15, 1942(1942-11-15) (aged 34) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Mount Lebanon Cemetery,Glendale, New York |
| Years active | 1929–1937 |
| Spouse | Charles Beahan (m.1932) |
Sidney Fox (bornSarah Liefer; December 10, 1907 – November 15, 1942) was an American stage and film actress in the late 1920s and 1930s.[1][2][3] Fox's Hollywood film debut was inUniversal Pictures' 1931 productionBad Sister, which is notable for also being the first film of actressBette Davis.[4]
Sarah Liefer was born in 1907 in"Poland-Galicia".[3] In 1911, she emigrated with her Jewish parents — Rucha Rose (née Szapiro) and Jacob Liefer—to New York, where, by 1920, her mother had remarried. Rose's second husband was Joseph Fox, who identified himself in government records as aYiddish-speaking native of Poland.[3] After her mother's marriage to Fox, Sidney adopted her step-father's surname, although the federal census of 1930 shows her younger brother Samuel continued to use his given last name, Liefer, in the Fox household.[3][5] The census documents that in April that year, 22-year-old Sidney was living with her mother and stepfather on the 500 block of West 178th Street in Manhattan, along with Samuel and their two stepbrothers. Sidney identified herself then professionally as astenographer, while during any spare time, she was busy pursuing roles in stage productions.[3] Additional sources regarding Fox's early life indicate she was employed in an array of other jobs as well, including work as aseamstress, a secretary in a law firm, and as a model or "mannequin" in a shop onFifth Avenue.[6]
By the late 1920s, Fox had begun studying acting to establish a stage or film career. She temporarily joined a touring theatrical company around 1928, and within a year, she was performing on Broadway.[6] She had a role inIt Never Rains in 1929, and the next year, she portrayed the character Rhoda Wampas in the comedyLost Sheep.[7] In May 1930, the theatre critic forVariety gaveLost Sheep a lukewarm review but complimented Fox's energetic performance in the play, noting "That little cutie Sidney Fox, who first came out inIt Never Rains, pleased again with her Rhoda."[8] Someone else in the audience was impressed with Fox,Carl Laemmle Jr., then head of production atUniversal Studios.[9] Laemmle soon signed her to a multi-year contract with the Hollywood film company.[10]
Fox made her film debut in the 1931Hobart Henley dramaBad Sister, playing oppositeConrad Nagel,Humphrey Bogart,Zasu Pitts, andBette Davis, who was making her movie debut as well. In 1931, Sidney was selected by motion picture advertisers as aWAMPAS Baby Star, recognizing her as one of the film industry's most promising new actresses.[11] The next year, she starred as Madamoiselle Camille L'Espanaye in theRobert Florey filmMurders in the Rue Morgue oppositeBela Lugosi. Then, in 1933, she played opposite operatic bassFeodor Chaliapin in the English-language version ofDon Quixote. Many of her subsequent roles were bit parts inB-movies, although she did have a starring role in the 1935 releaseSchool for Girls.[6]
Fox's relationship with studio executiveCarl Laemmle Jr. as his mistress was one of Hollywood's open secrets for several years.[6] In December 1932, however, she wed Charles Beahan (1903–1968), and they remained married until her death.[12] By 1940, according to that year's federal census, Charles and Sidney Beahan were residing together in a $125-a-month rented home at 9421 Charleville Drive inBeverly Hills, California.[13] Fox is listed in that census as having no occupation and "not seeking employment" in 1940, and Beahan is documented as being employed as a "Literary Agent/Stage & Motion Pic[ture]s".[13]
Two years later, on November 15, 1942, Fox died in Hollywood from an overdose of sleeping pills that authorities ruled "an accident".[14][6][12][15]Variety announced her passing before this ruling in its issue of November 18. In the paper's brief obituary, Fox's given age, and the date of her death differ from those documented in official government records and on her gravestone in New York:
Sidney Fox, 31, a former stage and film actress, was found dead in her bed in her Hollywood home Nov. 14. Cause of death undetermined. Carl Laemmle discovered Miss Fox in 1930 while appearing in the Broadway production ofLost Sheep at theSelwyn theatre. She achieved quick film success, being first named a Wampas Baby Star, then scoring heavily inStrictly Dishonorable. Roles inBad Sister,Mouthpiece andOnce in a Lifetime followed, with a part in the French version ofDon Quixote, starringFeodor Chaliapin, sandwiched in-between. In 1937 she replacedKatherine Locke on the New York stage inHaving a Wonderful Time at theLyceum theatre. Husband Charles Beahan, an agent, survives.[9]
When Sidney died, Charles was reported to live at 519 North Crescent Drive in Beverly Hills.[12] Following the coroner's investigation of her death, her body was returned to New York City and interred at Mount Lebanon Cemetery inGlendale, Queens.[15]
Sidney Fox's final work of her film career consisted of last-minute retakes she performed in early August 1934 to complete the production of the musical comedyDown to Their Last Yacht before its release on August 31, 1934.[16] Another film in which she starred,School for Girls, was completed beforeDown to Their Last Yacht, but this dramatic film was not released in the United States until February 19, 1935.[17] Therefore,Down to Their Last Yacht includes Fox's final performance on film, butSchool for Girls is her final film to be released.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | Bad Sister | Marianne Madison | |
| Six Cylinder Love | Marilyn Sterling | ||
| Nice Women | Beth Girard | ||
| Strictly Dishonorable | Isabelle Perry | ||
| 1932 | Murders in the Rue Morgue | Mlle. Camille L'Espanaye | |
| The Mouthpiece | Celia Farraday | ||
| The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood | Herself | ||
| Once in a Lifetime | Susan Walker | ||
| Afraid to Talk | Peggy Martin | ||
| 1933 | Don Quixote | Maria, the niece | |
| The Merry Monarch | Queen of the Day | ||
| Roi Pausole | Diana | ||
| 1934 | Call it Murder | Stella Weldon | |
| School for Girls | Annette Edlridge[17] | ||
| Down to Their Last Yacht | Linda Colt-Stratton |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
