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Helene Chadwick (November 25, 1897 – September 4, 1940) was an American actress in Silent and early sound films.
1935
Helene Chadwick (November 25, 1897 – September 4, 1940) was an American actress in Silent and early sound films.
Chadwick was born in the small town of Chadwicks, New York, which was named for her grandfather. Her mother was a singer who performed on the stage and her father was a businessman.
She began making films for Pathe Pictures in Manhattan, New York. A director was impressed by Chadwick's talent as an equestrian, thus she began acting as a western star, but this did not continue with the exodus of film production from the east to the west coast. Signed by Samuel Goldwyn, Chadwick went to California in 1913 and entered silent movies in 1916. She was a star from 1920 through 1925. At the pinnacle of her acting career, she earned a salary estimated to have been $2,000 per week. From 1929 until 1935, she found success as a character actress when sound was being introduced to films.
In the final five years of her life she was reduced to taking roles as an extra, playing "atmospheric parts". She was always optimistic that her fortunes would turn for the better. Helene made movies with Warner Brothers, Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount Pictures, and other studios.
Her most noteworthy performances came in The Long Arm of Mannister (1919), The Cup of Fury (1920), Heartsease (1919), The Sin Flood (1922), Dangerous Curve Ahead (1921), From The Ground Up (1921), The Glorious Fool (1922), Yellow Men and Gold (1922), Dust Flower (1922), Godless Men (1920), and Quicksands (1923).
In January 1919, Chadwick became engaged to Lieutenant William A. Wellman, an American pilot with the Lafayette Flying Corps. He had just returned from France and was cited for bravery for his valour in World War I. The couple had met at a party at the house of a friend. Wellman was signed to play a prominent role in an upcoming movie with Douglas Fairbanks Sr. The couple wed in July 1921, but in the summer of 1923 Chadwick sued Wellman for divorce on grounds of desertion and non-support. At the time of their separation William was directing movies for Fox Film. Wellman directed Wings, the first film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture, as well as many other notable films.
Helene Chadwick died at St. Vincent's Hospital, Los Angeles, California, aged 42, in 1940. Her death was indirectly the result of an accident she suffered in June 1939.
Gender
Female
Birthday
November 24, 1897
Died
September 4, 1940
Birthplace
Chadwicks, New York, USA
Also Known As
The Golden Cocoon
1925
The Solitary Sin
1919
Frisco Kid
1935
The Bad Sister
1931
The Old Nest
1921
Night World
1932
Wise Guys Prefer Brunettes
1926
Mississippi
1935
Mary Burns, Fugitive
1935
School for Girls
1934
Morning Glory
1933
Hell Bound
1931
Merrily Yours
1933
A Wicked Woman
1934
The Sin Flood
1922
So Big!
1932
Employees' Entrance
1933
Godless Men
1920
The House of Hate
1918
The Perfect Set-Up
1936
+ 45 more movies