Helen Twelvetrees

Stars

Actress Born Helen Marie Jurgens on Dec. 25, 1908 in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Helen Twelvetrees, onetime star of the screen, began her stage career while still young.

She got her chance in film with the emergence of the talkies. In 1929, the actress with the memorable last name, which she had taken two years earlier when she married the first of three husbands, was named as one of the top 13 "baby stars" by Hollywood publicity men. The designation by Western Assn. of Motion Picture Advertisers, known as Wampas, attracted interest from agents and casting directors.

Among her fellow designees were Loretta Young and Jean Arthur, who each went on to distinguished Hollywood careers.

According to a Times article when she was selected for the honor, Twelvetrees was already known as "the perfect ingenue" from her roles in stock theater.

Twelvetrees' first major film role came the next year in a picture called "Grand Parade." She also went on to costar with Maurice Chevalier and Baby Leroy in "Bedtime Story."

She also toured Europe in a production George S. Kaufman-Moss Hart comedy "The Man Who Came to Dinner."

Twelvetrees left Hollywood after marrying Conrad Payne, who was in the Air Force. Her 1958 death was ruled a suicide by the Dauphin County, Pa., coroner.

— Los Angeles Times Feb. 14, 1958, with additional material