Jump to content

Joyce Reynolds (actress)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joyce Reynolds
Joyce Reynolds (1944)
Born
Helen Joyce Reynolds[1]

(1924-10-07)October 7, 1924
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
DiedSeptember 24, 2019(2019-09-24) (aged 94)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of California, Los Angeles
OccupationFilm actress
Years active1942–1950
Spouses
Robert Lewis
​
​
(m. 1945; div. 1947)​
Don Gallery
​
​
(m. 1947; div. 1950)​
Carlyle Ahrens
​
​
(m. 1951; div. 1953)​
Melvin Shaw
​
​
(m. 1957, divorced)​
Arthur White
​
​
(m. 1963; died 1980)​
Children2

Helen Joyce Reynolds (October 7, 1924 – September 24, 2019) was an American film actress who was under contract with Warner Bros. during the 1940s.[2]

Early life and education

[edit]

Helen Joyce Reynolds was born in San Antonio, Texas on October 7, 1924[1] to Joel B. Reynolds and Mary (Dunn) Reynolds. She attended the University of California, Los Angeles. A talent scout who saw her in a play there arranged for a screen test, which led to a film contract.[3]

Career

[edit]

Reynolds made her acting debut with a small part in the 1942 film Yankee Doodle Dandy (she is the enthusiastic teen asking the retired George M. Cohan about his show-business background). Her roles became more substantial throughout the decade, appearing in movies such as George Washington Slept Here as Madge, The Constant Nymph as Paula Sanger, and The Adventures of Mark Twain as Clara Clemens. She had top billing in the musical comedy film Janie as Janie Conway, directed by Michael Curtiz.[4]

In 1944, she appeared in Hollywood Canteen as herself.[5] In 1945, Warner announced that Reynolds was retiring to resume her education, and that her contract with the studio had been abrogated.[6] Her final leading role on the big screen came in Girls' School, a 1950 melodrama for Columbia Pictures. Her Hollywood career ended in 1950, with ten credits to her name.

Personal life and death

[edit]

On January 11, 1945, Reynolds married Lieutenant Robert Floyd Lewis of Houston, Texas, in Hollywood.[7][8][9] They separated in early 1947.[10] On October 24, 1947, she married Donald Michael Gallery, the adopted son of ZaSu Pitts, in Hollywood.[11] By 1950 the couple were estranged,[12] and the marriage ended in divorce.[13]

By 1951, Reynolds was running a nursery in Brentwood, California. That same year she married Dr. Carlyle L. Ahrens.[14] Ahrens was 31 years her senior, and they divorced in March 1953.[15] Reynolds married fourth Melvin Shaw in Arlington, Virginia on May 1, 1957,[16] and then finally to Arthur George White in Clark County, Nevada on December 7, 1963.[17] White died in Malibu, California on April 7, 1980, at the age of 60.[18]

Reynolds died in Los Angeles on September 24, 2019, at the age of 94.[19][20]

Filmography

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1942 Yankee Doodle Dandy Girl [21] uncredited
George Washington Slept Here Madge [21]
1943 The Constant Nymph Paula Sanger [21]
Thank Your Lucky Stars Girl with book [21] uncredited
1944 The Adventures of Mark Twain Clara Clemens [21]
Janie Janie Conway [21]
Hollywood Canteen Herself [21]
1947 Always Together Jane Barker [21]
1948 Wallflower Jackie Linnett [21]
1950 Girls' School Peggy Donovan [21]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Janie (Joyce Reynolds)... Going to Meet the Marines!". The Salt Lake Tribune. December 3, 1944. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  2. ^ "Joyce Reynolds goes to school". The Pittsburgh Press. July 7, 1949. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  3. ^ "Cradle-Snatching for Stars". Arizona Republic. Arizona, Phoenix. November 15, 1942. p. 36. Retrieved October 20, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ Hal Erickson (2013). "Joyce Reynolds". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  5. ^ "Hollywood Canteen Run by Movie Stars". The Evening Independent. December 29, 1944. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  6. ^ "Joyce Reynolds Retiring, 'Janie' Sequel Is Dropped —'Big Bonanza' Due Today at the Republic Of Local Origin". New York Times. 1945-02-24. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
  7. ^ "Film Actress to Wed". Ottawa Citizen. December 30, 1944. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  8. ^ "Marriages". Billboard. January 20, 1945. p. 33. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  9. ^ "Quits Movies For Mate". Daily News. February 25, 1945. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  10. ^ "Joyce Reynolds Quits Husband, Studio Says". The San Bernardino County Sun. January 8, 1947. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  11. ^ "Marriages". Billboard. November 15, 1947. p. 67. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  12. ^ "Newsettes". The San Francisco Examiner. April 3, 1950. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  13. ^ Charles Stumpf (2010). ZaSu Pitts: The Life and Career. McFarland. pp. 101–102. ISBN 9780786460236. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  14. ^ "Joyce Reynolds Plans Full-Time Marriage". The Record. November 7, 1951. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  15. ^ "Dr. Ahrens Must Boost Payments for His Son". Green Bay Press-Gazette. December 22, 1954. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  16. ^ "Helen Joyce Reynolds Ahrens". Virginia, U.S., Marriage Records, 1936–2014. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  17. ^ "Helen Joyce Shaw". Nevada, U.S., Marriage Index, 1956–2005. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  18. ^ "Arthur George White". U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850–2010. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  19. ^ "Helen Joyce (Reynolds) White". Forever Missed. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  20. ^ "Helen Joyce White death record". Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Joyce Reynolds". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
[edit]


Stub icon

This article about a United States film actor born in the 1920s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joyce_Reynolds_(actress)&oldid=1239233376"