Singer, dancer and actor whose Hollywood career was overshadowed by her marriage to Errol Flynn
The gifted singer, dancer and actor Patrice Wymore, who has died aged 87, had the misfortune to be typecast in secondary roles at Warner Bros studios in the 1950s, and to be known as the third wife of the Hollywood star Errol Flynn.
The 23-year-old Wymore and the 41-year-old Flynn got married after co-starring in Rocky Mountain (1950), a minor western in which he played an army officer who rescues her from marauding Indians, though they had no love scenes together on screen. It was Wymore's second film, while Flynn was a veteran of more than three dozen movies. It was the beginning of her film career, while his was on the slide. Both were under contract to Warner Bros.
At the time, MGM musicals reigned supreme, though Warner Bros had Doris Day, a top box-office singing star.
The gifted singer, dancer and actor Patrice Wymore, who has died aged 87, had the misfortune to be typecast in secondary roles at Warner Bros studios in the 1950s, and to be known as the third wife of the Hollywood star Errol Flynn.
The 23-year-old Wymore and the 41-year-old Flynn got married after co-starring in Rocky Mountain (1950), a minor western in which he played an army officer who rescues her from marauding Indians, though they had no love scenes together on screen. It was Wymore's second film, while Flynn was a veteran of more than three dozen movies. It was the beginning of her film career, while his was on the slide. Both were under contract to Warner Bros.
At the time, MGM musicals reigned supreme, though Warner Bros had Doris Day, a top box-office singing star.
- 3/25/2014
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Hollywood actor known for playing wholesome wives and Ma Kent in Superman
Although Phyllis Thaxter, who has died aged 92, had a successful career in films throughout the 1940s and 50s, many will remember her for her last movie role, in Superman (1978). It was the small but key part of Ma Kent, the childless farmer's wife who adopts a foundling baby and names him Clark. Together with her husband (Glenn Ford) – both made intentionally to resemble the couple in Grant Wood's American Gothic painting – they bring up the abnormally physically gifted boy until he's ready to fly off "to fight for truth, justice and the American way".
At one stage, she tells him: "We Kents don't like show-offs, ain't that so? A body's got to be humble even if he knows that he's better'n his neighbours." A fragile beauty, Thaxter was never a show-off, but made an impact in a gentle way,...
Although Phyllis Thaxter, who has died aged 92, had a successful career in films throughout the 1940s and 50s, many will remember her for her last movie role, in Superman (1978). It was the small but key part of Ma Kent, the childless farmer's wife who adopts a foundling baby and names him Clark. Together with her husband (Glenn Ford) – both made intentionally to resemble the couple in Grant Wood's American Gothic painting – they bring up the abnormally physically gifted boy until he's ready to fly off "to fight for truth, justice and the American way".
At one stage, she tells him: "We Kents don't like show-offs, ain't that so? A body's got to be humble even if he knows that he's better'n his neighbours." A fragile beauty, Thaxter was never a show-off, but made an impact in a gentle way,...
- 8/17/2012
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Phyllis Thaxter, who played Superman's mother in the 1978 blockbuster starring Christopher Reeve, has died at age 90.
According to her daughter, actress Skye Aubrey, Thaxter passed away Tuesday (Aug. 14) at her Florida home after suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
Thaxter's debuted on the big screen in the 1944 wartime flick "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" as a contract actress for MGM, where her other notable films include "Bewitched," "Week-End at the Waldorf," 1947's "The Sea of Grass" with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn and "Act of Violence."
She then signed with Warner Brothers, appearing alongside John Garfield and Patricia Neal in "The Breaking Point" (1950); her other credits for the studio include "Springfield Rifle" (1952) with Gary Cooper, "Jim Thorpe -- All-American" (1951), with Burt Lancaster and "She's Working Her Way Through College" (1952) with Ronald Reagan.
Although Thaxter's big-screen career was derailed when she contracted polio in 1952, but she found regular work on television on such series as "Lux Video Theatre,...
According to her daughter, actress Skye Aubrey, Thaxter passed away Tuesday (Aug. 14) at her Florida home after suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
Thaxter's debuted on the big screen in the 1944 wartime flick "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" as a contract actress for MGM, where her other notable films include "Bewitched," "Week-End at the Waldorf," 1947's "The Sea of Grass" with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn and "Act of Violence."
She then signed with Warner Brothers, appearing alongside John Garfield and Patricia Neal in "The Breaking Point" (1950); her other credits for the studio include "Springfield Rifle" (1952) with Gary Cooper, "Jim Thorpe -- All-American" (1951), with Burt Lancaster and "She's Working Her Way Through College" (1952) with Ronald Reagan.
Although Thaxter's big-screen career was derailed when she contracted polio in 1952, but she found regular work on television on such series as "Lux Video Theatre,...
- 8/16/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Actress Virginia Mayo, a former chorus girl who made good as a movie star in the 40s and 50s in such movies as The Best Years of Our Lives and White Heat, died Monday at a nursing home in Thousand Oaks, CA of pneumonia and heart failure; she was 84. The former vaudevillian actress, often described as having the quintessential "peaches and cream" complexion, started her career under the watchful eye of Samuel Goldwyn, who cast her in a small part in the 1943 film Jack London, which starred her soon-to-be-husband Michael O'Shea, whom she married four years later. The "Goldwyn Girl" soon found herself to be a leading lady, opposite Bob Hope no less, in the 1944 film The Princess and the Pirate. Roles in numerous other light comedies followed, primarily opposite comedian Danny Kaye, with whom she appeared in four films, including The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Though known mainly for her comedic talents, Mayo was also adept at drama, and turned in an acclaimed dramatic performance in 1946's The Best Years of Our Lives as the unfaithful wife of Dana Andrews. Moving from MGM to Warner Bros. in the late 40s, Mayo scored another dramatic hit as the wife of James Cagney in the crime drama White Heat. She continued in a wide range of roles throughout the 40s and 50s in movies such as The Flame and the Arrow, Captain Horatio Hornblower, She's Working Her Way Through College, and The Silver Chalice, opposite Paul Newman in his film debut. She retired as the 60s approached, appearing only in a handful of films and rarely, if ever, doing television work. Mayo was married to O'Shea until his death in 1973, and she is survived by their daughter and three grandsons. --Prepared by IMDb staff...
- 1/18/2005
- WENN
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.