Rachel Stephens (October 29, 1930 – December 14, 2018) was an American television, stage, and motion picture actress.

Education

Born in

Fairfield, Illinois } Fairfield is a city in and the county seat of Wayne County, Illinois, United States, and the location of Frontier Community College. The population was 4,883 at the 2020 census. History Fairfield is most famous for being the hometown of t ...

, Stephens had a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

from

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest camp ...

theatre arts Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

. Prior to acting in movies she was a CBS

research assistant A research assistant (RA) is a researcher employed, often on a temporary contract, by a university, a research institute or a privately held organization, for the purpose of assisting in academic or private research. Research assistants are not in ...

and a television actress.

Theater

Stephens performed on stage as a reporter in ''The Best Things In Life Are Free'' and as the sister of

Hope Lange Hope Elise Ross Lange (November 28, 1933 – December 19, 2003) was an American film, stage, and television actress. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress ...

in ''

Bus Stop (play) ''Bus Stop'' is a 1955 play by American playwright William Inge. Produced on Broadway, it was nominated for four Tony awards in 1956. It received major revivals in the United States and United Kingdom in 2010 and 2011. ''Bus Stop'' was adapted a ...

'' (1955). In 1972 she appeared with

Jo Anne Worley Jo Anne Worley (born September 6, 1937) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. Her work covers television, films, theater, game shows, talk shows, commercials, and cartoons. Worley is widely known for her work on the comedy-variety sho ...

at the Arlington Park Theater in Chicago. Stephens played Charlie's former mistress in a rendition of the comedy ''Goodbye Charlie'' by

George Axelrod George Axelrod (June 9, 1922 – June 21, 2003) was an American screenwriter, producer, playwright and film director, best known for his play ''The Seven Year Itch'' (1952), which was adapted into a film of the same name starring Marilyn Monr ...

. She was part of a cast which toured with

Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II. Johnson was described as the embodiment o ...

in the comedy ''Send Me No Flowers'', in 1976. In 1980 she was featured in the

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

play ''The Gingerbread Lady''. Stephens starred as ''Toby'', an aging beauty who needs to be constantly reminded that she is attractive.

Movie actress

Stephens was signed to a film contract by

Twentieth Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disne ...

in May 1956. In her first movie she played a nurse in ''

Bigger Than Life ''Bigger Than Life'' is a 1956 American drama film directed by Nicholas Ray and starring James Mason, Barbara Rush, and Walter Matthau. Its plot follows an ailing school teacher and family man whose life spins out of control when he misuses c ...

'' (1956). The film was a drama which starred

James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was the top box-office attraction in the UK in 1944 and 1945; his British films inc ...

and

Barbara Rush Barbara Rush (born January 4, 1927) is an American actress. In 1954, Rush won the Golden Globe Award as most promising female newcomer for her role in the 1953 American science-fiction film '' It Came from Outer Space''.Warren 1982, pp. 151–6 ...

. Stephens next appeared in ''

Oh, Men! Oh, Women! ''Oh, Men! Oh, Women!'' is a 1957 American comedy film written, produced and directed by Nunnally Johnson, based on the play of the same name by Edward Chodorov. It stars Ginger Rogers, Dan Dailey and David Niven. It was the feature film debut of ...

'' (1957) directed by

Nunnally Johnson Nunnally Hunter Johnson (December 5, 1897 – March 25, 1977) was an American screenwriter, film director, producer, and playwright. As a filmmaker, he wrote the screenplays to more than fifty films in a career that spanned from 1927 to 1967. He ...

and produced by

Cheryl Crawford Cheryl Crawford (September 24, 1902 – October 7, 1986) was an American theatre producer and director. Biography Born in Akron, Ohio, Crawford majored in drama at Smith College. Following graduation in 1925, she moved to New York City and ...

. In ''

The True Story of Jesse James ''The True Story of Jesse James'' is a 1957 American Western drama film adapted from Henry King's 1939 film ''Jesse James'', which was only loosely based on James' life. It was directed by Nicholas Ray, with Robert Wagner portraying Jesse James ...

'' (1957), she has the part of Anne James. Stephens has an uncredited part, as ''Miss Trimmingham'', in ''

From the Terrace ''From the Terrace'' is a 1960 American DeLuxe Color romantic drama film in CinemaScope directed by Mark Robson from a screenplay by Ernest Lehman, based on the 1958 novel of the same name by John O'Hara. The film stars Paul Newman, Joanne Woodw ...

'' (1960). Her option was renewed by 20th Century Fox in February 1960. The adaptation of the

John O'Hara John Henry O'Hara (January 31, 1905 – April 11, 1970) was one of America's most prolific writers of short stories, credited with helping to invent ''The New Yorker'' magazine short story style.John O'Hara: Stories, Charles McGrath, ed., The L ...

novel stars

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

and

Joanne Woodward Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward (born February 27, 1930) is an American actress. A star since the Golden Age of Hollywood, Woodward made her career breakthrough in the 1950s and earned esteem and respect playing complex women with a charact ...

. It received a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

nomination. Her last film appearance came in 1994 in '' Ri¢hie Ri¢h'' as Richie's secretary.

Private life

Stephens dated

Nico Minardos Nico Minardos (February 15, 1930, Pangrati, Athens – August 27, 2011, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California) was a Greek-American actor. He died in 2011 in Woodland Hills, California at age 81, from natural causes. Work in Hollywood His fir ...

until they broke up in January 1959. Her eyes were an

emerald Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr. and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991) ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York, p ...

hue. She was married with Dennis Sook until his death in October 2017, she died a year later in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, Downtown Chicago, ...

, at age 88.

References

*''Chicago Daily Herald'', "Charlie's One Asset Is Worley", September 5, 1972, page 51 *''Daily Oklahoman'', "Van Johnson Opens Comedy", September 14, 1976, page 36 *''Los Angeles Times'', "Return Celebrated By

Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, also the ...

Kid", February 23, 1960, page B7 *''New York Times'', "Kings Go Forth Will Be A Movie", May 9, 1956, page 36 *''New York Times'', "Oh Men!, Oh Women!", February 22, 1957, page 25 *''New York Times'', "Screen: Jesse James", March 23, 1957, page 17 *''Sheboygan Press'', "Peninsula Players To Open 38th Season At Fish Creek", June 29, 1972, page 35 *''Syracuse Herald Journal'', "Rachel Stephens Is Keeping Busy", September 24, 1956, page 10 *''Vidette Messenger'', "Behind The Scenes In Hollywood", January 9, 1959, page 4

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Rachel Indiana University alumni American stage actresses American film actresses Western (genre) film actresses American television actresses 20th-century American actresses 20th Century Studios contract players