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

Education

Born in Fairfield, Illinois, 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 ca ...

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 CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

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 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 as ...

'' (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 show ...

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 Mon ...

. 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 Dis ...

in May 1956. In her first movie she played a nurse in '' Bigger Than Life'' (1956). The film was a drama which starred James Mason and Barbara Rush. Stephens next appeared in '' Oh, Men! Oh, Women!'' (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. In '' The True Story of 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 novel stars Paul Newman 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 nomination. Her last film appearance came in 1994 in '' Ri¢hie Ri¢h'' as Richie's secretary.

Private life

Stephens dated Nico Minardos until they broke up in January 1959. Her eyes were an emerald 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, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, ...

, 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 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