---
name: "Gene Tierney"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/gene-tierney"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "19 November 1920"
died: "6 November 1991"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T12:13:24.097614+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Gene Tierney

Actor. Born 19 November 1920 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. Died 6 November 1991.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 19 November 1920, Brooklyn, New York, USA
- **Died:** 6 November 1991
- **Also known as:** Gene Eliza Tierney,  The Get Girl, ジーン・ティアニー, جین تیرنی

## Fi1m on Gene Tierney

> Gene Tierney can make us doubt the people who insist they know her characters. Her composure is absorbing when the film gives us reasons to study it, though the same reserve can look blank.

In *Laura* (1944), Gene Tierney has to hold our attention while other people tell us how remarkable Laura Hunt is. She does it by remaining composed, allowing us to question how well these admirers know her. We were drawn to her and uneasy about the attention she received, because her quietness leaves the men's accounts open to doubt. This is where we rate Tierney most highly: in a part that gives us a reason to watch her closely.

Before *Laura* established her as a star, she had top billing in Ernst Lubitsch's comedy *Heaven Can Wait* (1943). In *Leave Her to Heaven* (1945), Ellen Berent Harland is jealous and possessive, with emotional intensity beneath her composure. Joseph L. Mankiewicz's *The Ghost and Mrs. Muir* (1947) gave her a mature romantic lead, Lucy Muir, opposite Rex Harrison.

In Otto Preminger's *Laura*, the photography and music do important work alongside her. Joseph LaShelle photographs her face with a care that makes the men's fascination plausible, while David Raksin's score supplies romantic warmth their behaviour does not always deserve. Dana Andrews, playing detective Mark McPherson, gives her a steady counterpart without competing for attention. The romantic feeling is persuasive enough to make us sympathise with men whose behaviour gives us reason for doubt.

The later work includes Mary Bristol, a supporting part in Jules Dassin's *Night and the City* (1950). Preminger returned to her in *Whirlpool* (1950) and *Where the Sidewalk Ends* (1950), and later in *Advise & Consent* (1962). His four films with her offer a useful route beyond the familiar *Laura*.

Critics have often found her acting wooden or too reliant on her appearance, and the impassiveness can be a limitation. Her quietness needs the right writing and direction. In *Laura*, though, her reserve gives us something to study beyond her beauty, even when the detective plotting feels overarranged. Start with *Laura*, and be slow to believe what the men tell us.

## Biography

Gene Tierney was an American stage and film actress. She made her Broadway debut in 1939 in Mrs. O'Brien Entertains and her film debut the following year in The Return of Frank James. She appeared in a series of 20th Century Fox productions during the 1940s.

Tierney starred as Laura Hunt in Otto Preminger's Laura (1944). She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her role in Leave Her to Heaven (1945). Other films include Heaven Can Wait (1943), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), Night and the City (1950) and The Egyptian (1954). She died in Houston, Texas, in 1991.

*Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org, nytimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Laura* (1944), Fi1m 86, as Laura Hunt — [page](https://film.one/film/laura.md)

## Also known for

- *The Ghost and Mrs. Muir* (1947), Lucy Muir
- *Night and the City* (1950), Mary Bristol
- *Leave Her to Heaven* (1945), Ellen Berent Harland
- *Heaven Can Wait* (1943), Martha Strabel Van Cleve
- *Where the Sidewalk Ends* (1950), Morgan Taylor
- *The Return of Frank James* (1940), Eleanor Stone
- *Advise & Consent* (1962), Dolly Harrison
- *Dragonwyck* (1946), Miranda Wells

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© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/gene-tierney