Helen Menken
Helen Menken ( born December 12, 1901 in New York City; † March 27, 1966 ibid ) was an American actress. The renowned stage actress in her time was the first wife of Humphrey Bogart.
Biography
The daughter of deaf parents had her first appearance on Broadway in 1917. Among her greatest stage successes included the comedy Seventh Heaven ( 1917 ), the historical drama Mary of Scotland ( from 1933, with Helen Hayes in the title role and Helen Menken as Queen Elizabeth ) and the awarded a Pulitzer Prize play The Old Maid (1935 ).
Seventh Heaven in 1927 with Janet Gaynor successfully filmed in Menken's role (English title: In the seventh heaven). John Ford directed in 1936 with Katharine Hepburn as Mary and Florence Eldridge as Elizabeth, the film adaptation of Mary of Scotland ( Mary Queen of Scots ). And finally played Bette Davis in 1939 in the film version of The Old Maid ( The Old Maid ).
Helen Menken never found, however, to Hollywood, where her former husband Humphrey Bogart just became a star when she in 1936 her stage career ended. The two had married in 1926 in New York, but amicably separated the following year. It was the first of three marriages Helen Menken.
After her stage career she worked for the radio and was active in the American Theatre Wing (ATW ), an organization for the promotion of theater, the long-time chairman was. The ATW also called the awarding of the Tony Awards to life, the Broadway equivalent of the Oscars.
1966 Helen Menken was awarded a Tony Award for her life's work posthumously shortly after cardiac death.