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Jenny Maxwell was an American actress of Norwegian heritage who had a brief career during the late 1950s and 1960s. Her most notable role was Ellie Corbett in the 1961 musical comedy Blue Hawaii, where she portrayed a flirtatious teenage girl grappling with suicidal thoughts.
Born in New York City, Maxwell's father was reportedly a construction worker. The family originally bore the surname "Moksvold," which was later Americanized to "Maxwell." During the 1950s, media reports claimed she was a cousin of actress Marilyn Monroe, a connection used for publicity, though its authenticity remains uncertain.
In 1958, film director Vincente Minnelli discovered Maxwell and brought her to Hollywood. Although she did not secure a major role in the drama Some Came Running (1958), she was offered guest appearances on television, featuring in popular series like Bachelor Father (1957), Father Knows Best (1954), and Bonanza (1959).
Maxwell's film debut came in 1959 with an uncredited role in the drama Blue Denim, which dealt with teenage pregnancy and abortion, based on a play by James Leo Herlihy.
In 1961, she landed a significant part in Blue Hawaii. While not the female lead, Maxwell appeared in several key scenes as a 17-year-old girl attempting to seduce Chadwick "Chad" Gates (Elvis Presley’s character), while feeling unloved and contemplating suicide. Her character had substantial screen time and its own subplots. The film was a commercial success, ranking as the 10th highest-grossing film of 1961, marking the peak of Maxwell's career.
In 1963, Maxwell appeared in a minor role in the comedy Take Her, She's Mine, about a father concerned over his college-aged daughter's beatnik associations. The film was a box office failure, earning less than its production costs. That same year, she played Honey Bee Heller, a teenage girl wanting to marry her boyfriend despite family enmity, in the B-movie Shotgun Wedding. The film is mainly remembered for having a screenwriter linked to director Ed Wood. This was Maxwell's final film role.
Throughout the 1960s, Maxwell continued guest-starring on television, though her career was modest and she reportedly encountered financial difficulties. In 1970, she married her second husband, lawyer Ervin "Tip" Roeder, who was 21 years her senior and financially well-off. Following their marriage, Maxwell retired from acting.
In the early 1970s, the couple settled in a large safari-style decorated home on Cherokee Lane in Beverly Hills, where Maxwell hosted gatherings that Roeder rarely attended. Their marriage was reportedly tumultuous, with periods of separation and reconciliation. By 1980, Maxwell had initiated divorce proceedings and was set to receive a substantial settlement.
On June 9, 1981, after undergoing minor surgery, Maxwell accepted Roeder’s offer to drive her home, despite her friends’ mistrust. The following day, they dined together before returning to Roeder’s Beverly Hills residence. Shortly thereafter, both were shot. Roeder called for help, but Maxwell had already died with severe head injuries; Roeder died soon after, without naming their attacker. Maxwell was 39. Police attributed the deaths to a failed robbery, though nothing was stolen, and the case remains unsolved.
In 2018, journalist and Maxwell's cousin Buddy Moorehouse researched the murder, uncovering additional police theories but no suspects. He used this research to write the 2021 novel Murder of an Elvis Girl: Solving the Jenny Maxwell Case, a fictionalized account of the incident.
Though long deceased, Maxwell is remembered for her few notable roles. Her unsolved murder continues to fascinate true-crime enthusiasts and garners some media attention, making her more well-known than many of her contemporaries who struggled in the industry.
