Teresa Wright – The Girl Next Door

Teresa Wright was a great actress, who shaped the Hollywood cinema of the 1940s with her memorable on- and off-screen appearances. Join me on a short analysis of her career and most famous roles. I can already promise one thing. A look in her face makes you feel better! Do you like Teresa? Which is your favorite performance?

Quick-Bio

Teresa Wright was born on the 27th of October 1918 and died on the 6th of March 2005. She had her best years in Hollywood during the 1940s, in which she mostly portrayed “The Girl Next Door” but also “The Good Heart of the Cinema.” A cool, but nevertheless illustrious, beauty, kindness and bravery are her key characteristics in front of the camera, but also in private life. She continued making movies in the 1950s, but with less success. In between she played on the stage for theaters and returned to her acting roots. The last role was in 1997, but Teresa Wright had her greatest performances during the Golden Age of Hollywood in a historic family saga, a war related epic, a sports drama, a psychological thriller and a postwar blockbuster, which made her an unforgettable and timeless actress.

Teresa Wright as Alexandra Giddens in William Wyler´s ‘The Little Foxes (1941).’ It was her first supporting role in a major flick and she received an Oscar nomination right from the start. She was discovered by Samuel Goldwyn, during her work as a theatrical actress.

‘Mrs. Miniver (1942)’ is a highly praised drama about an English family, which faces the Nazi air raids in World War Two. Besides Greer Garson, as the titular heroine, Wright gave a heart-wrenching performance as Carol Beldon. Her reward was an Oscar!

In the same year, ‘The Pride of the Yankees (1942)’ aired on the big screen. Teresa plays Eleanor Gehrig, the wife of baseball legend Lou Gehrig, who was portrayed by Gary Cooper. Wright´s acting talent brought her another Oscar nomination. This time for best leading actress.

Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, cast Wright in her most famous role as Charlie Newton in ‘Shadow of a Doubt (1943).’ Alongside Joseph Cotten, she played the intelligent provincial girl who helps to catch a serial killer.

In the seven Oscar winning masterpiece ‘The Best Years of Our Lives (1946),’ Wright portrayed the well-educated middle class woman who fought on the ‘home front’ during the war and falls in love with a returning soldier. This movie was another Wyler & Goldwyn combo.

Rating:

Teresa Wright is the kind of woman you could fall in love with, even if you were born forty years later. Which is the case with me. I first saw her in Hitch´s ‘Shadow of a Doubt (1943)’ and Wyler´s ‘The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).’ The warmth in her acting is very engaging and it brought me back to these movies many times. Six weeks ago, I watched ‘Mrs. Miniver (1942)’ for the first time. Wright nails it again. She is a typecast actress for sure, but I do not write this as something negative as Wright performs with so much talent and confidence. However, it´s hard to imagine Teresa as an evil villain or a killer. But I would love to see it. She definitely had the skills. A highly recommend actress with one of the most beautiful smiles of the Golden Age.

Complete rating for Teresa Wright:

‘Teresa Wright’ climbed ‘Close To The Top’ on the ‘Rating Mountain:’

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