Helene Whitney Biography

Helene Whitney also known as Helene Reynolds (July 4, 1914 – March 28, 1990) was an American actress who appeared in films in the late 1930s and 1940s.

Biography

Whitney was born Kenyon Fortescue in 1914, but was known as Helene. Through her mother Grace Fortescue (1883"1979), she was a grandniece (and cousin twice removed) of Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the telephone. Through her father Granville Roland Fortescue (1875"1952), she was cousin once removed of US President Theodore Roosevelt.

She grew up in Washington DC where she attended the National Cathedral School for Girls. She married Julian Louis Reynolds (born 1910), son of Richard S. Reynolds, Sr. and heir to the Reynolds aluminum and tobacco fortunes, on July 15, 1936 in Washington, becoming Helene Fortescue Reynolds. After three years of marriage, they divorced in May 1939. She became an actress, using the stage names of Joyce Gardner, Helene Whitney and Helene Reynolds, appeared in films in the late 1930s and 1940s and later in stage productions. After her acting career ended, she became a Manhattan art gallery proprietor and artist in the 1960s. She died of pneumonia at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Atlantis, Florida on March 28, 1990.

Filmography

As Helene Whitney/Helen Whitney

Year	Title	Role
1939	The Hunchback of Notre Dame	Fleur de Lys	NYT
1940	The Saint's Double Trouble	Anne Bitts	IMdb
1940	Millionaire Playboy	aka Glamour Boy (UK)	IMdb
1940	The Philadelphia Story	Main Line Society Woman	IMdb
1941	City of Missing Girls	Katherine Crawford	IMdb

As Helene Reynolds

Year	Title	Role
1941	Confirm or Deny	Dorothy	IMdb
1941	Blue, White, and Perfect	Helen Shaw	NYT
1942	Girl Trouble	Helen Martin	IMdb
1942	Roxie Hart	Velma Wall	IMdb
1942	Tales of Manhattan	Actress	IMdb
1942	Moontide	Woman in boat	IMdb
1942	The Man Who Wouldn't Die	Anna Wolff	NYT
1943	Dixie Dugan	Jean Patterson	IMdb
1943	Heaven Can Wait	Peggy Nash	IMdb
1943	Wintertime	Marian Daly (uncredited)	NYT
1943	The Meanest Man in the World	Wife (Park Ave. Neighbor)	IMdb
1944	Bermuda Mystery	Angela	IMdb

Television

As Helene Reynolds

Year	Title	Role
1945	The Front Page	Mollie Malloy
1948	Mirage in Manhattan (The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre)

Stage

• Oh, Captain! [Original, Musical, Comedy]

Performer: Helene Whitney [English Townsperson, Dockworker, Tourist, Parisian]; Understudy: Helene Whitney [Mae] Feb 4, 1958 - Jul 19, 1958

• Happy Hunting [Original, Musical, Comedy]

Performer: Helene Whitney [Singer]; Understudy: Helene Whitney [Mrs. B.]; Understudy: Helene Whitney [Mrs. D.]; Understudy: Helene Whitney [Mrs. L.]; Performer: Helene Whitney [Margaret] - Replacement Dec 6, 1956 - Nov 30, 1957

• Call Me Madam [Original, Musical, Comedy]

Performer: Helene Whitney [Singer] Oct 12, 1950 - May 3, 1952

• Miss Liberty [Original, Musical, Comedy]

Performer: Helene Whitney [An Actress]; Performer: Helene Whitney [Singer]; Performer: Helene Whitney [The Lover's Girlfriend] Jul 15, 1949 - Apr 8, 1950

• High Button Shoes [Original, Musical, Comedy]

Performer: Helene Whitney [Singer] Oct 9, 1947 - Jul 2, 1949

• Yours Is My Heart [Original, Musical, Operetta]

Performer: Helene Whitney [Lucille]; Performer: Helene Whitney [Singing Ensemble] Sep 5, 1946 - Oct 5, 1946

Family tree