Judy Tyler
Tyler in Jailhouse Rock, 1957
Born
Judith Mae Hess

(1932-10-09)October 9, 1932
Manhattan, New York U.S.
DiedJuly 3, 1957(1957-07-03) (aged 24)
near Rock River, Wyoming, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1947–1957
Spouses
Colin Romoff
​
​
(m. 1950; div. 1956)​
    Gregory Lafayette
    ​
    (m. 1957)​

    Judy Tyler (born Judith Mae Hess; October 9, 1932 – July 3, 1957) was an American singer and actress.[1]

    Early life and career

    Tyler alongside Elvis Presley
    Tyler in the Broadway production of Pipe Dream (1955)

    Judy Tyler spent her teen years in Teaneck, New Jersey. She came from a show business family and was encouraged to study dance and acting. Tyler's acting career began as a teenager, with regular appearances on Howdy Doody as Princess Summerfall Winterspring from 1950 to 1953.

    Like her mother, Tyler became a chorus girl, and then landed a starring role in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Pipe Dream.[2] Life did a story on rising Broadway talent with Tyler on its cover as one of the up-and-coming stars. Tyler lived with her parents in Teaneck while appearing on Howdy Doody and Broadway.[3]

    Offered an opportunity in Hollywood, Tyler appeared in the film Bop Girl Goes Calypso (1957), then starred opposite Elvis Presley in Jailhouse Rock (1957). She made a guest appearance on Perry Mason as Irene Kilby in "The Case of the Fan Dancer's Horse", which aired on December 28, 1957, nearly six months after her death.

    Death

    A few days after filming Jailhouse Rock, Tyler and her second husband, Gregory Lafayette (born Earl Gregory Nisonger Jr.), began driving home to New York from Hollywood. While driving through Wyoming on July 3, 1957, they were involved in an automobile accident on U.S. Route 287 near Rock River. Tyler was killed instantly, aged 24, and Lafayette died the next day, aged 19. The Casper Morning Star reported the passenger killed in the oncoming car, driven by Paul Reed, was Don D. Jones, 23, of Hanna, Wyoming. Police said Lafayette swerved to avoid hitting a car that was towing a trailer and collided with the other vehicle involved in the crash.[3] Reporter Ted Smith wrote in The Commercial Appeal that the trailer-towing car was returning to the highway after leaving a tourist shop.

    Filmography

    Year Title Role Notes
    1957Bop Girl Goes CalypsoJo Thomas
    1957Jailhouse RockPeggy Van Alden

    References

    1. ↑ Obituary Variety, July 10, 1957, page 127.
    2. ↑ "Judy Tyler". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
    3. 1 2 "JUDY TYLER DIES AS CARS COLLIDE; Actress and Husband Killed by Crash in Wyoming-- Was on 'Howdy Doody'". The New York Times. July 4, 1957. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
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