Elyse Knox Biography

Elyse Knox (born Elsie Lillian Kornbrath: December 14, 1917 - February 16, 2012) was an American actress, model, and fashion designer.

Early life

Knox was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the daughter of Austrian immigrants Hermine Sophie (ne Muck) and Frederick Kornbrath. She studied at the Traphagen School of Fashion in Manhattan, New York, then embarked on a career in fashion design. She modeled some of her own creations for Vogue magazine, which led to a contract offer from Twentieth Century Fox film studio in 1937.

Career

Knox performed mainly in minor or secondary roles until 1942 when she had a leading role with Lon Chaney, Jr. in The Mummy's Tomb, one of the series of Mummy horror films made by Universal Studios. She appeared as herself in the Universal Studios 1944 production Follow the Boys, one of the World War II morale-booster films made both for the soldiers serving overseas as well as civilians at home. Knox also was a pin up girl during the war, appearing in such magazines as Yank, a weekly published and distributed by the United States Military.

In late 1945, Knox was signed by Monogram Pictures to portray Anne Howe, the love interest of fictional boxer Joe Palooka in Joe Palooka, Champ. Based on the very popular comic strip, the instant success of the May 1946 film led to Knox appearing in another five Joe Palooka productions. After acting in 39 films, Knox retired in 1949 following her performance in the musical film There's a Girl in My Heart.

Personal life

While appearing on the Bing Crosby radio show, she met football star Tom Harmon, winner of the Heisman Trophy in 1940. They were engaged to be married, but ended the relationship when Harmon entered the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1942. Later that year, Knox married fashion photographer Paul Hesse, who had shot many of her print ads and magazine covers, but the marriage was brief.

Following her divorce and Harmon's return from World War II (during which he survived two plane crashes and being lost in the jungle), she and Harmon married in 1944. Her wedding dress was made of silk from the parachute Harmon used when bailing out of his plane. After Harmon's demobilization, they settled in the Los Angeles area.

Children

The couple had three children: Kristin (born 1945), Kelly (born 1948) and Mark (born 1951). Kristin became an actress and painter who at seventeen married recording artist Ricky Nelson and gave birth to four children: Tracy, twins Gunnar and Matthew, and Sam. Kelly, a model turned interior designer, was once married to automaker John DeLorean and has two daughters and a son and two other stepchildren. Mark played quarterback at UCLA, became an actor, and has two sons with wife Pam Dawber.

Death

On February 16, 2012, Knox died at her home in Los Angeles at age 94.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1937	Wake Up and Live	Nurse	uncredited
1940	Lillian Russell	Lillian Russell's Sister	performer: "Brighten the Corner Where You Are"
1940	Youth Will Be Served	Pamela
1940	Yesterday's Heroes	Undetermined role	uncredited
1940	Girl from Avenue A	Angela
1940	Girl in 313	Judith Wilson
1940	Star Dust	Girl	uncredited
1940	Free, Blonde and 21	Marjorie
1941	Miss Polly	Barbara Snodgrass
1941	All-American Co-Ed	Co-ed	uncredited
1941	Tanks a Million	Jeannie
1941	Sheriff of Tombstone	Mary Carson
1941	Footlight Fever	Eileen Drake
1942	Arabian Nights	Duenna	uncredited
1942	The Mummy's Tomb	Isobel Evans
1942	Top Sergeant	Helen Gray
1942	Hay Foot	Betty Barkley
1943	Hi'ya, Sailor	Pat Rogers
1943	So's Your Uncle	Patricia Williams
1943	Hit the Ice	Nurse Peggy Osborne
1943	Mister Big	Alice Taswell
1943	Keep 'Em Slugging	Suzanne
1943	Don Winslow of the Coast Guard	Mercedes Colby
1944	Army Wives	Jerry Van Dyke
1944	A Wave, a WAC and a Marine	Marian
1944	Moonlight and Cactus	Louise Ferguson
1944	Follow the Boys	Herself
1946	Sweetheart of Sigma Chi	Betty Allen
1946	Gentleman Joe Palooka	Anne Howe
1946	Joe Palooka, Champ	Anne Howe
1947	Linda, Be Good	Linda Prentiss
1947	Joe Palooka in the Knockout	Anne Howe
1947	Black Gold	Ruth Frazer
1948	Joe Palooka in Winner Take All	Anne Howe
1948	I Wouldn't Be in Your Shoes	Ann Quinn
1948	Joe Palooka in Fighting Mad	Anne Howe
1949	There's a Girl in My Heart	Claire Adamson
1949	Joe Palooka in the Counterpunch	Anne Howe
1949	Forgotten Women	Kate Allison
1953	I Was a Burlesque Queen	Linda Prentiss	archive footage
1999	Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed	Isobel Evans	archive footage