Lenka Peterson (born Betty Ann Isacson; October 16, 1925 – September 24, 2021) was an American theater, film, and television actress.

Early years

Peterson was born in Omaha, Nebraska, the daughter of Lenke (née Leinweber), a lab technician, and Sven Edward Isacson, a physician. Her father was Swedish, and her mother was Hungarian. She majored in drama at the University of Iowa.

Career

Peterson had the role of Corliss Archer in a USO-sponsored troupe that performed on military bases in Japan, the Philippines, and other places in the Pacific. In the mid-1940s, she acted with the Berkshire Playhouse stock theater in New Hampshire. She later acted on stage in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Boston, Massachusetts; and Providence, Rhode Island. One of the first members admitted to New York City's

Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founde ...

, Peterson's

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

portrayals included Ella in ''

Sundown Beach ''Sundown Beach'' is a 1948 play in two acts by American playwright Bessie Breuer. Directed by Elia Kazan, the play opened on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre on September 7, 1948, closing after seven performances on September 11, 1948. The cast no ...

'' (1948), Maude in '' The Grass Harp'' (1952), Kitty in ''

The Time of Your Life ''The Time of Your Life'' is a 1939 five-act play by American playwright William Saroyan. The play is the first drama to win both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. The play opened on Broadway in 1939. Ch ...

'' (1955), Sally and Mary in '' All the Way Home'' (1960), Rose in '' Nuts'' (1980), and Sarah in '' Quilters'' (1984). Peterson was nominated for a 1985

Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical has been presented since 1950. The award was not given at the first three Tony Award ceremonies. Nominees were not announced publicly until 1956. Winners and nominees 1950 ...

for her role in '' Quilters''. She guest starred in such early television productions as ''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in ...

'' (1952), ''

The Philco Television Playhouse ''The Philco Television Playhouse'' is an American television anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was sponsored by Philco. It was one of the most respected dramatic shows of the Golde ...

'' (1955), and ''

'' (1949 and 1950). On television, she portrayed Faye Banister on the NBC drama ''

Young Dr. Malone ''Young Doctor Malone'' (a.k.a. ''Young Dr. Malone'') is an American soap opera, created by Irna Phillips, which had a long run on radio and television from 1939 to 1963. The producer was Betty Corday (1912–1987), who also produced '' Pepper You ...

'' (1958), Martha Skerba on the ABC serial ''A Time for Us'' (1964), Doris Bonino on the NBC comedy '' Bonino'' (1953) and Eve Morgan on the ABC comedy '' Love, Sidney'' (1981) and was a cast member of the series ''Herb Shriner Time'' (1951), ''

Search for Tomorrow ''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986. Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show fo ...

'', playing Isabel Moore in 1962 and Evelyn Reedy in 1977, ''

A Flame in the Wind ''A Flame in the Wind'' (renamed ''A Time for Us'' in 1965) is an American soap opera that aired on ABC Daytime from December 28, 1964, to December 16, 1966. It was created by Raphael Hayes, co-author of the Cannes Film Festival winner '' One Pota ...

'', '' Another World'' as Marie Fenton from 1983 to 1984 and later Lorna Devon's adopted grandmother, and ''

Code of Vengeance ''Code of Vengeance'' is the umbrella title for a series of American television programs, produced by Universal Television, that aired on National Broadcasting Company, NBC in 1985 and 1986. Charles Taylor (actor), Charles Taylor stars as David ...

''.

Personal life and death

On May 8, 1948, Peterson married Daniel O'Connor in Omaha, Nebraska. Peterson is the mother of actress

Glynnis O'Connor Glynnis O'Connor (born November 19, 1956) is an American actress of television, film, radio, and theater. She first gained wide attention in the mid-1970s with leading roles in the television version of ''Our Town'' and in the short-lived series ...

and Darren O'Connor (and three more children) by O'Connor, who died in 2015. Peterson died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Roxbury, Connecticut. She was 95.

Filmography

References

External links

* * *
Lenka Peterson papers, 1943-1996
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...

Lenka Peterson
at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

'
Actors Studio audio collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Lenka 1925 births 2021 deaths Actresses from Omaha, Nebraska American film actresses American soap opera actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American people of Swedish descent American people of Hungarian descent 21st-century American women