fiction.wikisort.org - Actor

Helen Wood (1917-1988) was an American actress active in film and radio primarily during the 1930s. She is not to be confused with the actress and performer Helen [Ann] Wood (1935-1998), who later appeared in Deep Throat and other adult films as "Dolly Sharp."

Helen Wood
Born	(1917-06-04)June 4, 1917[citation needed] Clarksville, Tennessee, USA
Died	February 8, 1988(1988-02-08) (aged 70)[citation needed] Burbank, California, USA
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1933–1949
Spouse	Earl Henriksen

Biography

Wood was born in Clarksville, Tennessee, to Edwin Wood (who worked in real estate and insurance) and Hazel Case.[1] She had a younger sister, Mary Martha.[2]

After winning a beauty contest at Clarksville's Capitol Theatre in 1933 as a teenager, Wood earned a trip to Hollywood, where she was cast in Roman Scandals (1933). She then returned to Clarksville to finish high school; upon her return to Hollywood after graduation, she signed a contract with MGM.[3]

She reportedly spent $4,000 on a vocal coach who helped her drop her Southern accent.[4] She later signed at 20th Century Fox, where she was made to compete for parts against fellow actresses Rita Hayworth (then Margarita Cansino) and Dixie Dunbar.[1] On-screen, she was frequently paired with actor Thomas Beck.[5] Supposedly she had to back out of a big role due to an illness early on in her career.[3]

She worked in radio after her on-screen roles dried up in the late 1930s. In 1942, she married Earl Henriksen.

Selected filmography

• Roman Scandals (1933)
• Moulin Rouge (1934)
• Kid Millions (1934)
• Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
• Mary Jane's Pa (1935)
• In Caliente (1935)
• Anna Karenina (1935)
• She Married Her Boss (1935)
• The Goose and the Gander (1935)
• A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
• My Marriage (1936)
• Champagne Charlie (1936)
• High Tension (1936)
• Charlie Chan at the Race Track (1936)
• Sing, Baby, Sing (1936)
• Can This Be Dixie? (1936)
• Crack-Up (1936)
• Almost a Gentleman (1939)
• Sorority House (1939)
• The Pilgrimage Play (1949)

References

External Links

• Entry for Helen Wood (1) (1917-1988) at the Internet Movie Database: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0789032/
• "Club & Social Affairs: Helen Wood to Wed". Kentucky New Era (news.google.com/newspapers). December 5, 1940. p. 3. Retrieved October 28, 2022.

---