Remembering Gene

                                     Remembering Gene

                   With her satiny raven black curls, sparkling aquamarine eyes, high cheek bones, ruby red lips and porcelein complexion, Gene captivated all who beheld her on the silver screen.

Just as her career in Hollywood was sky rocketing as quickly as possible, however, the actress would be forced to resign her stardom to her countless psychological afflictions. As her fame and publicity dispersed in the midst of the various shock treatments she'd be forced to undergo, however, her fans would never cease to remember the undimming effects of both her exquisite beauty and charming screen personality. So, in honor of her Birthday the 19th of this month, I have compiled a list of 19 unknown facts about the legendary actress. Enjoy!;)

(1.) Born in Brooklyn, NY on the 19th of November in the year of 1920 to both Howard Sherwood Tierney and Belle Lavina Taylor. 

(2.) One of the highest acclaimed beauties of her time. 

(3.) Married to the renowned French-born American fashion designer (1941-1952)

(4.) Her father who set up a corporation, Belle-Tier, to support her acting career would later steal all of her money. 

(5.) Columbia Pictures signed her to a sixth month contract in the year of 1939.

(6.) Humphrey Bogart who would star opposite her in the film "The Left Hand of God" immediately saw signs of mental instability very similar to the signs found in his own mentally unstable sister in Gene. Bogey would proceed to support her during production by both feeding her her lines and enouraging her to seek psychological help.

(7.) She would later attempt to flee "The Institute of Living" in Hartford Conneticut after a total of 27 shock treatments but was later caught and returned.

(8.) Had been romantically involved with JFK at one time

(9.) She would later become an outspoken victim of shock treatment claiming that a large portion of her memory had been destroyed by it. 

(10.) Faced suicidal struggles and was readmitted to Menniger Clinic in Topeka Kansas after almost jumping from a ledge 13 stories high. 

(11.) Would be released from Menniger the following year after a treatment consisting (in it's final stages) of working as a sales girl in a large department store.

(12.) Would attempt to make a comeback in a film offered to her by 20th Century Fox in the film "Holiday for Lovers" (1957) but was forced to quit due to a bout of unbearable stress.

(13.) Tierney later dropped out of the film and was readmitted to Menniger.

(14.) Made her official screen comeback in the film "Advice and Consent" which was released in 1962.

(15.) Had two daughters named Antoinette Daria Cassini and Christina Cassini with first husband, Oleg Cassini.

(16.) Tierney's contraction of rubella would be the cause of her daughter, Daria's premature birth which would also cause her to be deaf, partially blind with cataracts and faced with severe mental retardation.

(17.) Tierney would later blame herself entirely for her daughter's various ailments after learning that the cause of her contraction of Rubella had been caused by a fan who would later confess sneaking out of quarantine (infected with Rubella) to meet Tierney at her Hollywood Canteen appearance. 

(18.) Tierney's autobiography entiteled "Self-Portrait" in which she candidly discussed her life and how it had been affected by mental illness would be released in 1979.

(19.) In her younger years won the heart of Prince Aly Khan. 

(20.) Lost her battle with emphysemia and died in the year of 1991. Her bout with emphysemia had been brought on by years and years of smoking. Gene had taken up smoking years and years before in hopes of lowering her voice as she'd felt that her voice sounded like "An angry Minnie Mouse." 

And in the end, despite all of her bouts with crippling depression and psychological ailments, her fans will never cease to see her as anything but her captivating and beautiful self, the image she left behind in her early appearances on the silver screen. 

Below you'll find part 1 of 5 of her biography "A Shattered Portrait"

Happy Birthday, Gene! xoxo


~Erin <3