Carmen Sylvia Mathews (May 8, 1911 – August 31, 1995) was an American actress and environmentalist.

Biography

Mathews was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. She studied first at Bennett Junior College and then in

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 ...

at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...

. She began her professional acting appearance with the Stratford-on-Avon Shakespearean Company before moving back to the United States. Her Shakespearean roles included

Ophelia Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet. Due to Hamlet's actions, Ophelia ultima ...

in ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'' and the Queen in ''

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...

''. She also starred as Theresa Tapper in the

William Roos William Roos may refer to: * William Roos (artist) (1808–1878), Welsh artist and engraver * William Roos (writer) (1911–1987), American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter See also * William de Ros (disambiguation), a series of English ...

Jack Lawrence Jack Lawrence may refer to: * Jack Lawrence (songwriter) (1912–2009), American songwriter * Jack Lawrence (artist) (born 1975), British comic book artist and animator * Jack Lawrence (bluegrass) (born 1953), American bluegrass guitarist * Jack Law ...

, and Don Walker 1951 Broadway musical '' Courtin' Time''. Her film credits include ''

Butterfield 8 ''BUtterfield 8'' is a 1960 American drama film directed by Daniel Mann, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Laurence Harvey. Taylor won her first Academy Award for her performance in a leading role. The film was based on a 1935 novel of the same ...

'' (1960), '' A Rage to Live'' (1965), ''

Rabbit, Run ''Rabbit, Run'' is a 1960 novel by John Updike. The novel depicts three months in the life of a 26-year-old former high school basketball player named Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom, who is trapped in a loveless marriage and a boring sales job, and at ...

'' (1970), '' Sounder'' (1972), ''Top of the Hill'' (1980) and ''

Daniel Daniel commonly refers to: * Daniel (given name), a masculine given name and a surname * List of people named Daniel * List of people with surname Daniel * Daniel (biblical figure) * Book of Daniel, a biblical apocalypse, "an account of the acti ...

'' (1983). On television she performed on a wide variety of series over a span of four decades. A few of those series include appearances on six episodes of ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'' (1955–65), as well as roles in a 1961 episode of ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...

,'' a 1964 episode of '' The Fugitive,'' and a 1972 episode of ''

Cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...

''. One of her more memorable televised performances is as Colonel Lilian Rayburn on Episode 150 of ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (an acronym for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richa ...

''. Toward the end of her career, in 1990, she was cast in the '' Last Best Year'' with

Mary Tyler Moore Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, producer, and social advocate. She is best known for her roles on '' The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1961–1966) and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), whic ...

and

Bernadette Peters Bernadette Peters ( ''née'' Lazzara; born February 28, 1948) is an American actress and singer. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo concerts and released reco ...

. In 1975, Mathews set up and ran a residential summer camp for disadvantaged children on her 100-acre farm in

Redding, Connecticut Redding is a New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,765 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Regi ...

. Toward the end of her life, Mathews, a passionate environmentalist, made a perpetual donation of her 100-acre New Pond Farm to the Redding Land Trust, to ensure that it would retain its woods, fields, pond and marsh. The

United Nations Association of the United States of America The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) is the official United Nations Association of the United States, a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to promoting political and public support for the United Natio ...

named Mathews one of Connecticut's outstanding women in 1987.

Death

Mathews died at her farm in Redding, Connecticut in 1995, aged 84, from undisclosed causes.

Filmography

References

External links

Carmen Mathews papers, 1921-1995
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, is located at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, in the Lincoln Center complex on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York City. Situated between the Metropolitan O ...

New Pond Farm's page on Carmen MathewsRemembering Carmen Mathews
* * * 1911 births 1995 deaths Actresses from Philadelphia American environmentalists American women environmentalists American stage actresses American Shakespearean actresses American film actresses Bennett College (New York) alumni Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art 20th-century American actresses People from Redding, Connecticut {{US-theat-actor-1910s-stub