Louise Heims Beck | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Louise Payton Heims February 23, 1889 |
| Died | March 16, 1978 (aged 89) Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Mrs. Martin Beck |
| Alma mater | Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry |
| Occupations |
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| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Morris Meyerfeld Jr. (uncle) |
| Awards | Special Tony Award (1958) Actors Fund Medal of Honor (1977) |
Louise Payton Heims Beck (February 23, 1889[1] – March 16, 1978[2]), sometimes referred to as Mrs. Martin Beck, was an American librarian who became a vaudeville performer and the wife of theatre impresario Martin Beck. She assisted her husband in his theatrical enterprises until his death in 1940, after which she took over the management of his eponymous Broadway theatre. Along with Antoinette Perry and several other women, she co-founded the American Theater Wing (ATW) in its revived and revised version in 1940. She served as one of the directors of the ATW in its early years, and played a critical role in establishing both the Stage Door Canteen during World War II and the Tony Awards in 1947. She was chairman of the governing board of the Actors' Fund of America from 1960 until her death in 1978.
- ^ "Beck, Louise Payton Heims, 1889–1978". University and N.C. Baptist Biographical Files Collection. ZSR Library, Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forrest University. August 23, 2017.
- ^ Alfred E. Clark (March 17, 1978). "Louise Heims Beck, Widow of the Producer And a Founder of American Theater Wing". The New York Times. p. 33.(subscription required)