Winifred Allen
Winifred Allen | |
|---|---|
Allen in 1921 | |
| Born | June 26, 1896 New Rochelle, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 3, 1943 (aged 46) New York, U.S. |
| Other names | Winifred Sperry Tenney |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1915–1924 |
| Spouses | |
| Relatives | Elmer Ambrose Sperry (father-in-law) |
Winifred Allen (June 26, 1896 – January 3, 1943) was an American silent film actress. She appeared in several films between 1915 and 1924. She was known later as Winifred Sperry Tenney.[1]
Early years
Allen was born in New Rochelle, New York, the daughter of Henry D'Arcy Kelly.[2] Her mother was born in Ireland.[3] She graduated from the public schools there and went on to study at the Art Students League of New York. The deaths of both parents prompted her to leave school and seek a career in films.[4] Her sister May Allen was also an actress.[5]
Career
Allen acted with the Edison and Reliance studios, as well as with other film companies.[6] She appeared in 11 films listed by the American Film Institute, all made between 1915 and 1924.[7] "Winifred Allen did genuine and delightful work as the plucky little bride" of Jack Deveraux's character, according to a 1917 review of The Man Who Made Good.[8] She played Jack Deveraux's wife again in American—That's All (1917).[9] She and actress Ann Dvorak knitted warm items for American soldiers during the filming if The Man Hater (1917).[10]
Publications
- "To the Studio by Aerial-Taxi" (March 1918)[11]
Personal life
In 1918[12] Allen married aviation pioneer Lawrence Sperry, and Flying magazine reported that they were "the first couple to take an aerial honeymoon" after they flew from Amityville to Governors Island.[13][14] They had two children, also named Lawrence and Winifred.[3] Sperry died in an airplane crash in 1923.[15] She married Vernon E. Tenney in 1929.[16] The Tenneys divorced in 1935, and he died at sea in 1937.[17] She lived in Hawaii with her children in the 1930s.[18] She died in 1943, in New York, at the age of 46.[19][20]
Selected filmography
- When We Were Twenty-One (1915)
- Seventeen (1916)
- The Long Trail (1917)
- The Haunted House (1917)
- American - That's All (1917)[9]
- For Valour (1917)[5]
- The Man Hater (1917)[10]
- A Successful Failure (1917)
- The Man Who Made Good (1917)[21]
- From Two to Six (1918)
- Second Youth (1924)
References
- ^ "Winifred Allen". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
- ^ "Mrs. Winifred Sperry and Vernon Tenney Obtain License to Marry". The Brooklyn Daily Times. December 10, 1929. p. 45. Retrieved July 1, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b 1930 United States census, via Ancestry.
- ^ Dean, Daisy (May 7, 1917). "Movieland". Muncie Evening Press. Indiana, Muncie. p. 9. Retrieved April 20, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Davenport, William Wyatt (1978). Gyro! : The life and times of Lawrence Sperry. Internet Archive. Scribner. pp. 5–7. ISBN 978-0-684-15793-1.
- ^ "Winifred Allen". Motography. XIII. April 17, 1915. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
- ^ "Winifred Allen". American Film Institute. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
- ^ "The Films Reviewed". The Dramatic Mirror: 28. May 5, 1917.
- ^ a b "The Films Reviewed". The Dramatic Mirror: 30. June 9, 1917.
- ^ a b Rice, Christina (November 14, 2013). Ann Dvorak: Hollywood's Forgotten Rebel. University Press of Kentucky. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-8131-4440-5.
- ^ Allen, Winifred (March 1918). "To the Studio by Aerial-Taxi". Film Fun (348): 27 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Who's Who in American Aeronautics". Aviation. 10 (13): 396. March 28, 1921.
- ^ Robinson, Doug (2018). "Lawrence Sperry and early flight". The Golden Avenue: The History and People of Ocean Avenue, Amityville, NY. pp. 69–70. ISBN 9780359097302. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
- ^ "Ready for Honeymoon in a Navy Aeroplane". The Plain Dealer. March 10, 1918. p. 71. Retrieved July 1, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sperry Heirs End Fight on Estate". Daily News. New York, New York City. January 20, 1931. p. 10. Retrieved April 20, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mrs. Winifred Sperry Weds Vernon Tenney; Rev. Dr. Reed Performs Ceremony in Park Avenue Home of Chance Vought". The New York Times. December 12, 1929. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
- ^ "Tenney Will Fight Averted by Settlement". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. July 10, 1938. p. 3. Retrieved July 1, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wilder, Betty (June 27, 1953). "New Kuleanas at Kuliouou Nestle About Old Lagoon". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. p. 13. Retrieved July 1, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mrs. W. A. Tenney, Rites Tomorrow". Brooklyn Eagle. January 5, 1943. p. 9. Retrieved July 1, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tenney Will Filed". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. January 18, 1943. p. 5. Retrieved July 1, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bessie Barriscale in New Triangle". The Dramatic Mirror: 30. April 21, 1917.