Celia St. James (2024)

Celia St. James was one of the most famous actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age, and considered one of the most talented of that generation. She is also a main character and the primary love interest of the novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins-Reid. She was popularly referred to as "America's Sweetheart" for her girl-next-door allure. Racking up a total of four Oscar nominations, resulting in winning three of which, as well as receiving the Most Promising Female Personality Award at the 1960 Audience Appreciation Awards, St. James was active in her career from 1959-1988, best known for her roles in the films Little Women (1959), The Pride of Belgium (1959), Royal Wedding (1962), Celebration (1962), Our Men (1970), The Buyer (1975), and Macbeth (1988).

Biography[]

Born Cecelia Jamison in 1939, Celia St. James grew up in Georgia, USA in a small town just outside of Savannah. She was born into a rich and "well-to-do" family, which created a culture in her family that she resented. All of her siblings—minus her favorite, her older brother Robert Jamison—she claimed to act just like her parents, who acted as if there was a recognized nobility in Georgia. Celia's sister Rebecca believed that Celia acting in movies was an embarrassment to the family, not so much because of the Hollywood aspect, but rather because it meant that Celia was "working"— and so she claimed it was undignified. Celia had conflicting feelings about her family because of this, saying "I love them, and I hate them. But that’s family, I guess".

Celia quickly became a renowned star and "screen queen" at a young age. Referred to as the "Georgia Peach" or "Georgia's Peach" early in her career, she made headlines for playing a widowed mother in a war-period piece with Olympian Studios at nineteen years old, one people said would be sure to get her nominated the following year. At the same age, she took on her role as Beth March in the 1959 film Little Women, winning her her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Even at an extremely young age, Celia St. James was regarded as one of, if not, the most talented actresses for her generation of Hollywood. Celia was often put in intense, dramatic roles—gritty movies with antiheroes and untidy endings. Her exceptional acting abilities made studio-game actors in the studio dynasty nervous, intimidated, or even jealous. Celia's fellow actresses and Little Women co-stars Evelyn Hugo (who would later become the love of Celia's life, lifelong lover, and wife) and Ruby Reilly said "That teenage bitch is going to act me under the table," and "Did you hear Celia St. James is playing Beth? That tart’s gonna show us all up," prior to meeting her, having only seen her previous works.

[To be continued]

Personality[]

Celia St. James is depicted as a woman of captivating allure and profound complexity. With her fiery spirit and unwavering determination, Celia commands attention wherever she goes. She possesses a magnetic charm that draws people to her effortlessly, yet beneath her glamorous facade lies a vulnerability that adds depth to her character. Celia's sharp wit and fierce independence are matched only by her capacity for love and loyalty, particularly in her tumultuous relationship with Evelyn Hugo.

Throughout the novel, Celia's presence serves as a catalyst for both conflict and growth, challenging societal norms and pushing boundaries in her relentless pursuit of happiness and authenticity. Her resilience in the face of adversity and her unwavering commitment to her beliefs make Celia St. James an unforgettable character in the narrative landscape of the novel.

"Celia would go on to win more Oscars than anybody in our circle back then. And it was always for intense, dramatic roles. But I always thought she'd be dynamite in a comedy. She was so quick."

- Evelyn Hugo

"I loved her drunk. She was herself but happier, so bubbly I sometimes worried she'd float away."

- Evelyn Hugo

Appearance[]

Young Adulthood[]

Celia had a childlike, girl-next-door kind of face with big, round, pale blue eyes, long lashes, cupid’s bow lips, and long strawberry-red hair with golden undertones (a product of nature and sunlight). Evelyn refers to her as "simplicity perfected."

“...I found myself looking at the paleness of the skin stretched across her ribs. I gazed at the bright whiteness of her bra. I noticed the way her breasts, instead of being lifted by the bra like mine, appeared as if the bra were there merely for decoration. I followed the tiny trail of dark brown freckles that ran along the side of her right hip."

- Evelyn Hugo

"...Celia was the sort of beautiful that felt as if you could hold it in your hands, like if you played your cards right, you might just get to marry a girl like Celia St. James."

See Also

Evelyn: A True Story by Evelyn Doyle - Books

- Evelyn Hugo

"Her skin was creamy and pale. Her breasts were fuller than I'd anticipated, her nipples pink. Her flat stomach rounded just the littlest bit underneath her belly button."

- Evelyn Hugo

"When Celia's hair was wet, she didn't smell like shampoo. She smelled like clay."

- Evelyn Hugo

"When Celia was angry, her chest and cheeks flushed."

- Evelyn Hugo

Middle Age[]

Due to filming a movie that required her hair to be dyed brunette and then dyed back after filming concluded, Celia’s red hair in her middle ages appeared to clearly have undergone this dyeing and the golden undertones that had been there in her young adulthood were slightly saturated and coppery, but her hair was still said to be stunning. Her blue eyes were just as enticing as they always had been, but the skin around them became softer.

Elder Years[]

Relationships[]

Evelyn Hugo - Wife, "Love of her life"

John Braveman - Ex Husband

Joan Marker - Ex-Girlfriend

Unknown best friend in College

Filmography[]

(Blank cells are TBA)

Note: These are all of the movies Celia St. James has been mentioned to be in in the novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It is likely that there were more, as it is implied in the book.

Total (known) Films: 14

Total Named Films: 7

Trivia[]

TBA