Helen Beverley

Beverley was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the daughter of Russian-Jewish immigrants, Anna and Louis Smuckler.[2][3]

Beverley began her career in Yiddish theater and the Yiddish-language films, including a starring role in Peretz Hirshbein's Green Fields in 1937.[1] Screenwriter Hirshbein adapted the film from his 1916 play of the same name and cast Beverley in the lead role.[1] The National Center of Jewish Cinema has praised Green Fields, saying the film "heralded the Golden Age of Yiddish cinema."[1]

She next starred in The Light Ahead, a 1939 film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and filmed in New Jersey.[1] She also appeared in the 1940 Yiddish film, Overture to Glory about a cantor.[1][4][5] Her sole Broadway role was in Clean Beds in 1939.[5]

Beverley began appearing in mainstream English language Hollywood films during the 1940s.[5] her credits from this period included Black Magic in 1944; The Master Race, a 1944 film about the dangers of Nazi Germany;[1] and Stairway for a Star, a 1947 musical.[5] She continued to appear in smaller film roles during the 1950s, including The Robe as Rebecca and The Shrike in 1955.[1] She appeared in an episode of the television series, The Rifleman, in 1960.[1] Her last film appearance was in the 1961 film Ada.[1][5]

Beverley married actor Lee J. Cobb in 1940. They had two children, including actress Julie Cobb, before their 1952 divorce.[6]

Beverley died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Los Angeles, California, on July 15, 2011, aged 94.[4] She was survived by her daughter, and a granddaughter.[5] Her interment was at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery.

• Helen Beverley at Find a Grave
• Helen Beverley on IMDb