Actress. She would survive several major tragedies in her life during a reign of stardom as a glamorous and talented Hollywood actress. Her role in the film version of the best-selling book "Leave Her to Heaven" earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. However, her most defining performance that made her a major star was in the Otto Preminger murder mystery movie "Laura." She had much success throughout the 1940s and 195os: "The Razor's Edge," "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir," and "The Left Hand of God." Subsequently, weary of Hollywood and some thirty movie credits, she retired permanently from films. During her post-Hollywood life, she made a few television appearances. She lived in Houston and mainly spent her time in extensive travel with her second husband and as a major participant in civic and charitable causes. Her final career performance was in the TV miniseries "Scruples" in 1980. Her father was Howard Sherwood Tierney, an insurance broker, and her mother, Belle, a former New England socialite and ex-school teacher. The family would number three, with her the middle child. Privilege, a lavish childhood, and very good looks would pave the way for an easy entry into the world of show business. Her parents first set her on a course for the life of a New England debutante, with enrollment at a string of finishing schools from St. Margaret School in Waterbury, Connecticut, to Unquowa School in Bridgeport, and then the ultimate, Brillantmont in Lausanne, Switzerland. Upon returning home, she completed her education at Farmington School, culminating in a coming-out party as a debutante. By 1939, Tierney began performing on Broadway after signing a contract with Columbia Pictures, but the studio failed to find her work. She also was instrumental in gaining national recognition and exposure working as a model while her image appeared in "Life," "Harper's Bazaar," and "Collier's Weekly." In the early 1940s she left Broadway, landing a contract with 20th Century Fox, appearing in a number of early movies: "The Return of Frank James," "Belle Star," and "Heaven Can Wait." During World War II, she went to work for the war effort, giving speeches, selling bonds, and serving as entertainer to the military who frequented the Bette Davis Hollywood Canteen. Her early adult personal life was dismal. Married for several years to famed designer Oleg Cassini, it would end in divorce. The tragic birth of a daughter with Cassini would affect Tierney and disrupt her career. The child would have the permanent mentality of an infant and eventually be institutionalized. Gene would suffer psychologically. She left Hollywood, suffering from severe depression. After self-admittance to Harkness Pavilion in New York, a series of confinements followed at mental facilities around the country. Years of nightmarish treatment, including shock treatments with attempts to flee and even a suicide attempt from a ledge, lead to final incarceration at Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, an institution which restored her to normalcy. The last days at the clinic was spent in therapeutic work as a sales girl in a large department store. After recognition by a customer, her secret became national news in newspapers across the country. Happiness and good fortune returned in 1960 with her marriage to W. Howard Lee, a Houston oil executive. The marriage would last for twenty one years until his death. She would return to Hollywood and make several more movies. "Advise and Consent" and "The Pleasure Seekers" were among the better films in her career comeback.