BIO

Gene Tierney was born Gene Eliza Tierney in New York City, in 1920.   Her father was an insurance broker and her mother a former gym teacher.   Tierney attended private schools in Connecticut and Switzerland.

Intent on pursuing a career in acting, she was accepted at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.   She made her Broadway debut, at the age of 19, in 1939 and worked as a model in between her appearances on the stage.

Her father managed her acting career (and later stole all of her money).   She signed with 20th Century Fox, debuting in a co-starring role opposite Henry Fonda in 1940.

Tierney received an Actress Academy Award nomination for her performance in Leave Her To Heaven, in 1945.

By 1953, Tierney's burgeoning mental health problems were affecting her career.   In 1955, after dropping out of several films, she was institutionalized in Hartford, Connecticut.   After many shock treatments, she attempted to flee, but was caught and re-institutionalized.   Afterward, she became an outspoken opponent of shock treatment therapy, claiming that it had destroyed significant portions of her memory.

In 1957, Tierney was seen by a neighbor as she was about to jump from a ledge.   The police were called and she was admitted to a sanitarium in Topeka, Kansas.   She was released the following year, after a treatment that included, in its final stages, working as a sales girl in a large department store (where she was recognized by a customer, resulting in sensational newspaper headlines).

20th Century Fox offered her a lead role in another movie in 1957, but the stress proved too great.   Days into production, she was forced to drop out of the film and was re-institutionalized.   She made a brief screen comeback in the early 1960’s, but then again retired.   She appeared in more than 35 feature films during her career.   Her last film role was in 1964.

Tierney married costume and fashion designer Oleg Cassini in 1941.   They had two children.   In 1943, she contracted rubella while she was pregnant with her first child and her husband was away serving in World War II.   Her daughter was born prematurely, deaf, partially blind and suffering from severe retardation. Tierney's grief over the tragedy led to many years of depression and may have aggravated her bi-polar disorder.   She and Cassini were divorced in 1952.

In 1958, she met Texas oil baron W. Howard Lee who was then married to the actress Hedy Lamarr.   Tierney and Lee were married in Aspen, Colorado in 1960 and lived in Houston, Texas. She enjoyed life in Texas with Lee and became an expert bridge player.   She was widowed in 1981.

Tierney died of emphysema in Houston, Texas, in 1991.   She was 70 years old.

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Additional biographical information is available at:

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