Elyse Knox (born Elsie M. Kornbrath,[1] December 14, 1917 – February 16, 2012) was an American actress, model, and fashion designer. She was the mother of actor Mark Harmon.
Early life
Knox was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the daughter of Austrian immigrants Hermine Sophie (née Muck) and Frederick Kornbrath.[2][3][4] She had a brother, Fred.[5]
She was signed to a movie contract (as Elsie M. Kornbrath) by 20th Century-Fox in November 1939,[7] and played incidental roles for one year. Fox dropped her option and she was signed by comedy producer Hal Roach, who featured her in four films. After two minor features (a Roy Rogers western and an RKO comedy), she found a home at Universal, appearing in 11 films as a featured ingenue. She had a leading role with Lon Chaney Jr. in The Mummy's Tomb,[8] one of the series of Mummyhorror films made by Universal Studios. That year she was also in the Abbott and Costello comedy Hit The Ice (1942). She appeared as herself in the Universal Studios 1944 production Follow the Boys, one of the World War II morale-booster films made both for the soldiers serving overseas and civilians at home. Knox also was a pin-up girl during the war, appearing in such magazines as Yank, a weekly published and distributed by the United States military.
In late 1945, Knox was signed by Monogram Pictures to portray Anne Howe, the love interest of fictional boxerJoe Palooka in Joe Palooka, Champ. Based on the very popular comic strip, the instant success of the May 1946 film led to Knox appearing in another five Joe Palooka productions. After acting in 39 films, Knox retired in 1949 following her performance in the musical filmThere's a Girl in My Heart.
Personal life
On February 21, 1942, Knox married commercial photographer Paul Hesse in Coronado, California.[9]
Following her divorce and Tom Harmon's return from World War II (during which he survived two plane crashes and being lost in the jungle), she and Harmon married in 1944. Her wedding dress was made of silk from the parachute Harmon used when bailing out of his plane.[10][8] After Harmon's demobilization, they settled in the Los Angeles area.[citation needed]
The couple had three children: Kristin, Kelly, and Mark. Kristin became an actress and painter, who at 17 married recording artist Ricky Nelson and gave birth to four children: Tracy, twins Gunnar and Matthew, and Sam. Kelly, a model turned interior designer, was once married to automaker John DeLorean, and has two daughters and a son and two other stepchildren. Mark played quarterback at UCLA, became an actor, and has two sons with wife Pam Dawber.
Death
On February 16, 2012, Knox died at her home in Los Angeles at age 94.[11]
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