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Feb 18, 1981 · W. Howard Lee, an oilman who was the husband of Gene Tierney, the former actress, died yesterday after a long illness. He was 72 years old. Mr. Lee had previously been married to...
Sep 16, 2008 · The Houston oilman W. Howard Lee, meanwhile, romanced and married Hedy Lamarr; the two lived for several years in River Oaks, until their divorce. Afterward, Lee married Gene Tierney.
- Debutante’s Debut
- Get It, Girl
- How About…Howard
- Touching Tribute
- Trial by Fire
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- Hush Hush
- Star-Crossed Starlet
- Teenage Dream
- Well La-Di-Da
Gene Eliza Tierney was a New York girl in name, though not exactly in practice. Born on November 19, 1920, in Brooklyn, Tierney's father was a wealthy insurance broker and her mother was a gym teacher. The Tierney family ended up settling in Westport, Connecticut, which, let’s just say, was more than a little hoity-toity. Shutterstock
At the height of her fame, Tierney was fittingly nicknamed “The Get Girl.” After all, GET was the initials of her full name…and she always got what she wanted. Shutterstock
When Tierney first started acting, the wealthy, ultra-creepy Hollywood eccentric Howard Hughes made a pass at the young actress, but he got much more than he bargained for.Tierney was used to luxury, and Hughes’ immense wealth neither intimidated nor attracted her. She turned him down—but they did become lifelong friends. Wikimedia Commons
Tierney's parents named her “Gene” after one of her beloved uncles, who had died prematurely. Shutterstock
Tierney’s best-known role was as the titular femme fatale in Otto Preminger’s Laura. Though the film was a critical success, the production was notoriously troubled, with the movie even going through two directors. The first, Rouben Mamoulian, was very hands-off with Tierney, and the still-green actress often had to fend for herself on the bustling...
Tierney’s adolescence was full of all the high society stereotypes. She attended an international school in Switzerland for two years (check), where she learned French (check) and mingled with other young ladies of her rank (check, check). When she came back stateside, she then enrolled in Miss Porter’s School, a prep school with alumni like Gloria...
Despite her mega beauty, Tierney suffered from one key weakness:low self-esteem. After the screening of her first film, she was horrified at the “squeaky” sound of her voice and thought she sounded “like an angry Minnie Mouse.” In order to lower her not-so-dulcet tones, she decided to take up a hard smoking habit for nearly the rest of her life. Uh...
When Tierney met Russian-Italian fashion designer Oleg Cassini, she was immediately smitten with the dapper aesthete. Her family, however, had other ideas. They were deeply disapproving of the love match and forced Tierney to make a desperate choice. In June 1941, the good-girl-gone-bad risked their fury and eloped with Cassini. Wikimedia Commons
Some people struggle for years and years, hoping for that one big break that will get them into Tinseltown. Not Tierney: On a family trip to the West Coast, the Tierney clan checked out the Warner Bros. lot to visit a relative. While they were there, director Anatole Litvak spotted the teenaged beauty and told her she should go into acting. If only...
Though Warner Brothers Studios desperately wanted to sign Tierney to a contract when she was only 17 years old, her well-to-do parents had other ideas. They sniffed at the “low” Hollywood salary and tried to discourage her from acting. The Tierney elders thought their debutante daughter had much better prospects in her life than shilling it for the...
Apr 11, 2024 · Son of Texas oil pioneer W.E.Lee, W. Howard Lee later formed Lee Brothers Oil, Co. with his 3 brothers. Lee, who was married to former Hollywood actresses Hedy Lamarr and later to Gene Tierney, died February 16, 1981, after a long illness.
- "W. Howard"
- Houston, Harris County, Texas, United States
- September 12, 1908
In 1958, Tierney met Texas oil baron W. Howard Lee, who had been married to actress Hedy Lamarr since 1953. Lee and Lamarr divorced in 1960 after a long battle over alimony. Lee and Tierney married in Aspen, Colorado, on July 11, 1960. They lived quietly in Houston, Texas, and Delray Beach, Florida until his death in 1981.
Jun 24, 2023 · In 1960, Tierney married the oil tycoon W. Howard Lee and led a quiet life in Houston, where she died on November 6, 1991, just two weeks before her 71st birthday.
Nov 8, 1991 · In 1961, she married millionaire Texas oilman W. Howard Lee, the former husband of actress Hedy Lamarr. She lived with him in Houston until his death in 1981.
