Gene Raymond was born on August 13, 1908 as Raymond Guion. He was a child star on Broadway by the time he was twelve. He
did get a break into movies when he got a part in Personal Maid. He continued to gain popularity during the '30s and
'40s.
On June 16, 1937 on the second anniversary of their first meeting, Gene married singer-actress Jeanette MacDonald. Their
wedding took place in Los Angeles at the Wilshire Methodist Church. Jeanette's attendants included follow stars such as Ginger
Rogers and Fay Wray. Jeanette's good friend and co-star Nelson Eddy even sang at the wedding.
When the first choice actors were unavailable to participate, MGM choose Gene to play opposite his wife in the romantic
movie Smilin Though. He played her romantic interest for both Kathleen and Moonyean Clare.
When Jeanette died awaiting heart surgery in Houston Texas on January 14, 1965, he had her body interred at Forest Lawn
Memorial Park in Glendale, California. He continued to attend the Jeanette MacDonald International Fan Club meetings every
year and told the fans stories about his time with Jeanette
On September 8, 1974 Gene remarried to Nel Bently Hees and remained married to her till her death in 1995. He died on May
3, 1998 in Los Angeles of pneumonia and was interred near the body of his first wife.
For more information on Gene and his movie with Jeanette I recommend you go to the following resources:
Eleanor Dugan's Gene Raymond Biography
Eleanor Dugan's Jeanette MacDonald and Gene Raymond page
Eleanor Dugan's Smilin Though
IMDB: Gene Raymond
IMDB: Smilin Though
