Judith Evelyn (born Evelyn Morris;[2] March 20, 1909[2] – May 7, 1967) was an American-born Canadian-reared stage and film actress who appeared in around 50 films and television series.
Judith Evelyn | |
|---|---|
 Evelyn in 1941 | |
| Born | Evelyn Morris March 20, 1909 Seneca, South Dakota, U.S.[1] |
| Died | May 7, 1967 (aged 58) New York City, U.S. |
| Resting place | Kensico Cemetery, Valhalla, New York |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1941–1962 |
Early years
editEvelyn was born Evelyn Morris[2][3] in 1909 (later shaving four years off of her age) in Seneca, South Dakota, United States and raised in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.[3] She attended the University of Manitoba, where she was active in drama, and she developed her acting skills at Hart House at the University of Toronto.[4]
Career
editEvelyn worked on radio both for the British Broadcasting Corporation and for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.[5]
Her early stage experience included being a member of a Canadian Chautauqua unit in 1932. The next year, she performed with the Pasadena Community Playhouse in California.[5]
Evelyn appeared on Broadway in the following plays:
- The Shrike as Ann Downs (January 15, 1952 – May 31, 1952)
- Craig's Wife (February 12, 1947 – April 12, 1947) (revival)
- The Rich Full Life (November 9, 1945 – December 1, 1945)
- Angel Street as Bella Manningham (December 5, 1941 – December 30, 1944)
All of the four plays were made into films, but Evelyn did not appear in any of them. She did appear in other films, including the role as Miss Lonelyhearts, the lonely alcoholic in Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window.[6] In 1956, Evelyn played the role of Nancy Lynnton in George Stevens' Giant. She had a brief performance as Queen Mother Taia in Michael Curtiz's The Egyptian and was featured with Vincent Price in The Tingler (1959).[7]
In the fall of 1958, Evelyn guest-starred as Clara Keller in the episode "Man in the Moon" of the docudrama Behind Closed Doors. The following year, in the episode "Double Reverse" on the Western series Tales of Wells Fargo.
Professional awards
editIn 1942, Evelyn won the Distinguished Performance Award from The Drama League, an award that is "bestowed each season on a single performer from over sixty nominated performances from Broadway and Off-Broadway."[8]
Personal life and death
editOn September 3, 1939, Evelyn and her fiancé, Canadian radio producer Andrew Allan, survived the sinking of the Anchor-Donaldson liner SS Athenia. The Athenia was the first British passenger liner to be torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine in World War II. Mr. Allan's elderly father died in the aftermath of the disaster, when the lifeboat the three of them were in was accidentally sunk by a rescue ship.[9][10]
Evelyn, at age 58, died from cancer in New York City on May 7, 1967. She is interred at the Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York.[11]
Filmography
edit| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1951 | The 13th Letter | Sister Marie Corbin | |
| 1954 | Rear Window | Miss Lonelyhearts | |
| 1954 | The Egyptian | Taia | |
| 1955 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Amelia Verber | Season 1 Episode 11: "Guilty Witness" |
| 1955 | Female on the Beach | Eloise Crandall | |
| 1956 | Hilda Crane | Mrs. Stella Crane | |
| 1956 | Giant | Mrs. Nancy Lynnton | |
| 1957 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Mable McKay | Season 2 Episode 34: "Martha Mason, Movie Star" |
| 1958 | The Brothers Karamazov | Madame Anna Hohlakov | |
| 1958 | Twilight for the Gods | Ethel Peacock | |
| 1959 | The Tingler | Mrs. Martha Ryerson Higgins | |
References
edit- ^ Sirvaitis, Karen (September 1, 2001). South Dakota. Lerner Publications. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-8225-4070-0.
- ^ a b c Profile, ancestry.com; accessed January 28, 2020.
- ^ a b "Judith Evelyn Dies". The Ottawa Journal. Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. May 8, 1967. p. 36. Retrieved July 10, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "N.Y. Drama League Award Won by Canadian Actress". Ottawa Citizen. Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. May 16, 1942. p. 25. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
- ^ a b "Prairie Star Shines On Broadway". The Winnipeg Tribune. Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba. December 8, 1941. p. 13. Retrieved July 10, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Alfred Hitchcock's 'Rear Window' invented suspense | Reading Eagle - VOICES". Reading Eagle. Archived from the original on November 16, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ^ Staggs, Sam (July 25, 2006). When Blanche Met Brando: The Scandalous Story of "A Streetcar Named Desire". Macmillan. ISBN 9781466830486.
- ^ "Award History". Drama League. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
- ^ "Judith Evelyn Archives - Thomas C. Sanger". Thomas C Sanger. April 14, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ^ Carroll, Francis M. (2012). Athenia Torpedoed: The U-boat Attack that Ignited the Battle of the Atlantic. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9781591141488.
- ^ Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.