Frances Helm, actress, 83
bway...@gmail.com
of actor Brian Keith.
IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0375615/
IBDB: http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?ID=78260
http://www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews/nyc/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003558363
Actor Frances Helm Dies at 83
March 14, 2007
By Andrew Salomon
Frances Helm, an actor who worked for 50 years in theatre, film and
television and was among the first women admitted to The Players Club,
died Dec. 30, 2006, after a long illness. She was 83 and lived in
Manhattan.
Helm was performing in the national touring company of Mr. Roberts
starring John Forsythe when she was cast as a replacement in the role
of Rachel Brown in the original production of Inherit the Wind. Other
Broadway credits included the Jason Robards-led revival of You Can't
Take It With You and Morning's at Seven with Maureen O'Sullivan,
Theresa Wright, and Nancy Marchand.
Helm later played O'Sullivan in a TV movie, Love and Betrayal: The Mia
Farrow Story. Other television work included daytime dramas such as
Edge of Night and All My Children, as well as guest roles on Gunsmoke,
Kojak, Sunset Strip, and Perry Mason.
Helm was born in Panama City, Fla., and was raised in Richmond, Va.
While in college at Willam and Mary, she came to New York in 1944 and
was soon cast in Ruth Gordon's Years Ago, an autobiographical play. In
1963, she married Walter Wallace, who had served as the assistant
secretary of labor in the Eisenhower administration. He and their
daughter, Dr. Lauren Helm, survive her.
In 1989, Helm was one of the first women to be admitted to the
previously all-male players club, a group that included Helen Hayes.
Helm had tried to become a member for years, and eventually member Lee
Falk (producer, dramatist, and creator of the Phantom and Mandrake the
Magician comic strips) advocated on behalf of her and the other women.
Later on, Helm was one of the first women to serve on the board of
directors, and she served on the executive committee and the
membership committee, which she also chaired for a time. A memorial
was held at the club on March 6.
© 2007 VNU eMedia Inc. All rights reserved.
wazzzy
Tue., Mar. 20, 2007, 12:23pm PTActress Helm dies at 83
50-year career included stage, screen
By VARIETY STAFF
Frances Helm, an actress whose 50-year career spanned Broadway, film
and television, died Dec. 30 in New York after a long illness. Her
death was only recently announced. She was 83.
Helm was performing in the national company of "Mr Roberts" opposite
John Forsythe when she won her first Broadway role, as an ingenue in
"Inherit The Wind" with Paul Muni in 1955. She later appeared on
Broadway in plays including Ellis Raab's revival of "You Can't Take it
With You," with Jason Robards and "Morning's At Seven" with Maureen
O'Sullivan, Theresa Wright and Nancy Marchand. She played in regional
theater with Miriam Hopkins in "Look Homeward, Angel" and with Joe E.
Lewis in "Harvey" and "The Showoff."
Making the transition from the stage to television, she appeared in
soaps including "Edge of Night" and "All My Children." She also
appeared in "Gunsmoke," "Kojak," "Sunset Strip" and "Perry Mason," as
well as the drama series "Robert Montgomery Presents." Most recently,
she portrayed Mia Farrow's mother, Maureen O'Sullivan, in the TV film
"Love and Betrayal: the Mia Farrow Story."
Raised in Richmond, Virginia, she attended William and Mary College,
came to New York in 1944 and was soon cast in Ruth Gordon's
autobiographical play "Years Ago." She was a member of The Players
Club, where she served for many years on the Board of Directors, as a
member of the Executive Committee and as Chair of the Membership
Committee.
In 1963, Helm married attorney Walter Wallace, who had served as
Assistant Secretary of Labor in the Eisenhower administration.
She is survived by her husband and a daughter.
Donations may be made to The Actors' Home, Englewood, NJ.