Allys Dwyer (August 10, 1903 – October 15, 1998) was an American actress who became a college educator.

Early years

Dwyer was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Augustin Dwyer of New York. Her father was vice-president of the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company. She graduated cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree from the College of New Rochelle. She also acted in a student production while she was there.

Career

Acting

Dwyer debuted as a professional actress in the play ''The Fool'', performing with a touring company, after which she joined the

Henry Jewett Players The Henry Jewett Players (c.1910s–1930s) was a repertory theatre troupe established by actor Henry Jewett in Boston, Massachusetts. The group operated from the Boston Opera House (c.1915); the Toy Theatre and Copley Theatre on Dartmouth Street (c ...

in Boston. In 1925, she performed with the Dowling and Anhalt troupe. In 1926, she acted with the Fulton Players in

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster, ( ; pdc, Lengeschder) is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population amon ...

. In August 1929, she became the leading actress with the Bainbridge Players at the Shubert Theater in Minneapolis. Her work there included portraying Nina in a production of Eugene O'Neill's ''Strange Interlude''. Her tenure with the Bainbridge Players ended in December 1929, when she left to work in motion pictures under a contract with Fox Film Corporation. On Broadway, Dwyer appeared in ''The Five O'Clock Girl'' (1927), ''A Regular Guy'' (1931), and ''Hot Money'' (1931).

Academics

By 1936, Dwyer (going by her married name, Allys Dwyer Vergara) had become a lecturer in speech at the College of New Rochelle. By 1939, she had become an associate professor of speech. She also continued her own education at Columbia Teachers College, where in 1946 she wrote the dissertation ''A Critical Study of a Group of College Women's Responses to Poetry''.

Personal life

Dwyer was married to

George Vergara George Aloysius Vergara (March 18, 1901 – August 13, 1982) was a player in the National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally betw ...

, a former professional football player who later owned an insurance agency in New Rochelle, New York, and was mayor there from 1956 to 1960.

Recognition

The College of New Rochelle established the Allys Dwyer Vergara Award to recognize students for excellence in speech.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dwyer, Allys 20th-century American actresses 1903 births 1998 deaths American stage actresses Actresses from New York City College of New Rochelle alumni College of New Rochelle faculty 20th-century American educators American women academics