Helen Menken

Who was Helen Menken?

Helen Menken was an American actress, born Helen Meinken to a German-French father, Frederick Meinken, and an Irish-born mother, Mary Madden.

Born in New York City, Menken was originally a teenage actress who made her Broadway theatre debut in Parlor, Bedroom and Bath in 1917. Her greatest stage triumphs were Seventh Heaven in 1922–1924; Mary of Scotland in 1933–1934 as Elizabeth I opposite Helen Hayes in the title role; and The Old Maid, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play that starred Menken and Judith Anderson in 1935. Bette Davis would recreate Menken's role as the spinster with a secret in the 1939 film version.

Menken's final Broadway appearance was in an unsuccessful play named The Laughing Woman, which ran for less than a month in 1937. She was active on radio in the 1940s and a major presence behind the scenes in the theater world, especially at the American Theatre Wing. She received a special Tony Award posthumously in 1966 for her work.