WESTLEY, HELEN

(1879-1942)

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Helen Westley went on the stage in 1897, working in stock for several years before becoming one of the founders of theWashington Square Players, acting in their productions ofThe Age of Reason(1915),The Seagull(1916),Literature(1916),The Life ofMan(1917), andYouth(1918). After a long run in Leo Tolstoy'sRedemption(1918), Westley became one of the founding members of the Theatre Guild in 1919. A versatilecharacter actressof formidable presence, Westley appeared in many of the Guild's most prestigious offerings, including their second production, St.John Ervine'sJohn Ferguson(1919). For the Guild, she appeared in a series of George Bernard Shaw's plays,Heartbreak House(1920),Caesar and Cleopatra(1925),Pygmalion(1926),The Doctor's Dilemma(1927),Major Barbara(1928), andGetting Married(1931), and in two Eugene O'Neill dramas, the Pulitzer PRizE-winningStrange Interlude(1928) andDynamo(1929). Her other important Guild appearances includedHe Who Gets Slapped(1922),From Morn to Midnight(1922),R.U.R. (1922),The Adding Machine(1923),The Guardsman(1924),Reunion in Vienna* (1931),Green Grow the Lilacs* (1931), andThey Shall Not Die* (1934). Westley acted in nearly 40 motion pictures, most memorablyRoberta(1935),Show Boat(1936), andRebecca of Sunnybrook Farm(1938).