Judy Tyler
Judy Tyler | |
---|---|
Born | Judith Mae Hess October 9, 1932 |
Died | July 3, 1957 near Rock River, Wyoming, U.S. | (aged 24)
Resting place | Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York, U.S. |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1947–1957 |
Spouse(s) | Colin Romoff
(m. 1950; div. 1956)Gregory Lafayette
(m. 1957–1957) |
Judy Tyler (born Judith Mae Hess; October 9, 1932 – July 3, 1957) was an American actress.[1]
Early life and career[]
Judy Tyler was born Judith Mae Hess in Manhattan, New York, on October 9, 1932.[citation needed] She spent her teen years in Teaneck, New Jersey. She came from a show business family and was encouraged to study dance and acting. Tyler's acting career began as a teenager, with regular appearances on Howdy Doody as Princess Summerfall Winterspring from 1950 to 1953.
Like her mother, Tyler became a chorus girl, and then landed a starring role in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Pipe Dream.[2] Life did a story on rising Broadway talent with Tyler on its cover as one of the up-and-coming stars. Tyler lived with her parents in Teaneck while appearing on Howdy Doody and Broadway.[3]
Offered an opportunity in Hollywood, Tyler appeared in the film Bop Girl Goes Calypso (1957), then starred opposite Elvis Presley in Jailhouse Rock (1957). She made a guest appearance on Perry Mason as Irene Kilby in "The Case of the Fan Dancer's Horse", which aired on December 28, 1957, nearly six months after her death.[citation needed]
Death[]
After filming Jailhouse Rock, Tyler and her second husband, Gregory Lafayette (born Earl Gregory Nisonger Jr.), drove home to New York from Hollywood. While driving through Wyoming on July 3, 1957, they were involved in an automobile accident on U.S. Route 287 near Rock River. Tyler was killed instantly, aged 24, and Lafayette died the next day, also aged 24. The Casper Morning Star reported the passenger killed in the oncoming car, driven by Paul Reed, was Don D. Jones, 23, of Hanna, Wyoming. Police said Lafayette swerved to avoid hitting a car that was towing a trailer and collided with the other vehicle involved in the crash.[3] Reporter Ted Smith wrote in The Commercial Appeal that the trailer-towing car was returning to the highway after leaving a tourist shop.
Filmography[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1957 | Bop Girl Goes Calypso | Jo Thomas | |
1957 | Jailhouse Rock | Peggy Van Alden |
References[]
- ^ Obituary Variety, July 10, 1957, page 127.
- ^ "Judy Tyler". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "JUDY TYLER DIES AS CARS COLLIDE; Actress and Husband Killed by Crash in Wyoming-- Was on 'Howdy Doody'", The New York Times, July 4, 1957. Accessed October 17, 2014.
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Judy Tyler. |
- Judy Tyler at IMDb
- Judy Tyler at the Internet Broadway Database
- Judy Tyler at Find a Grave
- 1932 births
- 1957 deaths
- American film actresses
- American television actresses
- Burials at Ferncliff Cemetery
- Actresses from Milwaukee
- People from Teaneck, New Jersey
- Road incident deaths in Wyoming
- People from Shorewood, Wisconsin
- 20th-century American actresses
- 20th-century American musicians