Astrid Allwyn

Astrid Allwyn (born Astrid Christofferson; November 27, 1905 – March 31, 1978) was an American stage and film actress.

Astrid Allwyn
Born
Astrid Christofferson

(1905-11-27)November 27, 1905
Manchester, Connecticut, U.S.
DiedMarch 31, 1978(1978-03-31) (aged 72)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1929–1943
Spouse(s)
​
(
m. 1937; div. 1941)

Charles O. Fee
(
m. 1941)
Children2, including Melinda O. Fee

Early years

Allwyn was born in South Manchester, Connecticut,[1] part of a family that included four sisters and a brother. When she was 3 years old, her family moved to Springfield, Massachusetts.[2]

At age 13, she sang well enough in a concert to be offered a scholarship to the Boston Conservatory of Music, but she declined rather than move away from her home. After finishing high school, she moved to New York, hoping for a career as a concert singer, but she ended up taking classes at a business college and becoming a typist for a business on Wall Street.[3]

Career

Allwyn studied dancing and dramatics in New York and later joined a stock company. Allwyn made her Broadway debut in 1929 in Elmer Rice's Street Scene. On the strength of her performance in Once in a Lifetime, she was given film work. She signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and began her screen career.[3]

In films, she often played the woman from whom the male star escaped, for example Charles Boyer's character's fiancée in the 1939 version of Love Affair or James Stewart's mentor's daughter in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Personal life

Her first husband was actor Robert Kent; the two appeared together in the 1936 Shirley Temple film Dimples.[3] They married on January 10, 1937, in Tijuana, Mexico,[4] and were divorced in 1941. She remained married to second spouse Charles O. Fee until her death in 1978, at age 72. Two of their daughters, Melinda and Vicki, also became actresses.

Death

On March 31, 1978, Allwyn died of cancer in Los Angeles, California.[5]

Complete filmography
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References
  1. "Hollywood Roundup". Belvidere Daily Republican. Illinois, Belvidere. United Press. January 19, 1937. p. 7. Retrieved January 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Dietz, Edith (November 24, 1935). "Astrid Allwyn -- 'Child of the Stars'". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. p. 75. Retrieved January 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Smithson, E.J. (November 1937). "Actress by Accident". Hollywood. 26 (10): 41, 78. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  4. "Astrid Allwyn Bride of Robert Kent, Actor". The Evening Sun. Pennsylvania, Hanover. Associated Press. January 18, 1937. p. 8. Retrieved January 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 34. ISBN 9780786409839. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
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