Priscilla Marie Pointer (May 18, 1924 – April 28, 2025) was an American actress of theater, film and
television
Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
.
Pointer began her career in the theater in the late 1940s, including productions on Broadway, and later moved to
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood ...
to pursue a television and film career beginning in the early 1950s. She was widely known for her recurring role as Rebecca Barnes Wentworth in the popular television series, ''
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
''.
Background
Pointer was born on May 18, 1924, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. Her mother, Augusta "Gus" Leonora Pointer (1898–1970, née Davis), was an sculptor and an illustrator, and her father, Kenneth Keith Pointer (1890–1984), was an artist. One of her maternal great-grandfathers, Jacob Barrett Cohen, was from a
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
family who had lived in the United States since the 1700s. Pointer turned 100 in May 2024.
Pointer was married to film and stage director Jules Irving, former artistic director of
Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...
, from 1947 until his death in 1979; they were the parents of Katie Irving, director
David Irving
David John Cawdell Irving (born 24 March 1938) is an English author and Holocaust denier who has written on the military and political history of World War II, especially Nazi Germany. He was found to be a Holocaust denier in a British court ...
, and actress
Amy Irving
Amy Irving (born September 10, 1953) is an American actress and singer, who has worked in film, stage, and television. Her accolades include an Obie Award, and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award.
Born in Palo Alto, Cali ...
. Through her daughter, she was mother-in-law of filmmakers
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...
and
Bruno Barreto
Bruno Villela Barreto Borges (born 16 March 1955) is a Brazilian film director.
Biography
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Barreto has been making feature-length films ever since he was 17 years old and remains one of Brazil's most accomplished and pop ...
, respectively. She was the widow of Robert Symonds, whom she married in 1980.
Career
Early career
Pointer was a performer from the late 1940s on, starting her career in theatre and appearing on Broadway as well as several tours in "A Streetcar Named Desire", "The Country Wife" and "The Condemned of Altona", She also featured in the TV series '' China Smith'' (also known as ''The New Adventures of China Smith'') in 1954. After a long hiatus, Pointer returned to acting in the early 1970s.
Pointer's first major starring role was on the TV soap opera '' Where the Heart Is'' as Adrienne Harris Rainey from 1972 and 1973.
Films
Pointer appearances included '' Carrie'' (1976), in which she played the onscreen mother of Amy Irving's character; '' The Onion Field'' (1979); ''
Mommie Dearest
''Mommie Dearest'' is a memoir and exposé written by Christina Crawford, the adopted daughter of Academy Award winning actress Joan Crawford. Officially released by William Morrow and Company on November 10, 1978 (though thousands of copies ha ...
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...
's '' Blue Velvet''; and ''Coyote Moon'' (1999). In addition to ''Carrie'', she played the onscreen mother to Amy Irving in '' Honeysuckle Rose'' (1980) and ''Carried Away'' (1996). They were both in the films '' The Competition'' in 1980 and ''
Micki & Maude
''Micki & Maude'' is a 1984 American romantic comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and starring Dudley Moore. It co-stars Tony Award-winning actress and dancer Ann Reinking as Micki and Amy Irving as Maude.
With the exception of appearances a ...
'' in 1984.
Pointer appeared in three films directed by her son: ''
Rumpelstiltskin
"Rumpelstiltskin" ( ; ) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in the 1812 edition of ''Children's and Household Tales''. The story is about an imp who spins straw into gold in exchange for a woman's firstborn child.
Plot
I ...
Pointer made many guest appearances on television, including ''
Adam-12
''Adam-12'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Robert A. Cinader and Jack Webb and produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. The series follows Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers Pe ...
'', ''
L.A. Law
''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher for NBC. It ran for eight seasons and List of L.A. Law episodes, 172 episodes from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994.
The series cente ...
'', ''
The A-Team
''The A-Team'' is an American Action television, action television series that ran on NBC from January 23, 1983, to March 8, 1987, about a fictional team of former United States Army Special Forces who work as mercenaries while on the run from ...
'', ''
Judging Amy
''Judging Amy'' is an American legal drama television series that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS. This television series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly. Its main character (Brenneman) is a judge who serves ...
'', ''
The Rockford Files
''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner, aired on NBC from September 13, 1974, to January 10, 1980. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investigator Jim Rockford, with Noah Beery Jr. in th ...
'', and ''
Cold Case
''Cold Case'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series. It ran on CBS from September 28, 2003, to May 2, 2010. The series revolved around a fictionalized Philadelphia Police Department division that specializes in invest ...
''.
From 1981 to 1983, Pointer had a recurring role on the soap opera ''
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
Victoria Principal
Vicki Ree Principal (born January 3, 1950),Katherine Wentworth (
Morgan Brittany
Morgan Brittany (born Suzanne Cupito; December 5, 1951) is an American actress. She began her career as a child appearing in films ''Gypsy'' (1962), '' Stage to Thunder Rock'' (1964) and '' Yours, Mine and Ours''. In 1970s, Brittany began work as ...
). She appeared in 44 episodes.
Death
Pointer died of natural causes on Monday, April 28, 2025 at an assisted living facility in Ridgefield, Connecticut. She was 100 years old, as announced by her daughter Amy Irving.