Selena Royle

Selena Royle
Publicity still from 1948
Born	(1904-11-06)November 6, 1904 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	April 23, 1983(1983-04-23) (aged 78) Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Other names	Selena Royale
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1921–1959
Spouse(s)	Earle Larrimore ​ ​ (m. 1932⁠–⁠1943)​ Georges Renavent ​ ​ (m. 1948⁠–⁠1969)​

Selena Royle (November 6, 1904 — April 23, 1983) was an American stage, television and film actress.

Early life and career

Born in New York City, Royle's parents were playwright Edwin Milton Royle and actress Selena Fetter (April 12, 1860 - May 10, 1955). She had an older sister Josephine Fetter Royle (1901–1992). She turned to acting despite the objections of her parents. Nonetheless, her first professional role was as Guinevere in her father's play Lancelot and Elaine. Eventually she landed a part on her own in the 1923 Theatre Guild production of Peer Gynt with Joseph Schildkraut and became a respected Broadway actress. She made one film in the 1930s, Misleading Lady, but otherwise worked on the stage and on radio, starring on the shows Hilda Hope, M.D. and Kate Hopkins.

In the 1940s, she returned to film and had a successful run, mainly playing maternal characters such as Ingrid Bergman's mother in Joan of Arc (1948). She also made several appearances on early television. However, in 1951, when she refused to testify about her alleged Communist sympathies before the House Un-American Activities Committee, her acting career came to a sudden standstill. She appeared in only two more films afterwards, including the low-budget Robot Monster.

Personal life and death

Her first husband was Earle Larrimore. They were married in 1932 and divorced in 1942. She was married to actor Georges Renavent from 1948 until his death in 1969.

Royle died in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico on April 23, 1983, aged 78.

Partial filmography

• Misleading Lady (1932)
• Stage Door Canteen (1943)
• The Fighting Sullivans (1944)
• Mrs. Parkington (1944)
• This Man's Navy (1945)
• The Harvey Girls (1946)
• The Green Years (1946)
• Gallant Journey (1946)
• Night and Day (1946)
• The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947)
• Cass Timberlane (1947)
• Summer Holiday (1948)
• Smart Woman (1948)
• A Date with Judy (1948)
• Moonrise (1948)
• Joan of Arc (1948)
• My Dream Is Yours (1949)
• Bad Boy (1949)
• The Heiress (1949)
• Branded (1950)
• The Big Hangover (1950)
• He Ran All the Way (1951)
• Robot Monster (1953)

See also

• Hollywood blacklist

External links

• Selena Royle at the Internet Broadway Database
• Selena Royle at IMDb
• Selena Fetter mother of Selena Royle, portrait from the University of Louisville