Most people recognize the Huston name through filmmaker John Huston or his daughter, actress Anjelica Huston. But the woman who connected them — Enrica Soma — remains far less known, even though her life touched modeling, ballet, and one of Hollywood’s most famous families.
This article covers who Enrica Soma was, her early career, her marriage to John Huston, her children, and her death in 1969. It also clears up some common points of confusion about her family.
Who Was Enrica Soma?
Her full name was Enrica Georgia Soma, though she was widely known by the nickname “Ricki” or “Ricky.” She was born in Manhattan to Italian immigrant parents with roots in Ispra, a town in northern Italy. Genealogy records identify her father as Anthony Soma.
Her exact birth year is listed differently across sources. Some records say 1929, while others say 1930. Neither date has been confirmed as the definitive one, so it is worth treating both with some caution.
Soma was not a Hollywood actress. Historical accounts describe her primarily as a model, ballet dancer, and socialite. She had her own distinct background and career before she became connected to the Huston family name.
Her Career as a Model and Ballet Dancer
During the late 1940s, Soma worked as a model in New York. She also had a background in ballet. The New York Times, in its 1969 obituary, described her as a ballet dancer who had been associated with choreographer George Balanchine.
That Balanchine connection is notable, though the exact nature of her role — whether she trained, performed, or worked in his orbit in another capacity — is not fully documented in available sources. It would be an overstatement to call her a prima ballerina based on the evidence at hand.
Her career was relatively brief and not widely covered in public records from that era. She was not a major public figure in her own right during her lifetime. Still, her modeling and dance background give her story substance beyond simply being someone’s wife or mother.
Marriage to John Huston and Family Life
Enrica Soma married director John Huston in 1950. She was his fourth wife. John Huston was already an established filmmaker by that point, known for directing The Maltese Falcon and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
The couple had two children together: Walter Antony Huston, known as Tony, and Anjelica Huston. For a period, the family lived at St Clerans, the Huston estate in County Galway, Ireland. Anjelica Huston has spoken about her childhood there in various interviews over the years.
The marriage was not without difficulty. Biographical accounts describe long separations and marital strain. Around 1960, Soma moved to London with the children. The couple did not divorce, however. They remained legally married until Soma’s death in 1969.
John Huston was known for a complicated personal life. It is important to be clear that not all of his children were Soma’s. Danny Huston, for instance, was John Huston’s son with actress Zoe Sallis — not with Enrica Soma.
Enrica Soma’s Three Children
Soma had three children in total, though they did not all share the same father.
Tony Huston and Anjelica Huston were both the biological children of Enrica Soma and John Huston. Tony Huston went on to work in screenwriting. Anjelica Huston became one of the most recognized actresses of her generation, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Prizzi’s Honor in 1985. She has also directed films and remained a prominent figure in Hollywood for decades.
Soma also had a daughter named Allegra. Allegra’s biological father was writer John Julius Norwich, not John Huston. After Soma’s death, John Huston took Allegra into his care and treated her as one of his own children. Allegra Huston later became a writer herself.
This distinction matters because the question of Allegra’s parentage comes up often in searches about the Huston family. John Huston was not her biological father, but he raised her and she carried the Huston name.
Life in Ireland at St Clerans
One of the more vivid parts of Soma’s story is the time her family spent in Ireland. St Clerans was a Georgian manor house in County Galway that John Huston purchased and restored in the 1950s. It became the family’s main home for a period.
Anjelica Huston has described her early years at St Clerans in detail, painting a picture of a large and somewhat unusual household. John Huston filled the estate with art, animals, and a steady stream of guests from the film world.
For Soma and her children, it was a life that combined rural Ireland with the glamour that surrounded John Huston’s career. But it was also an isolating environment in some ways, particularly as the marriage grew more strained over time.
How Did Enrica Soma Die?
Enrica Soma died in January 1969 in a car accident near Dijon, France. She was 39 years old. The New York Times published an obituary at the time, identifying her as “Mrs. John Huston” and noting her background as a former ballet dancer.
Her death came relatively early in life and left three young children without their mother. John Huston assumed responsibility for all three children, including Allegra, who was not his biological daughter.
Soma’s passing marked a significant moment in the Huston family history. Anjelica Huston was still a teenager at the time and has spoken about how her mother’s death shaped her.
Why Enrica Soma Still Comes Up in Searches Today
Soma was not famous in her own lifetime in the way John Huston or Anjelica Huston are. She was a model and dancer who lived a private life by comparison. But she remains a subject of genuine public interest for a few reasons.
First, Anjelica Huston’s fame naturally draws people toward questions about her family background. When people research Anjelica’s life, they find their way to Soma. Second, the broader Huston family story — John Huston’s marriages, his children, his estate in Ireland — is rich enough that many readers want a fuller picture of who was involved.
Third, genealogy platforms have made it easier to discover names and relationships that might otherwise go unnoticed. Soma appears in various family trees and historical records online, though those records should always be checked against stronger primary sources like newspaper archives. If you are exploring how public figures build and share their histories, resources like Start Business Advice can offer useful context on how information and legacies get documented over time.
A Brief Life With a Lasting Legacy
Enrica Soma lived for only 39 years. She was a model, a ballet dancer, a wife, and a mother. She was not a household name, and she did not leave behind a large public body of work. But she shaped the lives of three children, one of whom became one of the most accomplished actresses Hollywood has seen.
Her story is worth knowing on its own terms — not just as a footnote in someone else’s biography. She came from an immigrant family, built a career in modeling and dance in New York, married into one of cinema’s most prominent families, and raised children who went on to leave their own marks on the world.
That is a life worth remembering clearly and accurately.
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