Kim Stanley (born Patricia Kimberley Reid; February 11, 1925 – August 20, 2001) was an American actress who was primarily active in television and theatre but also had occasional film performances. She began her acting career in theatre and subsequently attended the

Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights located on West 44th Street in Hell's Kitchen in New York City. The studio is best known for its work refining and teaching method actin ...

in New York. She received the 1952 Theatre World Award for her role in '' The Chase'' (1952), and starred in the Broadway productions of ''

Picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors (Al fresco dining, ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event su ...

'' (1953) and ''

Bus Stop A bus stop is a place where Public transport bus service, buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelter (building), shelters ...

'' (1955). Stanley was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her roles in '' A Touch of the Poet'' (1959) and '' A Far Country'' (1962). In the 1950s, Stanley was a prolific performer in television; she later progressed to film, with a well-received performance in '' The Goddess'' (1958). She was the narrator of ''

To Kill a Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a 1960 Southern Gothic novel by American author Harper Lee. It became instantly successful after its release; in the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' ...

'' (1962), and starred in ''

Séance on a Wet Afternoon ''Séance on a Wet Afternoon'' is a 1964 British crime thriller film, directed by Bryan Forbes, and starring Kim Stanley, Richard Attenborough, Nanette Newman, Mark Eden and Patrick Magee (actor), Patrick Magee. Based on the 1961 novel by Mark ...

'' (1964), for which she won the

New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress The 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 film-making. Winners 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 20 ...

and was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a lead ...

. She was less active during the remainder of her career; two of her later film successes were as the mother of Frances Farmer in ''

Frances Frances is an English given name or last name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'the French.' The male version of the name in English is Francis (given name), Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "F ...

'' (1982), for which she received a nomination for the

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performanc ...

, and as Pancho Barnes in '' The Right Stuff'' (1983). Stanley received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie for her performance as Big Mama in a television adaptation of ''

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' is a 1955 American three-act play by Tennessee Williams. The play, an adaptation of his 1952 short story "Three Players of a Summer Game", was written between 1953 and 1955. One of Williams's more famous works and his ...

'' in 1985. That same year, she was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.

Early life

Stanley was born in Tularosa, New Mexico, the daughter of Ann (''née'' Miller), an interior decorator, and J. T. Reid, a professor of philosophy and education at the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

, located in

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

. Her father was of Irish or Scottish descent, born and raised in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, where he met her mother (who was of German and English ancestry). She had three older brothers (Howard Clinton Reid, a psychiatrist; Kenneth Reid, killed in pilot training during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

; and Justin Truman Reid, a lawyer); and a half-sister (Carol Ann Reid). She was a drama major at the University of New Mexico, and later studied at the Pasadena Playhouse and adopted her maternal grandmother's surname as her stage name.

Career

Theatre

Stanley was a successful Broadway actress with only a few film roles. She was singled out by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' critic

Brooks Atkinson Justin Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894 – January 14, 1984) was an American theater critic. He worked for ''The New York Times'' from 1922 to 1960. In his obituary, the ''Times'' called him "the theater's most influential reviewer of his ...

for her early work. She eventually attended the

, studying under

Elia Kazan Elias Kazantzoglou (, ; September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003), known as Elia Kazan ( ), was a Greek-American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one of the most honored and inf ...

Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American acting coach and actor. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed ...

, and Vivian Nathan. She received the 1952 Theatre World Award for her performance as Anna Reeves in '' The Chase'', and starred in such Broadway hits as ''

'' (1953), playing Millie Owens and ''

'' (1955), playing Cherie. She was nominated for the 1959

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for Best Actress in a Play for '' A Touch of the Poet'' and the 1962 Tony for Best Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Elizabeth von Ritter in Henry Denker's '' A Far Country''. Stanley also portrayed Maggie "The Cat" in ''

'' in the original London production of the play. In 1965, she played Masha in the

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

run of an Actors Studio production of

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

's play '' The Three Sisters''. After a savaging of the production by local critics, she made good on her promise to never act on stage again.

Television

Stanley was a leading lady of live television drama, which flourished in New York City during the 1950s. On October 17, 1950, she starred in "The Vanishing Lady" on '' The Trap''. Her other starring roles included Wilma, a star-struck 15-year-old girl from the U.S. Gulf Coast of Texas in

Horton Foote Albert Horton Foote Jr. (March 14, 1916March 4, 2009) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He received Academy Awards for ''To Kill a Mockingbird'', which was adapted from the 1960 novel of the same name by Harper Lee, and the film, '' ...

's ''A Young Lady of Property'', which aired on '' The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse'' on April 5, 1953.

Film

Her first film was '' The Goddess'' (1958), playing a tragic movie star. She starred in ''

'' (1964), winning both the National Board of Review Award for Best Actress and the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress, and was nominated for the

and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. A filmed version of Strasberg-directed '' Three Sisters'' (1966) opened with Stanley reprising the role of Masha, and is the only time one can see her perform in a film alongside

Geraldine Page Geraldine Sue Page (November 22, 1924June 13, 1987) was an American actress. With a career which spanned four decades across film, stage, and television, Page was the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Geraldine Page, numer ...

, Sandy Dennis,

Shelley Winters Shelley Winters (born Shirley Schrift; August 18, 1920 – January 14, 2006) was an American film actress whose career spanned seven decades. She won Academy Awards for ''The Diary of Anne Frank (1959 film), The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and ' ...

and other well-known names of the Actors Studio. She was nominated for an

and a

Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture is a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Award that was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1944 for a performance in a motion picture released in the pre ...

for her performance as Frances Farmer's possessive mother in ''

'' (1982). She also played Pancho Barnes in '' The Right Stuff'' (1983). Stanley was the uncredited narrator in the drama film ''

'' (1962). As the narrator, she represents the character Jean Louise Finch ("Scout") as an adult. Mary Badham portrays Scout as a child in the film. She received an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her appearance in the episode, "A Cardinal Act of Mercy" (1963), of the television series, ''

Ben Casey ''Ben Casey'' is an American medical drama television series that aired on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, ✳, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member ...

'' (1961–1966), and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special for her appearance in the 1984 television adaptation of

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...

's Southern melodrama ''

'', this time as Big Mama.

Personal life

Stanley was married four times: to Bruce Hall (1945–1946), Curt Conway (1949–1956),

Alfred Ryder Alfred Ryder (born Alfred Jacob Corn; January 5, 1916 – April 16, 1995) was an American television, stage, radio, and film actor and director, who appeared in over one hundred television shows. Career Ryder began to act at age eight and later ...

(1958–1964), and Joseph Siegel (1964–1967). All four marriages ended in divorce. She had three children: one by Curt Conway; one by Brooks Clift (brother of Montgomery Clift), while she was married to Conway; and one by Alfred Ryder (Laurie). During her marriage to Ryder, Stanley converted to Judaism. Stanley did not act during her later years, preferring the role of teacher in New York City, Los Angeles, and later Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Death

Stanley died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

at a hospital in Santa Fe at the age of 76. She was survived by her brother Justin, her children, and three grandchildren. A biography, ''Female Brando: the Legend of Kim Stanley'' (2006), by Jon Krampner, was published by Back Stage Books, a division of Watson-Guptill. She was inducted into the New Mexico Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2012.

Stage work

Partial listing of stage work:

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* *
Telegraph obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanley, Kim 1925 births 2001 deaths 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American Jews 20th-century converts to Judaism Actors Studio alumni Actresses from Manhattan Actresses from Santa Fe, New Mexico American film actresses American people of English descent American people of German descent American people of Scottish descent American stage actresses American television actresses Broadway theatre people Converts to Judaism Deaths from cancer in New Mexico Deaths from uterine cancer in the United States Donaldson Award winners Jewish American actresses Jews from New Mexico Jews from New York (state) Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners People from Tularosa, New Mexico University of New Mexico alumni

Early life

Career

Theatre

Television

Film

Personal life

Death

Stage work

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

References

External links