Helen Beverley


Helen Beverley was an American film and stage actress, who began her career in Yiddish theater and films. She was sometimes credited as Helen Beverly.

Early life

Beverley was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the daughter of Russian-Jewish immigrants, Anna and Louis Smuckler.

Career

Beverley began her career in Yiddish theater and the Yiddish-language films, including a starring role in Peretz Hirshbein's Green Fields in 1937. Screenwriter Hirshbein adapted the film from his 1916 play of the same name and cast Beverley in the lead role. The National Center of Jewish Cinema has praised Green Fields, saying the film "heralded the Golden Age of Yiddish cinema."
She next starred in The Light Ahead, a 1939 film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and filmed in New Jersey. She also appeared in the 1940 Yiddish film, Overture to Glory about a cantor. Her sole Broadway role was in Clean Beds in 1939.
Beverley began appearing in mainstream English language Hollywood films during the 1940s. her credits from this period included Black Magic in 1944; The Master Race, a 1944 film about the dangers of Nazi Germany; and Stairway for a Star, a 1947 musical. She continued to appear in smaller film roles during the 1950s, including The Robe as Rebecca and The Shrike in 1955. She appeared in an episode of the television series, The Rifleman, in 1960. Her last film appearance was in the 1961 film Ada.

Family

Beverley married actor Lee J. Cobb in 1940. They had two children, including actress Julie Cobb, before their 1952 divorce.

Death

Beverley died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Los Angeles, California, on July 15, 2011, aged 94. She was survived by her daughter, and a granddaughter. Her interment was at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery.

Filmography