Irene Bedard might have played a spirited Disney princess, but the Native American voice actor’s career was cruelly stunted by years of both physical and verbal abuse at the hands of her husband, singer Deni Wilson.
Like many women whose lives are impacted by domestic violence, Bedard suffered in silence for almost 20 years before fleeing the situation for the sake of her son. Although Bedard hasn’t spoken out personally about the trauma that she suffered, her family has told her story to raise awareness of how domestic abuse can happen to anyone.
Bedard and Wilson
Out of respect for the family, I will be mostly telling this story in their own words using the open letter that her niece wrote about the difficult subject.
Written in 2010, the letter explains how Irene fled the home she shared with her husband in order to escape severe abuse at the hands of her husband that is detailed in the paragraph below:
Irene moved to Alaska in an attempt to flee a horrific domestic violence situation. For 17 years, she suffered abuse, both sexually and physically, at the hands of the one person she should have been able to trust implicitly, her husband. The years of abuse left not only her body, but also her spirit and mind, battered. The abuse had been so pervasive, her health began to decline, rapidly. Her doctor began tests to detect cancer, unaware of the abuse. As heinous as the physical and mental tolls were, they were not the only price my aunt had to pay.
Although she has made over 30 movies in her career, the letter went on to detail how Bedard’s husband seriously stunted her promising career with his controlling behavior. Irene’s niece wrote:
Her abusive husband kept her under financial control, taking her earnings, and forbidding her to work in her career field, unless he specifically approved the project. This had a detrimental effect on an otherwise promising career. As I stated earlier, my aunt starred in two important productions highlighting the plight of Native Americans. She intended to use her celebrity to bring light to the rich and beautiful heritage of all Native Americans, and Alaskan Natives, in particular. However, her husband’s control and abuse made this impossible. She could not work with bruises on her skin, and his constant presence at her work sites made not only Irene, but also others in the cast and crew uneasy. This cost my aunt jobs. No one wanted to have her husband on the set, and he would not allow her to work without him being there. While the loss of income was financially devastating for my aunt, the loss of her platform to share her heritage with the world was even more so.
Irene with her husband and son before she fled
The letter goes on to reveal that, like thousands of other women in her position, Irene stayed in her abusive marriage because she feared her husband would kill or harm their son in revenge is she left. The letter explains:
As in most domestic violence cases, not only did my aunt’s husband hurt her physically, and caused her to lose her career, he alienated from her from family, friends, and fans, her support system. He had to have total control over her and their child. It was because of her son, Quinn, that she did not leave. She felt she had to endure all of the abuse for his sake. If she left her abuser, he would follow her, and, she feared, use, and possibly harm their son to force her to come back to him. She felt ashamed, embarrassed, humiliated, and powerless. It was only through an intervention by her family that she began to regain her spirit to defend herself, and make a better life for her son. She felt broken. But, with the love, encouragement, and support of her family, she felt there was hope for her and her son. With the help of her family, she moved to Alaska, where she could get treatment for her health, and counseling for herself and her son.
Bedard in 2011 after fleeing her violent marriage
Sadly, due to errors made during the trial, Irene was still not safe after demonstrating enormous bravery by standing up in front of her abuser in court. Mistakes by her attorney meant that the case was moved to Ohio and Bedard was once again forced to return to live within arm’s reach of her abusive ex partner, allow him access to her son and paying spousal support. The letter reads:
Ohio laws do not offer the same protection for domestic abuse victims and their children as Alaska laws do. Clearly, these concessions were not in her best interest, and his incompetence hurt her case. She even heard him admit to this, later, to her abusers attorney, none the less. The Ohio courts ordered her to come back to Ohio, with her son, or face a Contempt of Court charge, which would have put her in jail, and left her son defenseless and living with an abusive father. Without the protection of the Alaska courts, Irene had little choice but to move back to Ohio, and back to her abuser. Again, the abuser has her isolated from her family, friends, fans, and even work. Again, she is living in fear. Again, she cannot freely pursue the career of her choice. Again, she has to give what money she does earn to her abuser. It is abundantly clear why she was afraid to leave in the first place. Everything she feared about the legal system has happened.
Although there is no information available on Bedard’s current situation, another family source has spoken out to explain that she has come to realize the benefits of her domestic abuse becoming public, they wrote that:
When Irene was forced to return to Ohio she wanted to keep this matter private, just as she had hidden the bruises, scars and broken bones from friends and family for so many years. Family members, who love her dearly, went public with her story to help draw attention to her ordeal. While Irene did not initially want this information out in the public, now that it is, she realizes that she can no longer hide the secret she has kept for so long and will be speaking out publicly when she is ready.
I sincerely hope that Irene’s life has made a dramatic turn for the better in the time that has passed and that she has been able to continue her immensely valuable work concentrating on Native American rights.
If you or anyone you know is suffering from domestic abuse you do not need to suffer in silence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or visit this website for information.
