Gene Tierney

Gene Tierney (November 19, 1920 – November 6, 1991) was an American actress. Acclaimed as one of the great beauties of her day, she is probably best-remembered for her performance in the title role of Laura in the 1940s.

Broadway & modeling

In her first part on Broadway, she carried a bucket of water across the stage in What a Life (1939). That same year, she appeared in the role as Molly O'Day in the Broadway production Mrs. O'Brien Entertains, and also played Peggy Carr in Ring Two.

Related Topics:
Broadway - 1939

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Tierney also worked as a photographic model in New York. Photos of her appeared in Life, Harper's Bazaar and Collier's Weekly.

Related Topics:
Model - New York - Life - Harper's Bazaar - Collier's Weekly

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Her wealthy father set up a corporation, Belle-Tier, to fund and promote her career. Columbia offered her a six-month contract, which she accepted. She met Howard Hughes, who tried unsuccessfully to seduce her. He subsequently remained a lifelong friend. A cameraman advised her to lose a little weight, saying "a thinner face is more seductive." She then wrote to Harper's Bazaar for a slimming diet, which she followed for the next twenty years.

Related Topics:
Wealth - Career - Columbia - Howard Hughes

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The studio failed to find her a project, however, so she returned to New York and starred as Patricia Stanley in The Male Animal (1940) on Broadway.

Related Topics:
Studio - 1940

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