Ann Woodward
American socialite and murder suspect / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ann Eden Woodward (born Angeline Lucille Crowell; December 12, 1915 – October 10, 1975) was an American socialite, showgirl, model, and radio actress. In 1940, while working as a radio actress, she was voted "The Most Beautiful Girl in Radio". Woodward became a prominent and controversial figure in New York high society after her marriage to banking heir William Woodward Jr.
Ann Woodward | |
---|---|
Born | Angeline Lucille Crowell (1915-12-12)December 12, 1915 Pittsburg, Kansas, U.S. |
Died | October 10, 1975(1975-10-10) (aged 59) New York City, U.S. |
Cause of death | Suicide by cyanide poisoning |
Burial place | Woodlawn Cemetery |
Alma mater | Kansas City Junior College |
Occupations | |
Spouse | |
Children | 2 |
While never formally charged or convicted, she came under suspicion of murder following the 1955 shooting of her husband. A Nassau County grand jury determined that it was an accident.[1] The circumstances surrounding her husband's death, which Life called "The Shooting of the Century", led to Woodward becoming a cause célèbre and, later, her banishment from New York high society. Truman Capote published excerpts from an unfinished novel Answered Prayers, in which a pseudonymized but identifiable Woodward is accused of murdering her husband. Shortly before the stories were scheduled for publication in Esquire, she died after ingesting cyanide. Woodward faced challenges throughout her life, and the exact reasons for her suicide remain unclear.[2]