Helen Vinson
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Helen Vinson (September 17, 1907-October 7, 1999) was an American film actress from Beaumont, Texas. Her real name was Helen Rulfs. She was a tall and distinguished-looking woman with brown eyes and naturally curly hair. Her voice was low and vibrant with a Southern slur. Sometimes this was mistaken for an English accent. Miss Vinson's father was an oil man. Her personal life included a passion for horses she developed during her youth. Arrabella was the name of Helen's private and personal mount.
She studied at the University of Texas at Austin, Texas. There she met Mrs. March Culmore, director of the Houston, Texas Little Theater. Culmore took Helen as a pupil and soon the young woman was playing leads with The Little Theater Group. From Texas she moved quickly to Broadway. Her first success in New York, New York was in the role of Alison Skipworth in a play called Los Angeles. A succession of performances followed and led to a contract with Warner Brothers. In the future she regretted her quick leap to Hollywood and motion pictures. She lamented this, saying If I'd stayed in New York longer I'd be getting a much bigger salary out here now.
[edit] Film Career
Miss Vinson's screen career often featured her in roles in which she played the part of the other woman or wicked siren. Her first film role was Jewel Robbery (1932) which starred William Powell and Kay Francis. She continued in motion pictures through 1945, with the role of Helen Draque in The Thin Man Goes Home. One of her memorable roles is in The Wedding Night (1935). She played the wife of Gary Cooper and the rival of Anna Sten in a story of the Connecticut tobacco fields. Another performance was in the RKO film In Name Only (1939). She was cast as the treacherous friend of Carole Lombard, Kay Francis, and Cary Grant.
[edit] Private Life and Death
Helen's activities away from films saw her making frequent trips to New York to see shows, visiting friends in her home state of Texas, and enjoying the Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was married to noted tennis player Fred Perry.
Helen Vinson died in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 1999.
[edit] References
- Oakland, California Tribune, Close-Up of a Real Trooper, March 17, 1935, Page 70.
- Port Arthur, Texas News, For Women Only, November 26, 1939, Page 47.
