Winifred Lenihan
Encyclopedia
Winifred Lenihan was an American actress, writer and director. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
before making her debut in 1918. Although she portrayed the would be eloper Anne in The Dover Road (1921), Anne Hathaway in Will Shakespeare (1923), and the resourceful Mary Todd in White Wings (1926), she is recalled mostly as Joan of Arc in the original American production of Saint Joan
(1923).
and, as she said, "always lived within subway distance of 42nd Street
." She had an early interest in acting. The fact that she was an attractive girl with a bright smile did her no harm.
At Bryant High School
in Queens
, she organized a dramatic company and played leads. Although she was attracted by the theater, she recalled, she had no idea of how to get on the stage, and so dismissed the idea as romantic and nice but impractical.
"I was all packed up to go to Smith College
to prepare for a teachers career," she said in 1920, "when an advertisement of a dramatic school caught my eye. I went there, took the tests and became a pupil."
From the school, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
in New York, she made her stage debut in 1918 as Belline in The Betrothal at the Playhouse in New York. Then she played in stock leading roles, portraying everything from an "ingenue to an old woman."
Although she appeared in a number of other plays during the 1920’s and the early ’30‘s, Miss Lenihan gradually became more interested in directing and teaching.
In 1925, she became the first director of the Theater Guild's School of Acting in New York. Although she hesitated at first when she was offered the post, she said, "the idea of directing a group of students in the art of acting intrigued me."
There was another reason, too. Like others, she was haunted by those inevitable months of idleness on Broadway. Even though she might be able to carry herself financially, her boundless energy revolted against any thumb-twiddling periods. While Miss Lenihan devoted much of her talent and time to teaching acting, she also felt that talent was innate and while it could be improved it could not be created. She looked for "warmth of emotion, imagination and intelligence."
In 1932, the actress went into radio to direct a series of Booth Tarkington
sketches that were sponsored by the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, She and radio were new to each other and she experimented often, sometimes to the chagrin of engineers.
When she directed a play on radio, she did not believe in letting the actors sit at tables in front of microphones reading the script. When a man was supposed to run, she had the actor run and then speak his lines rather than imitate a panting sound.
In 1928, Miss Lenihan was on the cover of McCall's
magazine. She was described as one of the "10 most beautiful women in the world."
As well as acting she directed several productions and co-wrote the play Blind Mice with Vera Caspary
in 1930 which was made into the film Working Girls the following year. Her sole movie credit is the 1949 film noir
Jigsaw.
Miss Lenihan also served on the council of Actors' Equity Association
and in 1940 was the author of a resolution, adopted by the membership, excluding from office or employment on the union’s staff any Communist, Nazi or Fascist or sympathizer.
" had its world premiere at the Garrick Theater in New York in 1923, a slim blue-eyed actress of limited experience was chosen for the role of Joan of Orleans
. She was Winifred Lenihan, and she played the part so well that she became famous overnight.
Miss Lenihan had arrived on Broadway only a short time before that and the initial joy of appearing on the stage had not yet worn off. She told an interviewer: "Here I am on Broadway. It does seem like a fairy tale."
Her performance as Joan was applauded by critics and audience alike. John Corbin
, reviewing the play in The New York Times
, said: "Joan’s moods of frank girlhood, and of a sainthood patient and proud, are rendered with consummate simplicity and graces."
Of Miss Lenihan's performance, he wrote: "Taken as a whole, it is a really great performance and one which, like the play, grows mightily in memory."
Even many years later, theater writers were still praising her performance whenever they mentioned "Saint Joan." Brooks Atkinson
wrote in The Times that Miss Lenihan and Katharine Cornell
, who played the role later, "left their marks on the part, for both of them had something genuine to give it."
. She was 64 years old.
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
The American Academy of Dramatic Arts is a fully accredited two-year conservatory with facilities located in Manhattan, New York City – at 120 Madison Avenue, in a landmark building designed by noted architect Stanford White as the original Colony Club – and in Hollywood, California...
before making her debut in 1918. Although she portrayed the would be eloper Anne in The Dover Road (1921), Anne Hathaway in Will Shakespeare (1923), and the resourceful Mary Todd in White Wings (1926), she is recalled mostly as Joan of Arc in the original American production of Saint Joan
Saint Joan (play)
Saint Joan is a play by George Bernard Shaw, based on the life and trial of Joan of Arc. Published not long after the canonization of Joan of Arc by the Roman Catholic Church, the play dramatises what is known of her life based on the substantial records of her trial. Shaw studied the transcripts...
(1923).
Biography
Winifred Lenihan was born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
and, as she said, "always lived within subway distance of 42nd Street
42nd Street (Manhattan)
42nd Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, known for its theaters, especially near the intersection with Broadway at Times Square. It is also the name of the region of the theater district near that intersection...
." She had an early interest in acting. The fact that she was an attractive girl with a bright smile did her no harm.
At Bryant High School
William Cullen Bryant High School
William Cullen Bryant High School, or William C. Bryant High School, and Bryant High School for short, is a secondary school located in Queens, New York City, New York, United States serving grades 9 through 12.-Name:...
in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, she organized a dramatic company and played leads. Although she was attracted by the theater, she recalled, she had no idea of how to get on the stage, and so dismissed the idea as romantic and nice but impractical.
"I was all packed up to go to Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
to prepare for a teachers career," she said in 1920, "when an advertisement of a dramatic school caught my eye. I went there, took the tests and became a pupil."
From the school, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
The American Academy of Dramatic Arts is a fully accredited two-year conservatory with facilities located in Manhattan, New York City – at 120 Madison Avenue, in a landmark building designed by noted architect Stanford White as the original Colony Club – and in Hollywood, California...
in New York, she made her stage debut in 1918 as Belline in The Betrothal at the Playhouse in New York. Then she played in stock leading roles, portraying everything from an "ingenue to an old woman."
Although she appeared in a number of other plays during the 1920’s and the early ’30‘s, Miss Lenihan gradually became more interested in directing and teaching.
In 1925, she became the first director of the Theater Guild's School of Acting in New York. Although she hesitated at first when she was offered the post, she said, "the idea of directing a group of students in the art of acting intrigued me."
There was another reason, too. Like others, she was haunted by those inevitable months of idleness on Broadway. Even though she might be able to carry herself financially, her boundless energy revolted against any thumb-twiddling periods. While Miss Lenihan devoted much of her talent and time to teaching acting, she also felt that talent was innate and while it could be improved it could not be created. She looked for "warmth of emotion, imagination and intelligence."
In 1932, the actress went into radio to direct a series of Booth Tarkington
Booth Tarkington
Booth Tarkington was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning novels The Magnificent Ambersons and Alice Adams...
sketches that were sponsored by the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, She and radio were new to each other and she experimented often, sometimes to the chagrin of engineers.
When she directed a play on radio, she did not believe in letting the actors sit at tables in front of microphones reading the script. When a man was supposed to run, she had the actor run and then speak his lines rather than imitate a panting sound.
In 1928, Miss Lenihan was on the cover of McCall's
McCall's
McCall's was a monthly American women's magazine that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-format magazine called The Queen in 1873...
magazine. She was described as one of the "10 most beautiful women in the world."
As well as acting she directed several productions and co-wrote the play Blind Mice with Vera Caspary
Vera Caspary
Vera Caspary was an American writer of novels, plays, screenplays, and short stories. Her best-known novel Laura was made into a highly successful movie. Though she claimed she was not a "real" mystery writer, her novels effectively merged women's quest for identity and love with murder plots...
in 1930 which was made into the film Working Girls the following year. Her sole movie credit is the 1949 film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
Jigsaw.
Miss Lenihan also served on the council of Actors' Equity Association
Actors' Equity Association
The Actors' Equity Association , commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing the world of live theatrical performance, as opposed to film and television performance. However, performers appearing on live stage productions without a book or...
and in 1940 was the author of a resolution, adopted by the membership, excluding from office or employment on the union’s staff any Communist, Nazi or Fascist or sympathizer.
Saint Joan
When "Saint JoanSaint Joan (play)
Saint Joan is a play by George Bernard Shaw, based on the life and trial of Joan of Arc. Published not long after the canonization of Joan of Arc by the Roman Catholic Church, the play dramatises what is known of her life based on the substantial records of her trial. Shaw studied the transcripts...
" had its world premiere at the Garrick Theater in New York in 1923, a slim blue-eyed actress of limited experience was chosen for the role of Joan of Orleans
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
. She was Winifred Lenihan, and she played the part so well that she became famous overnight.
Miss Lenihan had arrived on Broadway only a short time before that and the initial joy of appearing on the stage had not yet worn off. She told an interviewer: "Here I am on Broadway. It does seem like a fairy tale."
Her performance as Joan was applauded by critics and audience alike. John Corbin
John Corbin
John Corbin was an American dramatic critic and author, born in Chicago, educated at Harvard, where he was awarded the George B. Sohier Prize for literature. After his graduation from Harvard, Corbin soon became an established writer in New York City...
, reviewing the play in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, said: "Joan’s moods of frank girlhood, and of a sainthood patient and proud, are rendered with consummate simplicity and graces."
Of Miss Lenihan's performance, he wrote: "Taken as a whole, it is a really great performance and one which, like the play, grows mightily in memory."
Even many years later, theater writers were still praising her performance whenever they mentioned "Saint Joan." Brooks Atkinson
Brooks Atkinson
Justin Brooks Atkinson was an American theatre critic. He worked for The New York Times from 1925 to 1960...
wrote in The Times that Miss Lenihan and Katharine Cornell
Katharine Cornell
Katharine Cornell was an American stage actress, writer, theater owner and producer. She was born to American parents and raised in Buffalo, New York.Cornell is known as the greatest American stage actress of the 20th century...
, who played the role later, "left their marks on the part, for both of them had something genuine to give it."
Marriage
She married Frank Walker Wheeler in 1934, then vice president of the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company. He died 7 years later on August 31, 1941.Death
She died of a heart attack on July 27, 1964 at her home in Sea Cliff, New YorkSea Cliff, New York
The Village of Sea Cliff is a village located within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 4,995...
. She was 64 years old.
External links
- Winifred Lenihan at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
. - Winifred Lenihan at the Internet Broadway DatabaseInternet Broadway DatabaseThe Internet Broadway Database is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade association for the North American commercial theatre community....