Selena Royle

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Selena Royle (November 6, 1904, New York, United States - April 23, 1983, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico) was a stage and film actress.

Her father was playwright Edwin Milton Royle. She turned to acting despite the objections of her parents. Nonetheless, her first professional role was as Guinevere in her father's play Lancelot and Elaine. Eventually however, she landed a part on her own in the 1923 Theatre Guild production of Peer Gynt with Joseph Schildkraut and became a respected Broadway actress. She made one film in the 1930s, Misleading Lady, but otherwise worked on the stage and on radio, starring on the shows Hilda Hope, M.D. and Kate Hopkins. In the 1940s, she returned to film and had a successful run, mainly playing maternal characters. However, in 1951, when she refused to testify about her alleged Communist sympathies before the House Un-American Activities Committee, headed by Senator Joseph McCarthy, her acting career came to a sudden standstill. She appeared in only two more films afterwards, including the low-budget Robot Monster, considered one of the worst films ever made.

Her first husband was Earle Larrimore. They were married in 1932 and divorced in 1942. She was married to actor Georges Renavent from 1948 until his death in 1969.