Dorothy Hale
| Dorothy Hale | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Dorothy Donovan January 11, 1905 Pittsburgh, USA |
| Died | October 21, 1938 (aged 33) New York City, USA |
| Cause of death | Suicide |
| Spouse(s) | Gaillard Thomas (?-?, divorced) Gardner Hale (1927–1931, his death) |
Dorothy Hale (January 11, 1905 – October 21, 1938) was an American socialite and aspiring actress who killed herself by jumping off a building in New York City. Hale was a remarkably beautiful woman who was introduced to high society and luxury living. Her husband's death, followed by several unsuccessful relationships, left her financially dependent on her wealthy friends. She committed suicide in October 1938. The artist Frida Kahlo created a famous painting based on her death, titled The Suicide of Dorothy Hale.
Hale was born Dorothy Donovan, the daughter of a real estate agent, in Pittsburgh. In 1919, after attending a convent and a drama school, Hale left home to pursue a career. Her family hired detectives to find her, but she eventually returned when her funds ran out. With the assistance of friends, she eventually landed a job in the chorus of a Broadway production of Lady, Be Good. While she was studying sculpture in Paris, she married millionaire stockbroker Gaillard Thomas, son of the wealthy gynecologist T. Gaillard Thomas; the brief marriage ended in divorce.
She married Gardner Hale (1894–1931) in 1927. Gardner Hale was a fresco, mural, and society portrait artist, and the married Dorothy Hale continued moving in creative and expensive social circles. During this West Coast period, she socialized with artists Miquel and Rosa Corvarrubias, Frida Kahlo, and photographer Nickolas Muray.
Hale's stage work was limited to several seasons in stock companies and some work as a dancer and Ziegfeld girl. In the summer of 1935, Hale and her friend Rosamond Pinchot, another New York socialite and aspiring actress, opened in Abide with Me, a psychological drama written by their friend Clare Boothe Luce. Though the three friends enjoyed the experience tremendously, the play was panned and it died quietly. Pinchot went on to take her life by carbon monoxide poisoning in January 1938.
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