Yvonne Hughes
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Yvonne Hughes | |
---|---|
Born | Yvonne Evelyn Hughes 1900 McKeesport, Pennsylvania |
Died | December 26, 1950 (aged 50) |
Occupation | Actress, dancer |
Spouse(s) | Gordon Godowsky (1928-1929) |
Partner(s) | John McDonald (1936-1950) |
Yvonne Evelyn Hughes (1900 - December 26, 1950) was a dancer in the Ziegfeld Follies and an actress in silent motion pictures.
Biography[]
Career and personal life[]
Hughes appeared in films with Gloria Swanson and once danced with Rudolph Valentino. Her movie appearances came in 1923 and 1924. She had roles in Lawful Larceny, Zaza, Big Brother, A Society Scandal, and Monsieur Beaucaire. She also appeared in Rio Rita, and Whoopi! 1928-1929, a musical comedy. She was married to Charles Alvin Hamilton Feick October 20, 1917 in Wellsburg, West Virginia, USA and divorced him on Nov 6 1920, they had a son Charles A “Papa” Feick, Jr born May 30, 1918 in McKeesport, PA & died November 8, 1988 in the state of Maryland . In 1928, Hughes married Gordon Godowsky, son of Leopold Godowsky. The marriage lasted one year. In 1932, Godowsky committed suicide over financial trouble.
Murder[]
On December 26, 1950, Hughes was murdered in the New York City hotel room of Birger Nordkvist, a Swedish apple picker who worked for a western New York cider firm. Earlier that night, Nordkvist got into a cab driven by John McDonald, who had lived with Hughes for fourteen years. McDonald offered to take him to the Ashland Hotel, where he kept a room. Nordkvist met Hughes, who demonstrated some old dance routines for him, and they drank beer through the night and into the next morning; all the while, McDonald was driving his taxi. After Hughes rebuffed Nordkvist's advances, Nordkvist strangled her by tying his handkerchief around her throat and stuffing a silk scarf into her mouth. Nordkvist was arrested in Utica, New York where he went after leaving the hotel.
Selected filmography[]
- Zaza (1923)
- Lawful Larceny (1923)
- A Society Scandal (1924)
- Monsieur Beaucaire (1924)
References[]
- New York Times, "Apple Picker Held For Hotel Killing", December 29, 1950, Page 12.
- Pasco, Washington Tri-City Herald, "Question Apple Picker After Aging Follies Beauty Found Strangled", December 27, 1950, Page 2.
- San Mateo, California Times, "Ziegfeld Girl Strangled", December 26, 1950, Page 2.
External links[]
- 1900 births
- 1950 deaths
- American film actresses
- American silent film actresses
- American stage actresses
- Ziegfeld girls
- People from McKeesport, Pennsylvania
- 20th-century American actresses