Vera Reynolds

Vera Reynolds
Reynolds in 1925
Born
Vera Nancy Reynolds

(1899-11-25)November 25, 1899
DiedApril 22, 1962(1962-04-22) (aged 62)
Burial placeValhalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood
OccupationActress
Years active1917–1932
Spouses
(m. 1919; div. 1926)
(m. 1926; div. 1938)

Vera Reynolds (born Vera Nancy Reynolds; November 25, 1899 – April 22, 1962) was an American film actress.

Early life and career

Reynolds was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1899. Her mother was Mrs. Lillie Reynolds.[1] She first worked in films at age 12.[2] She began as a dancer, worked as one of the Sennett Bathing Beauties, and became a leading lady in silent motion pictures. Among her film credits are starring roles in Sam Wood's Prodigal Daughters (1923), and Cecil B. DeMille's Feet of Clay (1924), The Golden Bed (1925), The Road to Yesterday (1925) and Dragnet Patrol (1931) with George "Gabby" Hayes.

Controversy

On August 28, 1927, police in Hollywood reported that Reynolds had attempted suicide. An ambulance took her to a hospital, where doctors classified her condition as extremely critical. Reynolds, her mother, and her doctor said that food poisoning caused her illness and denied an attempt to end her life.[1]

Marriages

She married twice:

  • To comedian Earl Montgomery;[3] they divorced in 1926.
  • To Robert Ellis du Reel (1892–1974). In March 1938, Reynolds reportedly brought a breach of promise suit against Reel. She sued Reel for $150,000, and contended she lived with Reel for nine years before she learned that they were not married. The suit claimed he promised to marry her, but failed to do so. During a recess in the trial Hollywood film director Robert G. Vignola, who believed the case could be reconciled out of court, assumed the role of peacemaker. Reynolds claimed to have had a marriage ceremony with Reel in Greenwich, Connecticut in 1926. Reel denied there had been a wedding, and stated the two had lived together unmarried. He remarked they "had the edge" on their unhappy married friends.

Death

Reynolds died in Hollywood on April 22, 1962, aged 62, at the Motion Picture Country Hospital in Woodland Hills, California.[4] She was buried in Valhalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood.

Filmography

References

  1. ^ a b "Vera Reynolds poisons self?". The Muncie Evening Press. August 29, 1927. p. 1. Retrieved March 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "'Sunny Side Up' new Vera Reynolds film". The Ottawa Citizen. December 11, 1926. p. 26. Retrieved September 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Vera Reynolds poisons self?". Muncie Evening Press. Indiana, Muncie. August 29, 1927. p. 1. Retrieved September 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Daniel Blum (1963). Daniel Blum's Screen World 1963. Biblo-Moser. p. 226. ISBN 978-0-8196-0304-3. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  • Dunkirk Evening Observer, "Breach Of Promise Suit Of Vera Reynolds Is Near Settlement", Saturday, March 26, 1938, p. 3
  • Los Angeles Times, "Screen Star Vera Reynolds Funeral Set", April 25, 1962, Page B1
  • Newark Advocate and American Tribune (Ohio), "Vera Reynolds, Pretty Blue-eyed Brunet, Possesses the Unusual - Is Popular", Saturday, July 28, 1928, p. 7
  • Oakland Tribune, "Vera Reynolds Not Poisoned", August 29, 1927, p. 1
  • St. Johns, Ivan, "A Surf Board Flapper," Photoplay, September 1924, p. 65.
  • Syracuse Herald, "Vera Reynolds Wearies Of Being Farmed Out", July 31, 1928, p. 9