Josephine Hutchinson

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Josephine Hutchinson

Born November 10, 1903(1903-11-10)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Died June 4, 1998 (aged 94)
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Spouse(s) Robert W. Bell, divorced 1930
Domestic partner(s) Eva Le Gallienne

Josephine Hutchinson (November 10, 1903 – June 4, 1998) was an American actress.

She was born in Seattle, Washington, and made her film debut at the age of thirteen. She later attended the Cornish School of Music and Drama, in Seattle, and then moved to New York City where she began acting in theater. She was pretty, confident, and by the late 1920s was one of the few who could make the transition from silent movies to talkies.

In 1926, Hutchinson, who was by this time married to Robert W. Bell, a stage director, met the actress Eva Le Gallienne and became a member of the latter's Civic Repertory Theatre company. By 1927, the two women were involved in a lesbian affair which eventually caused Hutchinson's husband to file for divorce, citing Le Gallienne as his wife's "co-respondent". The press quickly dubbed Hutchinson a shadow actress, which at the time meant lesbian. [1] Hutchinson and Bell, who separated in 1928, were divorced in 1930.[2] Both actresses survived the scandal, however, and continued their careers, with Le Gallienne later that same year playing in Alison's Playhouse, which won a Pulitzer Prize.[1]

Hutchinson, while with Le Gallienne's Civic Repertory Theater, won critical acclaim for her title role in Alice in Wonderland. She went to Hollywood in 1934, under contract with Warner Bros., debuting in Happiness Ahead, and was featured on the cover of Film Weekly on August 23, 1935. [3] She followed that first film up with The Story of Louis Pasteur in 1936. At Universal she played in one of her most memorable roles, alongside actor Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff in Son of Frankenstein (1939).[4] [5] She later played "Mrs Townsend" in North by Northwest (1959), which starred actor Cary Grant and actress Eva Marie Saint, [6] and Love is Better Than Ever, starring Elizabeth Taylor. [7]

Hutchinson continued to work steadily through the 1970s in film and television roles, establishing a solid and financially lucrative career in playing mostly supporting roles. [8] [9] She often played the role of a firm and forceful elderly woman.

She died on June 4, 1998 at Manhattan's Florence Nightingale Nursing Home, aged 94.[10]

[edit] Select filmography

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b www.glbtq.com Le Gallienne, Eva (1899-1991)
  2. ^ "Divorces Robert Bell", The New York Times, 9 July 1930
  3. ^ Josephine Hutchinson - Movie Star Magazine Covers, Posters and CD's available
  4. ^ Step Down to Terror
  5. ^ Basil Rathbone: Master of Stage and Screen - Son of Frankenstein
  6. ^ Classic Film Guide
  7. ^ Stanley Donen TV Listings - find Stanley Donen on TV | TV-Now.com
  8. ^ Nevada Smith
  9. ^ [1][dead link]
  10. ^ Step Down to Terror

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Hutchinson, Josephine
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Actor
DATE OF BIRTH 1903-11-10
PLACE OF BIRTH Seattle, Washington, U.S.
DATE OF DEATH 1998-6-4
PLACE OF DEATH Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Languages