Helene Chadwick

Chadwick was born in the small town of Chadwicks, New York, which was named for her great-grandfather. Her parents were George W. Chadwick Jr. and Marie Louise Norton Chadwick.[1] Her mother was a singer who performed on the stage and her father was a business man.

She began making films for Pathé Pictures in Manhattan, New York. Her first film was The Challenge (1916), which was produced by Astra Film Corporation and released by Pathé.[2] A director was impressed by Chadwicks's talent as an equestrian, thus she began acting as a western star but this did not continue with the exodus of film production from the east to the west coast. Signed by Samuel Goldwyn, Chadwick went to California in 1913 and entered silent movies in 1916. At the pinnacle of her acting career, she earned a salary estimated to have been $2,000 per week.[3] From 1929 until 1935, she found success as a character actress when sound was being introduced to films.

In the final five years of her life, she was reduced to taking roles as an extra, playing "atmospheric parts".[4] Helene made movies with Warner Brothers, Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount Pictures, and other studios. Her final film was Mary Burns, Fugitive (1935).[5]

Her most noteworthy performances came in Heartsease (1919), The Long Arm of the Manister (1919), The Cup of Fury (1920), Godless Men (1920), Dangerous Curve Ahead (1921), From The Ground Up (1921), Yellow Men and Gold (1922), Dust Flower (1922), The Sin Flood (1922), The Glorious Fool (1922), and Quicksands (1923).

Helene's great-grandparents were the founders of Chadwicks, NY, a small village in Oneida County, NY. Her great-grandfather built a cotton factory on Sauquoit Creek and was one of the premier manufacturers of textiles in the Mohawk Valley. Her family came from England, in Oldham, Lancashire County. She attended school at a one-room schoolhouse provided by her great-grandfather for the mill workers.

In January 1919, Chadwick became engaged to William A. Wellman, an American pilot with the Lafayette Flying Corps. He had just returned from France and was cited for bravery for his valor in World War I. The couple had met at a party at the house of a friend. Wellman was signed to play a prominent role in an upcoming movie with Douglas Fairbanks Sr. The couple wed in July 1921, but in the summer of 1923, Chadwick sued Wellman for divorce on grounds of desertion and nonsupport. At the time of their separation, William was directing movies for Fox Film.

Helene Chadwick died at St. Vincent's Hospital in Los Angeles, aged 42, in 1940. Her death was indirectly the result of an accident she suffered in June 1939. She stumbled over a chair and sustained injuries to her left side and eye. Doctors said her illness was exacerbated by "her highly nervous state."

Her funeral was conducted by Pierce Brothers Mortuary and attended by stage and screen friends. Her body was returned to Chadwicks and she is buried in the Sauquoit Valley Cemetery.[6]

• The Los Angeles Times, "Flashes, Picture Star To Wed", January 11, 1919, Page II3.
• The Los Angeles Times, "She Could Ride", October 15, 1922, Page III30.
• The Los Angeles Times, "Film Star Seeks Divorce", July 24, 1923, Page II1.
• The Los Angeles Times, "Former Star of Films Dies", September 6, 1940, Page A1.
• The Los Angeles Times, "Helene Chadwick Paid Last Honor", September 8, 1940, Page A2.
• The Oakland Tribune, "Cinema Close-Ups", June 3, 1923, Page 92.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Helene Chadwick.

• Helene Chadwick on IMDb
• Helene Chadwick at AllMovie
• Helene Chadwick at Virtual History