Frank Shields
Francis Xavier Alexander Shields Sr. (November 18, 1909 – August 19, 1975) was an American amateur tennis player of the 1920s and 1930s, and an actor known for Hoosier Schoolboy (1937).
| Full name | Francis Xavier Alexander Shields Sr. |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) | United States |
| Born | November 18, 1909 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | August 19, 1975 (aged 65) New York, U.S. |
| Turned pro | 1926 (amateur tour) |
| Retired | 1955 |
| Plays | Right-handed (1-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1964 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Highest ranking | No. 5 (1930, A. Wallis Myers)[1] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| French Open | 4R (1933) |
| Wimbledon | F (1931) |
| US Open | F (1930) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | SF (1931) |
| US Open | F (1933) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| US Open | F (1930) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (1932) |
Tennis career
Between 1928 and 1945 he was ranked eight times in the U.S. Top Ten, reaching No. 1 in 1933, and No. 2 in 1930. He was ranked world No. 5 in 1930 by A. Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph.[1] Shields beat Wilmer Allison and Sidney Wood before losing to John Doeg in the final of the 1930 U.S. Championships.[2] Shields defaulted to Sidney Wood in the singles final of Wimbledon in 1931 due to an ankle injury he had sustained in winning his semi-final match against France's "Musketeer" Jean Borotra, and this was the only time in the history of a Grand Slam event the singles final of that event was won by default.
He entered the 1950 US Open. However, he and Ginger Rogers were knocked out of the mixed doubles competition in the first round.[3] He competed at the 1951 U.S. Open in New York City, and in Round 1 was defeated by South African Syd Levy in straight sets.
Davis Cup
He competed for the Davis Cup in 1931, 1932, and 1934, winning 19 of 25 matches. He was left off the team for his erratic playing in 1933.[4] Shields was the non-playing captain in 1951, when the team won four matches.
Shields had his issues both with interactions with other players, and with alcohol.[5][6][7] In the late 1930s, Shields was known for making fun of the US tennis star Bryan Grant, the smallest American to win an international championship, saying "the little shaver" was hiding behind the net. Once a drunk Shields held Grant upside down, outside a hotel window.[8]
Grand Slam finals
Singles (2 runners-up)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1930 | U.S. Championships | Grass | John Doeg | 8–10, 6–1, 4–6, 14–16 |
| Loss | 1931 | Wimbledon | Grass | Sidney Wood | walkover |
Doubles (1 runner-up)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1933 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Frank Parker | George Lott Lester Stoefen | 13–11, 7–9, 7–9, 3–6 |
Mixed doubles (1 runner-up)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1930 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Marjorie Morrill | Edith Cross Wilmer Allison | 4–6, 4–6 |
Marriages
In 1932, Shields married Rebecca Tenney (1910–2005). In 1938 he maintained a home in Palm Springs, California.[9] Shields and Tenney divorced in 1940 on the grounds of his "habitual intemperance and cruelty"[10] and in 1947 she married lawyer Donald Agnew.
In 1940, he married his second wife, Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi (1916–1960).[11] Marina was the daughter of Marino Torlonia, 4th prince of Civitella-Cesi (1861–1933) and Mary Elsie Moore (1888–1941), an American heiress. Marina's brother was Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince di Civitella-Cesi (1911–1986), the husband of the Spanish Infanta Beatriz de Borbón (1909–2002). Shields had two children with Marina Torlonia:
- Francis Xavier Alexander, Jr. (1941–2003), the father of actress-model Brooke Shields (b. 1965)
- Cristiana Marina Shields (b. 1943)
Shields and Torlonia divorced and in 1950 she married Edward W. Slater.[12]
In 1949, he married Katharine Mortimer (1923–2003), the daughter of financier Stanley Grafton Mortimer, Sr.[13] She had previously been married to Oliver Cadwell Biddle, with whom she had a daughter, Christine Mortimer Biddle, who became a stepdaughter to Shields. Shields had three children with Mortimer:
- Katharine Shields
- William "Willy" Xavier Orin Hunt Shields (1949–2016)[14]
- Alston Shields.
Shields and Mortimer divorced and in 1962 she married Richard Gillespie Blaine.[15]
Later life
In his later years he was frequently drunk, at which times he became destructive and bullying with his strength.[citation needed] After two heart attacks and a stroke, he died at 65 of a third heart attack, in a Manhattan taxi.[16] He was the grandfather of Brooke Shields, Morgan Christina Shields, and Holton Joseph Shields.
Acting career
Shields appeared in the following films:
- Murder in the Fleet – 1935 as Lieutenant Arnold
- I Live My Life – 1935 as outer office secretary
- Come and Get It – 1936 – as Tony Schwerke
- Affairs of Cappy Ricks – 1937 – as Waldo Bottomley, Jr.
- Hoosier Schoolboy – 1937 – as Jack Matthews. Jr.
- Dead End – 1937 – as well-dressed man
- The Goldwyn Follies – 1938 – as assistant director
International Tennis Hall of Fame
Shields was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island in 1964.
Career highlights
- Cincinnati Singles Champion, 1930
- US Open Singles finalist, 1930
- US Open Mixed doubles finalist, 1930
- Wimbledon Singles finalist, 1931
- US Open Doubles finalist, 1933
- United States Davis Cup team member 1931–32, 1934
References
- ^ a b "Big Bill Tilden is Second Only to Henri Cochet", The Montreal Gazette, November 27, 1930.
- ^ Talbert, Bill (1967). Tennis Observed. Boston: Barre Publishers. p. 108. OCLC 172306.
- ^ Tennis Forum: US Open results
- ^ . Time. January 1, 1934. Archived from the original on November 12, 2010. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
- ^ Fisher, Marshall Jon (2010). A Terrible Splendor: Three ... ISBN 978-0307393951. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
- ^ Hart, Jeffrey Peter (2008). From this moment on: America in 1940. ISBN 978-0517557419. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
- ^ Graham, Sheilah (July 24, 1937). "Proquest". Courant.com. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
- ^ Fisher, Marshall Jon (2010). A Terrible Splendor: Three ... ISBN 978-0307393951. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
- ^ Meeks, Eric G. (2014) [2012]. The Best Guide Ever to Palm Springs Celebrity Homes. Horatio Limburger Oglethorpe. p. 37. ISBN 978-1479328598.
- ^ "Frank Shields Is Divorced". The New York Times. June 28, 1940. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
- ^ "Donna Torlonia Wed to Frank X. Shields", The New York Times, 14 July 1940
- ^ "Mrs. M. T. Shields Is Wed; Former Marina Torlonia Bride Here of Edward W. Slater", The New York Times, 30 December 1950
- ^ Staff (April 6, 1947). "S.G. Mortimer Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ^ "William X. Shields's Obituary on the Miami Herald". www.legacy.com. Miami Herald. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ^ "Blaine, Katharine Mortimer". The New York Times. April 17, 2003. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ^ . Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved June 19, 2007.
External links
- Frank Shields at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
- Frank Shields at the International Tennis Federation
- Frank Shields at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Frank Shields at the Davis Cup