Colleen Townsend, Mrs. Louis Evans (born December 21, 1928) is an American actress, author and humanitarian.

Early years

Townsend was born in Glendale, California. She attended Brigham Young University, leaving during her sophomore year to pursue a film career.

Life and career

Townsend began a film career in 1944, appearing in minor roles in several films. By 1946, she was appearing on the cover of magazines, and in 1947, she was signed to a contract by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

. She was the subject of a cover story for ''Life'' in 1948, which discussed the way in which major studios groomed and manufactured their stars, using Townsend's story as an example. The studio created a photographic calendar for her to "put erface in every home, office and barracks in America all year around".

Hedda Hopper Hedda Hopper (born Elda Furry; May 2, 1885February 1, 1966) was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, her readership was 35 million. A strong supporter of the House Un-American Activities Committ ...

was quoted as saying that Townsend was "going places." She played a featured role in the film '' The Walls of Jericho'' (1948), and she was billed third behind

Dan Dailey Daniel James Dailey Jr. (December 14, 1915 – October 16, 1978) was an American dancer and actor. He is best remembered for a series of popular musicals he made at 20th Century Fox such as ''Mother Wore Tights'' (1947). Biography Early life Da ...

and

Celeste Holm Celeste Holm (April 29, 1917 – July 15, 2012) was an American stage, film and television actress. Holm won an Academy Award for her performance in Elia Kazan's ''Gentleman's Agreement'' (1947), and was nominated for her roles in ''Come to th ...

in ''

Chicken Every Sunday ''Chicken Every Sunday'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by George Seaton. The screenplay by Seaton and Valentine Davies is based on the 1944 play of the same title by Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein, which was based on Chicken Ev ...

'' (1949). Her biggest success was in the 1950 film ''

When Willie Comes Marching Home ''When Willie Comes Marching Home'' is a 1950 World War II comedy film directed by John Ford and starring Dan Dailey and Corinne Calvet. It is based on the 1945 short story "When Leo Comes Marching Home" by Sy Gomberg. The film won the Golden Le ...

'', in which she was paired with Dan Dailey. ''

Again Pioneers ''Again Pioneers'' (sometimes referred to as ''Again... Pioneers!'') is a 1950 American black-and-white short film, short Drama (film and television), drama film produced by Paul F. Heard for the Protestant Film Commission. Directed by William Be ...

'' (1950), which she wrote, provided her with her first lead role. She grew up attending

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

, and in 1948, she became active in the Hollywood Presbyterian Church. In 1950, Townsend left her acting career and married long-time friend Louis H. Evans, Jr. who was a seminary student at the time at San Francisco Theologic Seminary. Rev. Louis H. Evans, Jr. was the founding pastor of Bel Air Presbyterian Church, which began in the Evans home. Bel Air Presbyterian Church exists today as the largest Presbyterian congregation in the Los Angeles area. Later, the couple met and became friends with Billy and Ruth Graham. Townsend, now billed as Colleen Evans, returned to films briefly, starring in two films produced by the

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) is a non-profit Christian outreach organization that promotes multimedia evangelism, conducts evangelistic crusades, and engages in disaster response. The BGEA operates the Billy Graham Trainin ...

: ''Oiltown, U.S.A.'' (1950) and ''Souls in Conflict'' (1955).

Post-acting

Colleen and Louis Evans moved to Washington, D.C. where he served at National Presbyterian Church. Thereafter she dedicated herself to humanitarian work, specifically in relation to racial or religious discrimination, human rights, and the role of women in society. She partnered with her husband in ministry and served on the board of World Vision. She served as the first female chair of the Billy Graham Crusade in 1986. As Colleen Townsend Evans, she wrote several books.

Family

Colleen and Louis had four children. She has nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Colleen and Louis Evans retired to Bass Lake, California. Louis Evans died in 2008 of ALS. Colleen Townsend Evans resides in Naples, Florida.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Colleen Townsend on the cover of ''Life'' magazine, August 30 1948
{{DEFAULTSORT:Townsend, Colleen 1928 births Living people American film actresses Actresses from Glendale, California Actresses from California American Christians 20th Century Studios contract players American Christian writers Former Latter Day Saints American humanitarians Women humanitarians San Francisco Theological Seminary alumni American women writers Writers from Glendale, California Activists from California American Presbyterians Christians from California Converts to Presbyterianism 20th-century American actresses