Helene Stanley (born Dolores Diane Freymouth; July 17, 1929 – December 27, 1990) was an American actress. She is best known for being the live model for

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

, and Anita Radcliffe.

Early life

Stanley was born in Gary,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. Her parents were Michael Freymouth, who was an acrobat who worked in Europe, and Gerty Freymouth (née Seigert).

Career

In 1942, she made her first role in the film ''Girls' Town''. Afterwards, she played a series of roles at

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

between 1943 and 1945 (she sometimes took part in a teen dancing group called "

The Jivin' Jacks and Jills The Jivin' Jacks and Jills were a twentieth century American dance group of the World War II era. The group was assembled by Universal Pictures via open audition. The intent was to assemble a group of young dancers with appeal to a teen audience. L ...

") and during this period she used the stage name "Dolores Diane." In 1946, she started to work with

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

and began to use the stage name "Helene Stanley," with one of her most notable appearances being a brief, but memorable role in

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...

's ''

The Asphalt Jungle ''The Asphalt Jungle'' is a 1950 American film noir heist film directed by John Huston. Based on the 1949 novel of the same name by W. R. Burnett, it tells the story of a jewel robbery in a Midwestern city. The film stars Sterling Hayden and L ...

'' (1950). Her collaboration with

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

started around 1948. She became the live-action model for the main character in ''

'',

in ''

Sleeping Beauty ''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...

'', and Anita Radcliffe in ''

One Hundred and One Dalmatians ''One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (also simply known as ''101 Dalmatians'') is a 1961 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and based on the 1956 novel ''The Hundred and One Dalmatians'' by Dodie Smith. The ...

''.

Personal life

Helene Stanley was married to

Johnny Stompanato John Stompanato Jr. (October 10, 1925 – April 4, 1958), was a United States Marine who became a bodyguard and enforcer for gangster Mickey Cohen and the Cohen crime family. In the mid-1950s, he began an abusive relationship with actress ...

on January 17, 1953, with their divorce dated February 10, 1955. After Stompanato, Stanley married a physician from

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...

, David Niemetz. They had a son, David Niemetz Jr., in 1961. After they were married, Stanley formally retired from show business. Her last role in her career was in ''One Hundred and One Dalmatians''.

Death

Stanley died on December 27, 1990, in Los Angeles. The cause of her death was not reported.

Filmography

*1940: ''

Fantasia Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcore ...

'' *1942: ''

Girls' Town ''Girls' Town'' is a 1942 American drama film directed by Victor Halperin and starring Edith Fellows, June Storey and Alice White.Fetrow p.176 The winner of a Midwest beauty contest receives a screen test in Hollywood and takes her sister along, ...

'' - Sally *1943: ''

Hi, Buddy ''Hi, Buddy'' is a 1943 American musical film directed by Harold Young and written by Warren Wilson. The film stars Dick Foran, Harriet Nelson, Robert Paige, Marjorie Lord, Bobs Watson, Tommy Cook, Jennifer Holt and Gus Schilling. The film was ...

'' - Specialty *1943: '' Moonlight in Vermont'' - A Jivin' Jill *1945: ''

Patrick the Great ''Patrick the Great'' is a 1945 American drama film starring Donald O'Connor, Peggy Ryan, and Frances Dee. This was the last film for O'Connor and Ryan together, who had been a teenage team for the past several years. This was also O'Connor's la ...

'' - Member, Jivin' Jills (uncredited) *1945: ''

Thrill of a Romance ''Thrill of a Romance'' (also known as ''Thrill of a New Romance'') is an American Technicolor romance film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1945, starring Van Johnson, Esther Williams and Carleton G. Young, with musical performances by Tommy D ...

'' - Susan *1946: '' Holiday in Mexico'' - Yvette Baranga *1947: ''

Brick Bradford ''Brick Bradford'' is a science fiction comic strip created by writer William Ritt, a journalist based in Cleveland, and artist Clarence Gray. It was first distributed on August 21, 1933 by Central Press Association, a subsidiary of King Features ...

'' - Carol Preston *1948: ''

My Dear Secretary ''My Dear Secretary'' is a 1948 American comedy film written and directed by Charles Martin (1910-1983) and starring Laraine Day, Kirk Douglas, Keenan Wynn, and Helen Walker. The supporting cast features Rudy Valee, Alan Mowbray and Irene Rya ...

'' - Miss 'Clay' Pidgeon (uncredited) *1949: ''

Mr. Soft Touch ''Mr. Soft Touch'' is a 1949 American film noir crime film directed by Gordon Douglas and Henry Levin and starring Glenn Ford and Evelyn Keyes. The film is also known as ''House of Settlement''. Plot Polish American Joe Miracle (Mirakowski) re ...

'' - Donna (uncredited) *1949: ''

Bandit King of Texas ''Bandit King of Texas'' is a 1949 American Western film directed by Fred C. Brannon and written by Olive Cooper. The film stars Allan Lane, Eddy Waller, Helene Stanley, James Nolan, Harry Lauter and Robert Bice. The film was released on Augus ...

'' - Cynthia Turner *1949: ''

All the King's Men ''All the King's Men'' is a 1946 novel by Robert Penn Warren. The novel tells the story of charismatic populist governor Willie Stark and his political machinations in the Depression-era Deep South. It was inspired by the real-life story of U.S ...

'' - Helene Hale (uncredited) *1950: ''

'' (As live-action model for Disney animators to use as a guide) (

) *1950: ''

A Woman of Distinction ''A Woman of Distinction'' is a 1950 American romantic comedy film directed by Edward Buzzell and starring Rosalind Russell and Ray Milland. Plot Susan Manning Middlecott is dean of a New England school called Benton College and it is her whole ...

'' - Minor Role (uncredited) *1950: ''

'' - Jeannie - Girl in Diner (uncredited) *1952: '' Diplomatic Courier'' - Airline Stewardess *1952: '' Wait till the Sun Shines, Nellie'' - Eadie Jordan *1952: ''

We're Not Married! ''We're Not Married!'' is a 1952 American anthology romantic comedy film directed by Edmund Goulding. It was released by 20th Century Fox. The screenplay was written by Nunnally Johnson Nunnally Hunter Johnson (December 5, 1897 – March 25 ...

'' - Mary (uncredited) *1952: ''

Dreamboat "Dreamboat" is a popular music song, the words and music to which were written by Jack Hoffman, (sometimes incorrectly attributed to Al Hoffman). A version produced by Walter Ridley, and performed by Alma Cogan, reached number 1 in the UK Sing ...

'' - Mimi *1952: '' The Snows of Kilimanjaro'' - Connie *1953: '' Roar of the Crowd'' - Marcy Parker *1953: '' Once I Will Return'' - Gloria *1954: ''

Carnival Story ''Carnival Story'' is a 1954 drama film directed by Kurt Neumann, produced by Frank King and Maurice King, starring Anne Baxter and Steve Cochran, and released by RKO Radio Pictures. It was made as a co-production between West Germany and th ...

'' - Peggy *1954: ''

Circus of Love ''Circus of Love'' (german: link=no, Rummelplatz der Liebe) is a 1954 drama film directed by Kurt Neumann (director), Kurt Neumann and starring Eva Bartok, Curd Jürgens and Bernhard Wicki.Hayes p.152 It was made as a co-production (film), co-prod ...

'' - Lore *1955: ''

Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier ''Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier'' is a 1955 American Western film produced by Walt Disney Productions. It is an edited and recut compilation of the first three episodes of the ''Davy Crockett'' television miniseries. The episodes us ...

'' - Polly Crockett (archive footage) *1955: ''

Dial Red O ''Dial Red O'' is a 1955 American film noir crime film directed by Daniel B. Ullman and starring Bill Elliott, Helene Stanley and Keith Larsen. It was the first in a series of five Los Angeles-set police thrillers that Elliott made for Allied A ...

'' - Connie Wyatt *1959: ''

'' (As live-action model for Disney animators to use as a guide) - Princess Aurora *1959: "Perry Mason The Case of the Foot-Loose Doll" (Fran Driscoll) *1961: ''

'' (As live-action model for Disney animators to use as a guide) - Anita

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stanley, Helene 1929 births 1990 deaths American film actresses American television actresses 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Gary, Indiana