Gene Eliza Tierney November 19, β November 6, [ 1 ] was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed for her great beauty, she became established as a leading lady. She was named after a beloved uncle, who died young. Her father was a successful insurance broker of Irish descent on his paternal side; their mother was a former physical education instructor.
Tierney spent two years in Europe, attending Brillantmont International School in Lausanne , Switzerland , where she learned to speak fluent French. On a family trip to the West Coast , she visited Warner Bros. Director Anatole Litvak , taken by the year-old's beauty, told Tierney that she should become an actress. Warner Bros. Tierney's society debut occurred on September 24, , when she was 17 years old. Her father said, "If Gene is to be an actress, it should be in the legitimate theatre.
In Tierney's first role on Broadway , she carried a bucket of water across the stage in What a Life! A Variety magazine critic declared, "Miss Tierney is certainly the most beautiful water carrier I've ever seen!
O'Brien Entertains Theater critic Richard Watts Jr. Tierney's father set up a corporation, Belle-Tier, to fund and promote her acting career. Columbia Pictures signed her to a six-month contract in She met Howard Hughes , who tried unsuccessfully to seduce her. From a well-to-do family herself, she was not impressed by his wealth. Hughes eventually became a lifelong friend. After a cameraman advised Tierney to lose a little weight, she wrote to Harper's Bazaar magazine for a diet, which she followed for the next 25 years.
Tierney was initially offered the lead role in National Velvet , but production was delayed. The Male Animal was a hit, and Tierney was featured in Life. Zanuck , the head of 20th Century Fox , was rumored to have been in the audience. During the performance, he told an assistant to note Tierney's name.
