Sheila Terry was a blonde, blue-eyed actress who appeared in more than 30 films in the 1930s, mostly for Warner Bros. She was best known for playing opposite John Wayne in several westerns, such as Haunted Gold, The Lawless Frontier, and ‘Neath the Arizona Skies. She also had roles in other genres, such as comedy, drama, and romance. However, her career was short-lived and she retired from show business in 1938. She later became a press agent and tried to make a comeback, but failed to find any work. In 1957, she committed suicide by overdosing on pills in her New York apartment. She was only 46 years old and died penniless. She was buried in a pauper’s grave on Hart Island, New York. What led to her tragic end and how did she become forgotten by the public? This article will explore the life and death of Sheila Terry, one of the many Hollywood stars who faded away.
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Early Life and Education
Sheila Terry was born Kathleen Eleanor Mulhern on March 5, 1910 in Warroad, Minnesota. One of her ancestors was John Wycliffe, who had translated the Bible into English. She dreamed of being an actress from a very young age. When she was a teenager, she studied dramatics at the Dickson-Kenwin Academy of Dramatic Art in Toronto. She began her career acting in stock companies.
However, her wealthy uncle wanted her to become a teacher instead of an actress. She returned to Minnesota and taught school for a brief time so she could claim her inheritance. On August 16, 1928, she married Laurence Clark, a banker. Then she moved to New York City and was cast in the play The Little Racketeer.
Hollywood Career
A talent scout saw her in the play and she was signed by Warner Bros. in 1932. She made her film debut in the comedy Week-End Marriage. She had small roles in more than a dozen films, including Scarlet Dawn (starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Nancy Carroll), Madame Butterfly (starring Cary Grant and Sylvia Sidney), and Convention City (starring Joan Blondell, Adolphe Menjou, and Mary Astor).
She also became John Wayne’s leading lady in several westerns produced by Lone Star Productions. She later said that working with Wayne was a lot of fun and that he was very easy to get along with”. She also praised his professionalism and his sense of humor.
However, she was unhappy with the roles she was getting and felt that she was typecast as a secretary or a damsel in distress. She said that she wanted to play more challenging and varied characters. She also complained that Warner Bros. did not promote her enough and that they called her their “Joan Crawford”, implying that she was a second-rate copy of the star.
She left Hollywood briefly in 1933 to return to the New York stage. She appeared in plays such as The Women Have Their Way and The Firebird. She hoped that this would boost her reputation and give her more opportunities in films.
However, when she came back to Hollywood, she found that nothing had changed. She continued to play minor or supporting roles in films such as I Sell Anything (starring Pat O’Brien), The Stolen Jools (a star-studded short film for charity), and I Demand Payment (her last film).
Personal Life and Retirement
Sheila Terry’s personal life was also turbulent and unhappy. Her marriage to Laurence Clark ended in 1934. She claimed that he often criticized her and said that she was a “rotten singer”. She married William Magee, a San Francisco millionaire, in October 1937, but that union was short-lived too.
She decided to quit acting in 1938 and moved back to New York City. She started a new career as a press agent for various clients, including actors, singers, writers, and nightclubs. She had brief romances with actor John Warburton and producer Tay Garnett.
In a 1948 interview, she said that she wanted to start acting again. She said that she had learned a lot from her experience as a press agent and that she felt more confident and mature. However, she also admitted that she had no contacts or offers in the film industry.
She tried to find work in radio, television, or theater, but failed to do so. She also suffered from financial problems and depression. She said that she had lost most of her money in bad investments and that she had no savings or insurance.
Death and Legacy
On January 19, 1957, Sheila Terry committed suicide by taking an overdose of pills in her apartment at 241 E. 60th Street. A friend and neighbor, Jerry Keating, went to her apartment after he failed to reach her on the telephone. The door was locked and she did not answer the bell. Keating called the police, who broke in and found her body on the bedroom floor, her back leaning against the bed, with five empty capsules on the floor beside her.
Friends told the police that she had returned from a trip to Mexico some time before her death and that she was ill when she came home. It was later discovered that she died broke, leaving only a scant wardrobe. She was 46 years old.
She was buried on Hart Island, New York, a public cemetery for unclaimed or indigent people. Her grave is marked only by a number. Her death was barely reported by the media and she was soon forgotten by the public.
Sheila Terry was one of the many Hollywood stars who faded away after their brief moment of fame. She had talent, beauty, and ambition, but she never achieved the success and recognition that she desired. She also had a troubled and lonely life that ended in tragedy. She is now remembered mostly by fans of John Wayne’s early westerns or by film historians who study the forgotten stars of the 1930s.
