Kim Stanley (February 11, 1925 – August 20, 2001) was an American actress, primarily in theatre but with occasional film performances.
Stanley began her acting career in theatre, and subsequently attended the The Actors Studio. She received the 1952
Theatre World AwardThe Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
for role in
The ChaseAlbert Horton Foote, Jr. was an American playwright and screenwriter, perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning screenplays for the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird and the 1983 film Tender Mercies, and his notable live television dramas during the Golden Age of Television...
(1952), and starred in the Broadway productions of
PicnicPicnic is a 1953 play by William Inge. The play premiered at the Music Box Theatre, Broadway on 19 February, 1953 in a production by the Theatre Guild, directed by Joshua Logan and ran for 477 performances....
(1953) and
Bus StopBus Stop is a 1955 play by William Inge. The film of the same name is only loosely based upon it.-Characters:Bus Stop is a drama, with romantic and some comedic elements. It is set in a diner in rural Kansas, about 20 miles west of Kansas City, Missouri during a snowstorm from which bus...
(1955). She was nominated for the
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a PlayThis is a list of winners and nomination of the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress. The award was first presented in 1947.-1940s:* 1947: Patricia Neal – Another Part of the Forest* 1949: Shirley Booth – Goodbye, My Fancy-1950s:...
for her roles in
A Touch of the PoetA Touch of the Poet is a play by Eugene O'Neill.It and its sequel, More Stately Mansions, were intended to be part of a nine-play cycle entitled A Tale of Possessors Self-Dispossessed...
(1959) and
A Far CountryHenry Denker is an American novelist and playwright.Denker was admitted to the New York Bar in 1935, at the height of the Depression, and he soon left law practice to earn his living by writing. His legal training is reflected in many of his works...
(1962).
During the 1950s, Stanley was a prolific performer in television, and later progressed to film, with a well received performance in
The GoddessThe Goddess is a 1958 Columbia Pictures drama film starring Kim Stanley and Lloyd Bridges. Others in the cast include Steven Hill, Betty Lou Holland, Joan Copeland, Patty Duke, and Elizabeth Wilson....
(1959). She was the narrator of
To Kill a MockingbirdTo Kill a Mockingbird is a 1962 American drama film based on the novel of the same name by Harper Lee. It was directed by Robert Mulligan and stars Mary Badham in the role of Scout and Gregory Peck in the role of Atticus Finch....
(1962) and starred in
Séance on a Wet AfternoonSéance on a Wet Afternoon is a 1964 British film directed by Bryan Forbes, based on the novel by Mark McShane in which an unstable medium convinces her husband to kidnap a child so she can help the police solve the crime and collect the ransom...
(1964), for which she won the
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best ActressThe New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress is one of the awards given by the New York Film Critics Circle to honor the finest achievements in filmmaking.-1930s:-1940s:-1950s:-1960s:-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:...
and was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
. She was less active during the remainder of her career; two of her later film successes were as the mother of
Frances FarmerFrances Elena Farmer was an American actress of stage and screen. She is perhaps better known for sensationalized and fictional accounts of her life, and especially her involuntary commitment to a mental hospital...
in
FrancesFrances is a 1982 Universal drama film starring Jessica Lange, Kim Stanley, Sam Shepard. When it was released this film was advertised as a purportedly true account of actress Frances Farmer's life but the script was largely fictional and sensationalized. The film's tagline is: "Her story is...
(1982), for which she received a second Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress, and as
Pancho BarnesFlorence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes was a pioneer of women's aviation and the owner of the celebrated Happy Bottom Riding Club located on land annexed into Edwards Air Force Base in southern California's Antelope Valley in the southwestern United States.-Early years:She was born as Florence Leontine...
in
The Right Stuff (1983). She received an Emmy Award for her performance in
Cat on a Hot Tin RoofCat on a Hot Tin Roof is a play by Tennessee Williams. One of Williams's best-known works, the play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955, has been restaged several times since, and was adapted into an acclaimed 1958 motion picture.-Plot:...
(1985).
She did not act during her later years, preferring the role of teacher, in
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
and later
Santa FeSanta Fe is the capital of the state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 62,203 at the April 1, 2000 census; the estimate for July 1, 2006, is 72,056...
, where she died in 2001, of
uterine cancerThe term uterine cancer may refer to any of several different types of cancer which occur in the uterus, namely:*Uterine sarcomas: sarcomas of the myometrium, or muscular layer of the uterus, are most commonly leiomyosarcomas.*Endometrial cancer:...
.
Early life
She was born
Patricia Beth Reid in
TularosaTularosa is a village in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. It shares its name with the Tularosa Basin, in which the village is located. To the east, Tularosa is flanked by the western edge of the Sacramento Mountains. The population was 2,864 at the 2000 census...
,
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Inhabited by Native American populations for many centuries, it has also been part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory. Among U.S...
. She was a drama major at the
University of New MexicoThe University of New Mexico is a public university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. Founded in 1889, it offers bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional degree programs in the arts, sciences, and engineering...
and later studied at the
Pasadena PlayhouseThe Pasadena Playhouse is a historic theatre located in Pasadena, California.-History:The Playhouse's history began in 1917 when actor/director Gilmor Brown began producing a season of plays at an old burlesque house he called the Savoy...
.
Career
Stanley was a successful
BroadwayBroadway Theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, is the theatre associated with the 40 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City...
actress with only a few
motion pictureFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
roles. She was singled out by the
New York Times critic
Brooks AtkinsonJustin Brooks Atkinson was an American theatre critic. He worked for The New York Times from 1925 to 1960. In his obituary, the Times called him "the most important reviewer of his time."...
for her early work. She eventually attended The Actors Studio, studying under
Elia KazanElia Kazan, , was a Turkish-born American film and theatre director, film and theatrical producer, screenwriter, novelist and co-founder of the influential Actors Studio in New York in 1947...
and
Lee StrasbergLee Strasberg was an American actor, director and acting teacher. He cofounded, with director Harold Clurman, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed as "America's first true theatrical collective". In 1951, he became director of the non-profit Actors Studio, in New York City, considered "the...
. She received the 1952
Theatre World AwardThe Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
for her performance of "Anna Reeves" in
The ChaseAlbert Horton Foote, Jr. was an American playwright and screenwriter, perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning screenplays for the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird and the 1983 film Tender Mercies, and his notable live television dramas during the Golden Age of Television...
, and starred in such Broadway hits as
PicnicPicnic is a 1953 play by William Inge. The play premiered at the Music Box Theatre, Broadway on 19 February, 1953 in a production by the Theatre Guild, directed by Joshua Logan and ran for 477 performances....
(1953), playing "Millie Owens," and
Bus StopBus Stop is a 1955 play by William Inge. The film of the same name is only loosely based upon it.-Characters:Bus Stop is a drama, with romantic and some comedic elements. It is set in a diner in rural Kansas, about 20 miles west of Kansas City, Missouri during a snowstorm from which bus...
(1955), playing "Cherie." She was nominated for the 1959
Tony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American theatre and are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are for Broadway productions and...
for
Best Actress in a PlayThis is a list of winners and nomination of the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress. The award was first presented in 1947.-1940s:* 1947: Patricia Neal – Another Part of the Forest* 1949: Shirley Booth – Goodbye, My Fancy-1950s:...
for
A Touch of the PoetA Touch of the Poet is a play by Eugene O'Neill.It and its sequel, More Stately Mansions, were intended to be part of a nine-play cycle entitled A Tale of Possessors Self-Dispossessed...
and the 1962 Tony for Best Actress in a Play for
A Far CountryHenry Denker is an American novelist and playwright.Denker was admitted to the New York Bar in 1935, at the height of the Depression, and he soon left law practice to earn his living by writing. His legal training is reflected in many of his works...
.
Stanley was also the leading lady of live television drama, which flourished in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
during the 1950s. Among her many starring roles was Wilma, a star-struck 15-year-old girl from the U.S. Gulf Coast of
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
in
Horton FooteAlbert Horton Foote, Jr. was an American playwright and screenwriter, perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning screenplays for the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird and the 1983 film Tender Mercies, and his notable live television dramas during the Golden Age of Television...
's
A Young Lady of Property, which aired on the
Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse April 5, 1953.
A savaging by English critics after her
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
performance of "Masha" in The Actor's Studio production of
Anton ChekhovAnton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian short-story writer, playwright and physician, considered to be one of the greatest short-story writers in the history of world literature. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
's play
The Three Sisters (1965) made her vow never to perform on stage again, a vow she kept for the rest of her life.
Film career
Her first movie was
The GoddessThe Goddess is a 1958 Columbia Pictures drama film starring Kim Stanley and Lloyd Bridges. Others in the cast include Steven Hill, Betty Lou Holland, Joan Copeland, Patty Duke, and Elizabeth Wilson....
(1958), playing a tragic movie star modeled on
Marilyn MonroeMarilyn Monroe , born Norma Jeane Mortenson, but baptized Norma Jeane Baker, was an American actress, singer and model....
. In 1964, she starred in
Seance on a Wet AfternoonSéance on a Wet Afternoon is a 1964 British film directed by Bryan Forbes, based on the novel by Mark McShane in which an unstable medium convinces her husband to kidnap a child so she can help the police solve the crime and collect the ransom...
, won the New York Film Critics Award for Best Actress for it and was nominated for the
Best Actress OscarPerformance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
. In 1966, the filmed version of Strasberg's directed
Three SistersThree Sisters is a play by Russian author and playwright Anton Chekhov. It was written in 1900 and first produced in 1901.-The Prozorovs:...
opened with Stanley reprising the role of Masha, and is the only time one can see her perform in a film alongside
Geraldine PageGeraldine Sue Page was an Academy Award-winning American actress. Although she starred in at least two dozen feature films, she is primarily known for her celebrated work in the American theater.-Early life:...
,
Sandy DennisSandra Dale “Sandy” Dennis was an American theater and film actress.-Early life:Dennis was born in Hastings, Nebraska, the daughter of Yvonne, a secretary, and Jack Dennis, a postal clerk. She had a brother, Frank. A high school classmate of Dick Cavett, she attended the Nebraska Wesleyan...
,
Shelley WintersShelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television.-Early life:...
and other well known names of the Actor's Studio.
She was nominated for the Academy Award for
Best Actress in a Supporting RolePerformance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
and a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance as
Frances FarmerFrances Elena Farmer was an American actress of stage and screen. She is perhaps better known for sensationalized and fictional accounts of her life, and especially her involuntary commitment to a mental hospital...
's possessive mother in
FrancesFrances is a 1982 Universal drama film starring Jessica Lange, Kim Stanley, Sam Shepard. When it was released this film was advertised as a purportedly true account of actress Frances Farmer's life but the script was largely fictional and sensationalized. The film's tagline is: "Her story is...
(1982). She also played
Pancho BarnesFlorence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes was a pioneer of women's aviation and the owner of the celebrated Happy Bottom Riding Club located on land annexed into Edwards Air Force Base in southern California's Antelope Valley in the southwestern United States.-Early years:She was born as Florence Leontine...
in
The Right Stuff (1983).
Stanley was the uncredited narrator in the 1962 film
To Kill a MockingbirdTo Kill a Mockingbird is a 1962 American drama film based on the novel of the same name by Harper Lee. It was directed by Robert Mulligan and stars Mary Badham in the role of Scout and Gregory Peck in the role of Atticus Finch....
. As the narrator, she represents the character "Jean Louise Finch" ("Scout") as an adult.
Mary BadhamMary Badham is an American actress, best known for her portrayal of Jean Louise 'Scout' Finch in the Oscar-winning 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award...
portrays "Scout" as a child in the film.
She received an
Emmy AwardThe Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards , Grammy Awards and Tony Awards .They are presented in various...
for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in the episode,
A Cardinal Act of Mercy, on the TV series,
Ben Casey (1963), and an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special for playing, "Big Mama," in
Tennessee WilliamsTennessee Williams , né Thomas Lanier Williams, was an American playwright who received many of the top theatrical awards for his works of drama...
' Southern melodrama
Cat on a Hot Tin RoofCat on a Hot Tin Roof is a play by Tennessee Williams. One of Williams's best-known works, the play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955, has been restaged several times since, and was adapted into an acclaimed 1958 motion picture.-Plot:...
(1985).
Personal life
Stanley had four husbands, Bruce Hall (married 1945-divorced 1946),
Curt ConwayCurt Conway was an American actor. He was sometimes billed as Curtis Conway or Kurt Conway.Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Conway began his career with small parts in films of the late 1940s, but appeared principally on TV from 1960 until his death...
(married 1949-divorced 1956),
Alfred RyderAlfred Ryder was an American radio, television and film actor. Ryder may best be remembered for appearing in over one hundred television shows, including the role of Professor Robert Crater in the first Star Trek episode "The Man Trap" in 1966...
(married 1958-divorced 1964) and Joseph Siegel (married 1964-divorced 1967).
She had three children, one by Conway, one by Brooks Clift (brother of
Montgomery CliftEdward Montgomery Clift was an American film actor. He was known for his brooding, sensitive working-class character roles. He received four Academy Award nominations during his career.-Early life:...
) while she was married to Conway, and one by Ryder. During her marriage to Alfred Ryder, Kim Stanley converted to Judaism.
Kim Stanley died of
uterine cancerThe term uterine cancer may refer to any of several different types of cancer which occur in the uterus, namely:*Uterine sarcomas: sarcomas of the myometrium, or muscular layer of the uterus, are most commonly leiomyosarcomas.*Endometrial cancer:...
at her home in
Santa Fe, New MexicoSanta Fe is the capital of the state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 62,203 at the April 1, 2000 census; the estimate for July 1, 2006, is 72,056...
at the age of 76. She was survived by her first husband, Bruce Hall, her brother Justin Truman Reid, and her three children. Her biography,
Female Brando: the Legend of Kim Stanley, by Jon Krampner, was published in the spring of 2006 by Back Stage Books, a division of Watson-Guptill Publications.
Notable films she rejected
- Atlantic City
Atlantic City is a Canadian/French romantic/crime/drama directed by Louis Malle. Filmed in late 1979, it was released in France and Germany in 1980 and in the United States in 1981. The script was written by John Guare...
(1980) (Grace) - According to Jon Krampner's book Female Brando: The Legend of Kim Stanley, she turned down the role eventually taken by Kate ReidDaphne Kate Reid, OC was a Canadian stage, film and television actress.-Biography:Reid was born in London, England, the daughter of Canadian parents Helen Isabel and Walter Clarke Reid, who was a former Bengal Lancer in the Indian army and a retired colonel...
. Coincidentally, Reid replaced Stanley in the film A Delicate BalanceA Delicate Balance is a 1973 drama film directed by Tony Richardson. The screenplay by Edward Albee is based on his 1966 Pultizer Prize-winning play of the same title.The film was the second in a series produced by Ely A...
.
- Psycho
Psycho is an American suspense/horror movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock, from the screenplay by Joseph Stefano. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Robert Bloch, which was in turn inspired by the crimes of Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein....
(1960) (Lila Loomis) - Turned down the role of Lila Loomis in Psycho because she didn't want to work with Anthony PerkinsAnthony Perkins was an American actor, best known for his role as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and its three sequels.-Early life:...
for "personal" reasons.
- Planet of the Apes
Planet of the Apes is a 1968 science fiction film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner loosely based on the novel La planète des singes by Pierre Boulle. The film stars Charlton Heston and features Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, veteran Shakespearean actor Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly and...
(1968) ("Dr. Zira") - Turned down the role of Dr. Zira, opposite Charlton HestonCharlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television.Heston is known for having played heroic roles, such as Moses in The Ten Commandments, Colonel George Taylor in Planet of the Apes, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar in El Cid, and Judah Ben-Hur in Ben-Hur, for which he won the Academy...
External links
Kim Stanley (February 11, 1925 – August 20, 2001) was an American actress, primarily in theatre but with occasional film performances.
Stanley began her acting career in theatre, and subsequently attended the The Actors Studio. She received the 1952
Theatre World AwardThe Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
for role in
The ChaseAlbert Horton Foote, Jr. was an American playwright and screenwriter, perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning screenplays for the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird and the 1983 film Tender Mercies, and his notable live television dramas during the Golden Age of Television...
(1952), and starred in the Broadway productions of
PicnicPicnic is a 1953 play by William Inge. The play premiered at the Music Box Theatre, Broadway on 19 February, 1953 in a production by the Theatre Guild, directed by Joshua Logan and ran for 477 performances....
(1953) and
Bus StopBus Stop is a 1955 play by William Inge. The film of the same name is only loosely based upon it.-Characters:Bus Stop is a drama, with romantic and some comedic elements. It is set in a diner in rural Kansas, about 20 miles west of Kansas City, Missouri during a snowstorm from which bus...
(1955). She was nominated for the
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a PlayThis is a list of winners and nomination of the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress. The award was first presented in 1947.-1940s:* 1947: Patricia Neal – Another Part of the Forest* 1949: Shirley Booth – Goodbye, My Fancy-1950s:...
for her roles in
A Touch of the PoetA Touch of the Poet is a play by Eugene O'Neill.It and its sequel, More Stately Mansions, were intended to be part of a nine-play cycle entitled A Tale of Possessors Self-Dispossessed...
(1959) and
A Far CountryHenry Denker is an American novelist and playwright.Denker was admitted to the New York Bar in 1935, at the height of the Depression, and he soon left law practice to earn his living by writing. His legal training is reflected in many of his works...
(1962).
During the 1950s, Stanley was a prolific performer in television, and later progressed to film, with a well received performance in
The GoddessThe Goddess is a 1958 Columbia Pictures drama film starring Kim Stanley and Lloyd Bridges. Others in the cast include Steven Hill, Betty Lou Holland, Joan Copeland, Patty Duke, and Elizabeth Wilson....
(1959). She was the narrator of
To Kill a MockingbirdTo Kill a Mockingbird is a 1962 American drama film based on the novel of the same name by Harper Lee. It was directed by Robert Mulligan and stars Mary Badham in the role of Scout and Gregory Peck in the role of Atticus Finch....
(1962) and starred in
Séance on a Wet AfternoonSéance on a Wet Afternoon is a 1964 British film directed by Bryan Forbes, based on the novel by Mark McShane in which an unstable medium convinces her husband to kidnap a child so she can help the police solve the crime and collect the ransom...
(1964), for which she won the
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best ActressThe New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress is one of the awards given by the New York Film Critics Circle to honor the finest achievements in filmmaking.-1930s:-1940s:-1950s:-1960s:-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:...
and was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
. She was less active during the remainder of her career; two of her later film successes were as the mother of
Frances FarmerFrances Elena Farmer was an American actress of stage and screen. She is perhaps better known for sensationalized and fictional accounts of her life, and especially her involuntary commitment to a mental hospital...
in
FrancesFrances is a 1982 Universal drama film starring Jessica Lange, Kim Stanley, Sam Shepard. When it was released this film was advertised as a purportedly true account of actress Frances Farmer's life but the script was largely fictional and sensationalized. The film's tagline is: "Her story is...
(1982), for which she received a second Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress, and as
Pancho BarnesFlorence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes was a pioneer of women's aviation and the owner of the celebrated Happy Bottom Riding Club located on land annexed into Edwards Air Force Base in southern California's Antelope Valley in the southwestern United States.-Early years:She was born as Florence Leontine...
in
The Right Stuff (1983). She received an Emmy Award for her performance in
Cat on a Hot Tin RoofCat on a Hot Tin Roof is a play by Tennessee Williams. One of Williams's best-known works, the play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955, has been restaged several times since, and was adapted into an acclaimed 1958 motion picture.-Plot:...
(1985).
She did not act during her later years, preferring the role of teacher, in
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
and later
Santa FeSanta Fe is the capital of the state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 62,203 at the April 1, 2000 census; the estimate for July 1, 2006, is 72,056...
, where she died in 2001, of
uterine cancerThe term uterine cancer may refer to any of several different types of cancer which occur in the uterus, namely:*Uterine sarcomas: sarcomas of the myometrium, or muscular layer of the uterus, are most commonly leiomyosarcomas.*Endometrial cancer:...
.
Early life
She was born
Patricia Beth Reid in
TularosaTularosa is a village in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. It shares its name with the Tularosa Basin, in which the village is located. To the east, Tularosa is flanked by the western edge of the Sacramento Mountains. The population was 2,864 at the 2000 census...
,
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Inhabited by Native American populations for many centuries, it has also been part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory. Among U.S...
. She was a drama major at the
University of New MexicoThe University of New Mexico is a public university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. Founded in 1889, it offers bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional degree programs in the arts, sciences, and engineering...
and later studied at the
Pasadena PlayhouseThe Pasadena Playhouse is a historic theatre located in Pasadena, California.-History:The Playhouse's history began in 1917 when actor/director Gilmor Brown began producing a season of plays at an old burlesque house he called the Savoy...
.
Career
Stanley was a successful
BroadwayBroadway Theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, is the theatre associated with the 40 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City...
actress with only a few
motion pictureFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
roles. She was singled out by the
New York Times critic
Brooks AtkinsonJustin Brooks Atkinson was an American theatre critic. He worked for The New York Times from 1925 to 1960. In his obituary, the Times called him "the most important reviewer of his time."...
for her early work. She eventually attended The Actors Studio, studying under
Elia KazanElia Kazan, , was a Turkish-born American film and theatre director, film and theatrical producer, screenwriter, novelist and co-founder of the influential Actors Studio in New York in 1947...
and
Lee StrasbergLee Strasberg was an American actor, director and acting teacher. He cofounded, with director Harold Clurman, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed as "America's first true theatrical collective". In 1951, he became director of the non-profit Actors Studio, in New York City, considered "the...
. She received the 1952
Theatre World AwardThe Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
for her performance of "Anna Reeves" in
The ChaseAlbert Horton Foote, Jr. was an American playwright and screenwriter, perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning screenplays for the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird and the 1983 film Tender Mercies, and his notable live television dramas during the Golden Age of Television...
, and starred in such Broadway hits as
PicnicPicnic is a 1953 play by William Inge. The play premiered at the Music Box Theatre, Broadway on 19 February, 1953 in a production by the Theatre Guild, directed by Joshua Logan and ran for 477 performances....
(1953), playing "Millie Owens," and
Bus StopBus Stop is a 1955 play by William Inge. The film of the same name is only loosely based upon it.-Characters:Bus Stop is a drama, with romantic and some comedic elements. It is set in a diner in rural Kansas, about 20 miles west of Kansas City, Missouri during a snowstorm from which bus...
(1955), playing "Cherie." She was nominated for the 1959
Tony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American theatre and are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are for Broadway productions and...
for
Best Actress in a PlayThis is a list of winners and nomination of the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress. The award was first presented in 1947.-1940s:* 1947: Patricia Neal – Another Part of the Forest* 1949: Shirley Booth – Goodbye, My Fancy-1950s:...
for
A Touch of the PoetA Touch of the Poet is a play by Eugene O'Neill.It and its sequel, More Stately Mansions, were intended to be part of a nine-play cycle entitled A Tale of Possessors Self-Dispossessed...
and the 1962 Tony for Best Actress in a Play for
A Far CountryHenry Denker is an American novelist and playwright.Denker was admitted to the New York Bar in 1935, at the height of the Depression, and he soon left law practice to earn his living by writing. His legal training is reflected in many of his works...
.
Stanley was also the leading lady of live television drama, which flourished in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
during the 1950s. Among her many starring roles was Wilma, a star-struck 15-year-old girl from the U.S. Gulf Coast of
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
in
Horton FooteAlbert Horton Foote, Jr. was an American playwright and screenwriter, perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning screenplays for the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird and the 1983 film Tender Mercies, and his notable live television dramas during the Golden Age of Television...
's
A Young Lady of Property, which aired on the
Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse April 5, 1953.
A savaging by English critics after her
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
performance of "Masha" in The Actor's Studio production of
Anton ChekhovAnton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian short-story writer, playwright and physician, considered to be one of the greatest short-story writers in the history of world literature. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
's play
The Three Sisters (1965) made her vow never to perform on stage again, a vow she kept for the rest of her life.
Film career
Her first movie was
The GoddessThe Goddess is a 1958 Columbia Pictures drama film starring Kim Stanley and Lloyd Bridges. Others in the cast include Steven Hill, Betty Lou Holland, Joan Copeland, Patty Duke, and Elizabeth Wilson....
(1958), playing a tragic movie star modeled on
Marilyn MonroeMarilyn Monroe , born Norma Jeane Mortenson, but baptized Norma Jeane Baker, was an American actress, singer and model....
. In 1964, she starred in
Seance on a Wet AfternoonSéance on a Wet Afternoon is a 1964 British film directed by Bryan Forbes, based on the novel by Mark McShane in which an unstable medium convinces her husband to kidnap a child so she can help the police solve the crime and collect the ransom...
, won the New York Film Critics Award for Best Actress for it and was nominated for the
Best Actress OscarPerformance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
. In 1966, the filmed version of Strasberg's directed
Three SistersThree Sisters is a play by Russian author and playwright Anton Chekhov. It was written in 1900 and first produced in 1901.-The Prozorovs:...
opened with Stanley reprising the role of Masha, and is the only time one can see her perform in a film alongside
Geraldine PageGeraldine Sue Page was an Academy Award-winning American actress. Although she starred in at least two dozen feature films, she is primarily known for her celebrated work in the American theater.-Early life:...
,
Sandy DennisSandra Dale “Sandy” Dennis was an American theater and film actress.-Early life:Dennis was born in Hastings, Nebraska, the daughter of Yvonne, a secretary, and Jack Dennis, a postal clerk. She had a brother, Frank. A high school classmate of Dick Cavett, she attended the Nebraska Wesleyan...
,
Shelley WintersShelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television.-Early life:...
and other well known names of the Actor's Studio.
She was nominated for the Academy Award for
Best Actress in a Supporting RolePerformance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
and a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance as
Frances FarmerFrances Elena Farmer was an American actress of stage and screen. She is perhaps better known for sensationalized and fictional accounts of her life, and especially her involuntary commitment to a mental hospital...
's possessive mother in
FrancesFrances is a 1982 Universal drama film starring Jessica Lange, Kim Stanley, Sam Shepard. When it was released this film was advertised as a purportedly true account of actress Frances Farmer's life but the script was largely fictional and sensationalized. The film's tagline is: "Her story is...
(1982). She also played
Pancho BarnesFlorence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes was a pioneer of women's aviation and the owner of the celebrated Happy Bottom Riding Club located on land annexed into Edwards Air Force Base in southern California's Antelope Valley in the southwestern United States.-Early years:She was born as Florence Leontine...
in
The Right Stuff (1983).
Stanley was the uncredited narrator in the 1962 film
To Kill a MockingbirdTo Kill a Mockingbird is a 1962 American drama film based on the novel of the same name by Harper Lee. It was directed by Robert Mulligan and stars Mary Badham in the role of Scout and Gregory Peck in the role of Atticus Finch....
. As the narrator, she represents the character "Jean Louise Finch" ("Scout") as an adult.
Mary BadhamMary Badham is an American actress, best known for her portrayal of Jean Louise 'Scout' Finch in the Oscar-winning 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award...
portrays "Scout" as a child in the film.
She received an
Emmy AwardThe Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards , Grammy Awards and Tony Awards .They are presented in various...
for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in the episode,
A Cardinal Act of Mercy, on the TV series,
Ben Casey (1963), and an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special for playing, "Big Mama," in
Tennessee WilliamsTennessee Williams , né Thomas Lanier Williams, was an American playwright who received many of the top theatrical awards for his works of drama...
' Southern melodrama
Cat on a Hot Tin RoofCat on a Hot Tin Roof is a play by Tennessee Williams. One of Williams's best-known works, the play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955, has been restaged several times since, and was adapted into an acclaimed 1958 motion picture.-Plot:...
(1985).
Personal life
Stanley had four husbands, Bruce Hall (married 1945-divorced 1946),
Curt ConwayCurt Conway was an American actor. He was sometimes billed as Curtis Conway or Kurt Conway.Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Conway began his career with small parts in films of the late 1940s, but appeared principally on TV from 1960 until his death...
(married 1949-divorced 1956),
Alfred RyderAlfred Ryder was an American radio, television and film actor. Ryder may best be remembered for appearing in over one hundred television shows, including the role of Professor Robert Crater in the first Star Trek episode "The Man Trap" in 1966...
(married 1958-divorced 1964) and Joseph Siegel (married 1964-divorced 1967).
She had three children, one by Conway, one by Brooks Clift (brother of
Montgomery CliftEdward Montgomery Clift was an American film actor. He was known for his brooding, sensitive working-class character roles. He received four Academy Award nominations during his career.-Early life:...
) while she was married to Conway, and one by Ryder. During her marriage to Alfred Ryder, Kim Stanley converted to Judaism.
Kim Stanley died of
uterine cancerThe term uterine cancer may refer to any of several different types of cancer which occur in the uterus, namely:*Uterine sarcomas: sarcomas of the myometrium, or muscular layer of the uterus, are most commonly leiomyosarcomas.*Endometrial cancer:...
at her home in
Santa Fe, New MexicoSanta Fe is the capital of the state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 62,203 at the April 1, 2000 census; the estimate for July 1, 2006, is 72,056...
at the age of 76. She was survived by her first husband, Bruce Hall, her brother Justin Truman Reid, and her three children. Her biography,
Female Brando: the Legend of Kim Stanley, by Jon Krampner, was published in the spring of 2006 by Back Stage Books, a division of Watson-Guptill Publications.
Notable films she rejected
{{Unreferenced section|date=March 2009}}
- Atlantic City
Atlantic City is a Canadian/French romantic/crime/drama directed by Louis Malle. Filmed in late 1979, it was released in France and Germany in 1980 and in the United States in 1981. The script was written by John Guare...
(1980) (Grace) - According to Jon Krampner's book Female Brando: The Legend of Kim Stanley, she turned down the role eventually taken by Kate ReidDaphne Kate Reid, OC was a Canadian stage, film and television actress.-Biography:Reid was born in London, England, the daughter of Canadian parents Helen Isabel and Walter Clarke Reid, who was a former Bengal Lancer in the Indian army and a retired colonel...
. Coincidentally, Reid replaced Stanley in the film A Delicate BalanceA Delicate Balance is a 1973 drama film directed by Tony Richardson. The screenplay by Edward Albee is based on his 1966 Pultizer Prize-winning play of the same title.The film was the second in a series produced by Ely A...
.
- Psycho
Psycho is an American suspense/horror movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock, from the screenplay by Joseph Stefano. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Robert Bloch, which was in turn inspired by the crimes of Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein....
(1960) (Lila Loomis) - Turned down the role of Lila Loomis in Psycho because she didn't want to work with Anthony PerkinsAnthony Perkins was an American actor, best known for his role as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and its three sequels.-Early life:...
for "personal" reasons.
- Planet of the Apes
Planet of the Apes is a 1968 science fiction film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner loosely based on the novel La planète des singes by Pierre Boulle. The film stars Charlton Heston and features Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, veteran Shakespearean actor Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly and...
(1968) ("Dr. Zira") - Turned down the role of Dr. Zira, opposite Charlton HestonCharlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television.Heston is known for having played heroic roles, such as Moses in The Ten Commandments, Colonel George Taylor in Planet of the Apes, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar in El Cid, and Judah Ben-Hur in Ben-Hur, for which he won the Academy...
External links
{{EmmyAward MiniseriesLeadActress 1950-1975}}
{{EmmyAward MiniseriesSupportingActress 1976-2000}}
Kim Stanley (February 11, 1925 – August 20, 2001) was an American actress, primarily in theatre but with occasional film performances.
Stanley began her acting career in theatre, and subsequently attended the The Actors Studio. She received the 1952
Theatre World AwardThe Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
for role in
The ChaseAlbert Horton Foote, Jr. was an American playwright and screenwriter, perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning screenplays for the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird and the 1983 film Tender Mercies, and his notable live television dramas during the Golden Age of Television...
(1952), and starred in the Broadway productions of
PicnicPicnic is a 1953 play by William Inge. The play premiered at the Music Box Theatre, Broadway on 19 February, 1953 in a production by the Theatre Guild, directed by Joshua Logan and ran for 477 performances....
(1953) and
Bus StopBus Stop is a 1955 play by William Inge. The film of the same name is only loosely based upon it.-Characters:Bus Stop is a drama, with romantic and some comedic elements. It is set in a diner in rural Kansas, about 20 miles west of Kansas City, Missouri during a snowstorm from which bus...
(1955). She was nominated for the
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a PlayThis is a list of winners and nomination of the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress. The award was first presented in 1947.-1940s:* 1947: Patricia Neal – Another Part of the Forest* 1949: Shirley Booth – Goodbye, My Fancy-1950s:...
for her roles in
A Touch of the PoetA Touch of the Poet is a play by Eugene O'Neill.It and its sequel, More Stately Mansions, were intended to be part of a nine-play cycle entitled A Tale of Possessors Self-Dispossessed...
(1959) and
A Far CountryHenry Denker is an American novelist and playwright.Denker was admitted to the New York Bar in 1935, at the height of the Depression, and he soon left law practice to earn his living by writing. His legal training is reflected in many of his works...
(1962).
During the 1950s, Stanley was a prolific performer in television, and later progressed to film, with a well received performance in
The GoddessThe Goddess is a 1958 Columbia Pictures drama film starring Kim Stanley and Lloyd Bridges. Others in the cast include Steven Hill, Betty Lou Holland, Joan Copeland, Patty Duke, and Elizabeth Wilson....
(1959). She was the narrator of
To Kill a MockingbirdTo Kill a Mockingbird is a 1962 American drama film based on the novel of the same name by Harper Lee. It was directed by Robert Mulligan and stars Mary Badham in the role of Scout and Gregory Peck in the role of Atticus Finch....
(1962) and starred in
Séance on a Wet AfternoonSéance on a Wet Afternoon is a 1964 British film directed by Bryan Forbes, based on the novel by Mark McShane in which an unstable medium convinces her husband to kidnap a child so she can help the police solve the crime and collect the ransom...
(1964), for which she won the
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best ActressThe New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress is one of the awards given by the New York Film Critics Circle to honor the finest achievements in filmmaking.-1930s:-1940s:-1950s:-1960s:-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:...
and was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
. She was less active during the remainder of her career; two of her later film successes were as the mother of
Frances FarmerFrances Elena Farmer was an American actress of stage and screen. She is perhaps better known for sensationalized and fictional accounts of her life, and especially her involuntary commitment to a mental hospital...
in
FrancesFrances is a 1982 Universal drama film starring Jessica Lange, Kim Stanley, Sam Shepard. When it was released this film was advertised as a purportedly true account of actress Frances Farmer's life but the script was largely fictional and sensationalized. The film's tagline is: "Her story is...
(1982), for which she received a second Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress, and as
Pancho BarnesFlorence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes was a pioneer of women's aviation and the owner of the celebrated Happy Bottom Riding Club located on land annexed into Edwards Air Force Base in southern California's Antelope Valley in the southwestern United States.-Early years:She was born as Florence Leontine...
in
The Right Stuff (1983). She received an Emmy Award for her performance in
Cat on a Hot Tin RoofCat on a Hot Tin Roof is a play by Tennessee Williams. One of Williams's best-known works, the play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955, has been restaged several times since, and was adapted into an acclaimed 1958 motion picture.-Plot:...
(1985).
She did not act during her later years, preferring the role of teacher, in
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
and later
Santa FeSanta Fe is the capital of the state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 62,203 at the April 1, 2000 census; the estimate for July 1, 2006, is 72,056...
, where she died in 2001, of
uterine cancerThe term uterine cancer may refer to any of several different types of cancer which occur in the uterus, namely:*Uterine sarcomas: sarcomas of the myometrium, or muscular layer of the uterus, are most commonly leiomyosarcomas.*Endometrial cancer:...
.
Early life
She was born
Patricia Beth Reid in
TularosaTularosa is a village in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. It shares its name with the Tularosa Basin, in which the village is located. To the east, Tularosa is flanked by the western edge of the Sacramento Mountains. The population was 2,864 at the 2000 census...
,
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Inhabited by Native American populations for many centuries, it has also been part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory. Among U.S...
. She was a drama major at the
University of New MexicoThe University of New Mexico is a public university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. Founded in 1889, it offers bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional degree programs in the arts, sciences, and engineering...
and later studied at the
Pasadena PlayhouseThe Pasadena Playhouse is a historic theatre located in Pasadena, California.-History:The Playhouse's history began in 1917 when actor/director Gilmor Brown began producing a season of plays at an old burlesque house he called the Savoy...
.
Career
Stanley was a successful
BroadwayBroadway Theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, is the theatre associated with the 40 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City...
actress with only a few
motion pictureFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
roles. She was singled out by the
New York Times critic
Brooks AtkinsonJustin Brooks Atkinson was an American theatre critic. He worked for The New York Times from 1925 to 1960. In his obituary, the Times called him "the most important reviewer of his time."...
for her early work. She eventually attended The Actors Studio, studying under
Elia KazanElia Kazan, , was a Turkish-born American film and theatre director, film and theatrical producer, screenwriter, novelist and co-founder of the influential Actors Studio in New York in 1947...
and
Lee StrasbergLee Strasberg was an American actor, director and acting teacher. He cofounded, with director Harold Clurman, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed as "America's first true theatrical collective". In 1951, he became director of the non-profit Actors Studio, in New York City, considered "the...
. She received the 1952
Theatre World AwardThe Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
for her performance of "Anna Reeves" in
The ChaseAlbert Horton Foote, Jr. was an American playwright and screenwriter, perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning screenplays for the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird and the 1983 film Tender Mercies, and his notable live television dramas during the Golden Age of Television...
, and starred in such Broadway hits as
PicnicPicnic is a 1953 play by William Inge. The play premiered at the Music Box Theatre, Broadway on 19 February, 1953 in a production by the Theatre Guild, directed by Joshua Logan and ran for 477 performances....
(1953), playing "Millie Owens," and
Bus StopBus Stop is a 1955 play by William Inge. The film of the same name is only loosely based upon it.-Characters:Bus Stop is a drama, with romantic and some comedic elements. It is set in a diner in rural Kansas, about 20 miles west of Kansas City, Missouri during a snowstorm from which bus...
(1955), playing "Cherie." She was nominated for the 1959
Tony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American theatre and are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are for Broadway productions and...
for
Best Actress in a PlayThis is a list of winners and nomination of the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress. The award was first presented in 1947.-1940s:* 1947: Patricia Neal – Another Part of the Forest* 1949: Shirley Booth – Goodbye, My Fancy-1950s:...
for
A Touch of the PoetA Touch of the Poet is a play by Eugene O'Neill.It and its sequel, More Stately Mansions, were intended to be part of a nine-play cycle entitled A Tale of Possessors Self-Dispossessed...
and the 1962 Tony for Best Actress in a Play for
A Far CountryHenry Denker is an American novelist and playwright.Denker was admitted to the New York Bar in 1935, at the height of the Depression, and he soon left law practice to earn his living by writing. His legal training is reflected in many of his works...
.
Stanley was also the leading lady of live television drama, which flourished in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
during the 1950s. Among her many starring roles was Wilma, a star-struck 15-year-old girl from the U.S. Gulf Coast of
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
in
Horton FooteAlbert Horton Foote, Jr. was an American playwright and screenwriter, perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning screenplays for the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird and the 1983 film Tender Mercies, and his notable live television dramas during the Golden Age of Television...
's
A Young Lady of Property, which aired on the
Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse April 5, 1953.
A savaging by English critics after her
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
performance of "Masha" in The Actor's Studio production of
Anton ChekhovAnton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian short-story writer, playwright and physician, considered to be one of the greatest short-story writers in the history of world literature. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
's play
The Three Sisters (1965) made her vow never to perform on stage again, a vow she kept for the rest of her life.
Film career
Her first movie was
The GoddessThe Goddess is a 1958 Columbia Pictures drama film starring Kim Stanley and Lloyd Bridges. Others in the cast include Steven Hill, Betty Lou Holland, Joan Copeland, Patty Duke, and Elizabeth Wilson....
(1958), playing a tragic movie star modeled on
Marilyn MonroeMarilyn Monroe , born Norma Jeane Mortenson, but baptized Norma Jeane Baker, was an American actress, singer and model....
. In 1964, she starred in
Seance on a Wet AfternoonSéance on a Wet Afternoon is a 1964 British film directed by Bryan Forbes, based on the novel by Mark McShane in which an unstable medium convinces her husband to kidnap a child so she can help the police solve the crime and collect the ransom...
, won the New York Film Critics Award for Best Actress for it and was nominated for the
Best Actress OscarPerformance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
. In 1966, the filmed version of Strasberg's directed
Three SistersThree Sisters is a play by Russian author and playwright Anton Chekhov. It was written in 1900 and first produced in 1901.-The Prozorovs:...
opened with Stanley reprising the role of Masha, and is the only time one can see her perform in a film alongside
Geraldine PageGeraldine Sue Page was an Academy Award-winning American actress. Although she starred in at least two dozen feature films, she is primarily known for her celebrated work in the American theater.-Early life:...
,
Sandy DennisSandra Dale “Sandy” Dennis was an American theater and film actress.-Early life:Dennis was born in Hastings, Nebraska, the daughter of Yvonne, a secretary, and Jack Dennis, a postal clerk. She had a brother, Frank. A high school classmate of Dick Cavett, she attended the Nebraska Wesleyan...
,
Shelley WintersShelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television.-Early life:...
and other well known names of the Actor's Studio.
She was nominated for the Academy Award for
Best Actress in a Supporting RolePerformance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
and a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance as
Frances FarmerFrances Elena Farmer was an American actress of stage and screen. She is perhaps better known for sensationalized and fictional accounts of her life, and especially her involuntary commitment to a mental hospital...
's possessive mother in
FrancesFrances is a 1982 Universal drama film starring Jessica Lange, Kim Stanley, Sam Shepard. When it was released this film was advertised as a purportedly true account of actress Frances Farmer's life but the script was largely fictional and sensationalized. The film's tagline is: "Her story is...
(1982). She also played
Pancho BarnesFlorence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes was a pioneer of women's aviation and the owner of the celebrated Happy Bottom Riding Club located on land annexed into Edwards Air Force Base in southern California's Antelope Valley in the southwestern United States.-Early years:She was born as Florence Leontine...
in
The Right Stuff (1983).
Stanley was the uncredited narrator in the 1962 film
To Kill a MockingbirdTo Kill a Mockingbird is a 1962 American drama film based on the novel of the same name by Harper Lee. It was directed by Robert Mulligan and stars Mary Badham in the role of Scout and Gregory Peck in the role of Atticus Finch....
. As the narrator, she represents the character "Jean Louise Finch" ("Scout") as an adult.
Mary BadhamMary Badham is an American actress, best known for her portrayal of Jean Louise 'Scout' Finch in the Oscar-winning 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award...
portrays "Scout" as a child in the film.
She received an
Emmy AwardThe Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards , Grammy Awards and Tony Awards .They are presented in various...
for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in the episode,
A Cardinal Act of Mercy, on the TV series,
Ben Casey (1963), and an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special for playing, "Big Mama," in
Tennessee WilliamsTennessee Williams , né Thomas Lanier Williams, was an American playwright who received many of the top theatrical awards for his works of drama...
' Southern melodrama
Cat on a Hot Tin RoofCat on a Hot Tin Roof is a play by Tennessee Williams. One of Williams's best-known works, the play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955, has been restaged several times since, and was adapted into an acclaimed 1958 motion picture.-Plot:...
(1985).
Personal life
Stanley had four husbands, Bruce Hall (married 1945-divorced 1946),
Curt ConwayCurt Conway was an American actor. He was sometimes billed as Curtis Conway or Kurt Conway.Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Conway began his career with small parts in films of the late 1940s, but appeared principally on TV from 1960 until his death...
(married 1949-divorced 1956),
Alfred RyderAlfred Ryder was an American radio, television and film actor. Ryder may best be remembered for appearing in over one hundred television shows, including the role of Professor Robert Crater in the first Star Trek episode "The Man Trap" in 1966...
(married 1958-divorced 1964) and Joseph Siegel (married 1964-divorced 1967).
She had three children, one by Conway, one by Brooks Clift (brother of
Montgomery CliftEdward Montgomery Clift was an American film actor. He was known for his brooding, sensitive working-class character roles. He received four Academy Award nominations during his career.-Early life:...
) while she was married to Conway, and one by Ryder. During her marriage to Alfred Ryder, Kim Stanley converted to Judaism.
Kim Stanley died of
uterine cancerThe term uterine cancer may refer to any of several different types of cancer which occur in the uterus, namely:*Uterine sarcomas: sarcomas of the myometrium, or muscular layer of the uterus, are most commonly leiomyosarcomas.*Endometrial cancer:...
at her home in
Santa Fe, New MexicoSanta Fe is the capital of the state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 62,203 at the April 1, 2000 census; the estimate for July 1, 2006, is 72,056...
at the age of 76. She was survived by her first husband, Bruce Hall, her brother Justin Truman Reid, and her three children. Her biography,
Female Brando: the Legend of Kim Stanley, by Jon Krampner, was published in the spring of 2006 by Back Stage Books, a division of Watson-Guptill Publications.
Notable films she rejected
{{Unreferenced section|date=March 2009}}
- Atlantic City
Atlantic City is a Canadian/French romantic/crime/drama directed by Louis Malle. Filmed in late 1979, it was released in France and Germany in 1980 and in the United States in 1981. The script was written by John Guare...
(1980) (Grace) - According to Jon Krampner's book Female Brando: The Legend of Kim Stanley, she turned down the role eventually taken by Kate ReidDaphne Kate Reid, OC was a Canadian stage, film and television actress.-Biography:Reid was born in London, England, the daughter of Canadian parents Helen Isabel and Walter Clarke Reid, who was a former Bengal Lancer in the Indian army and a retired colonel...
. Coincidentally, Reid replaced Stanley in the film A Delicate BalanceA Delicate Balance is a 1973 drama film directed by Tony Richardson. The screenplay by Edward Albee is based on his 1966 Pultizer Prize-winning play of the same title.The film was the second in a series produced by Ely A...
.
- Psycho
Psycho is an American suspense/horror movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock, from the screenplay by Joseph Stefano. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Robert Bloch, which was in turn inspired by the crimes of Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein....
(1960) (Lila Loomis) - Turned down the role of Lila Loomis in Psycho because she didn't want to work with Anthony PerkinsAnthony Perkins was an American actor, best known for his role as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and its three sequels.-Early life:...
for "personal" reasons.
- Planet of the Apes
Planet of the Apes is a 1968 science fiction film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner loosely based on the novel La planète des singes by Pierre Boulle. The film stars Charlton Heston and features Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, veteran Shakespearean actor Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly and...
(1968) ("Dr. Zira") - Turned down the role of Dr. Zira, opposite Charlton HestonCharlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television.Heston is known for having played heroic roles, such as Moses in The Ten Commandments, Colonel George Taylor in Planet of the Apes, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar in El Cid, and Judah Ben-Hur in Ben-Hur, for which he won the Academy...
External links
{{EmmyAward MiniseriesLeadActress 1950-1975}}
{{EmmyAward MiniseriesSupportingActress 1976-2000}}
{{Persondata
|NAME= Stanley, Kim
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Reid, Patricia Beth
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=American actress
|DATE OF BIRTH= February 11, 1925
|PLACE OF BIRTH= {{city-state|Tularosa|New Mexico}}, U.S.
|DATE OF DEATH= August 20, 2001
|PLACE OF DEATH= {{city-state|Santa Fe|New Mexico
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanley, Kim}}