Indus Arthur (April 28, 1941 – December 29, 1984) born Indus Jo Saugstad, was an American film and television actress.

Early life

Arthur was from

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...

. Both she and her grandmother were named for the

Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayas, Himalayan river of South Asia, South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northw ...

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

. Her grandmother once visited the river, and Arthur wished to do so. Her father, Mac Julian, was a still cameraman for

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 ...

studios. He opposed the fact that Arthur and her two sisters were becoming involved in films. Arthur attended Hollywood High School and Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. She also acted with the Dublin Players.

Career

Stage

Arthur signed as the

leading lady A leading actor, leading actress, or leading man or lady or simply lead (), plays a main role in a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person w ...

for the mystery play, ''Uncle Marston'', in April 1963. The production was staged at the Stage Society Theater in Los Angeles, California. A reviewer referred to her acting prowess in the role of an agitated

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

heiress, commenting "Arthur is a lovely, polished performer." Previously she had appeared in theater in London, England and at the Dublin Playhouse in Dublin, Ireland.

Film

Arthur appeared in

Sydney Pollack Sydney Irwin Pollack (July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Pollack is known for directing commercially and critically acclaimed studio films. Over his forty year career he received numerous accolades ...

's directing debut '' The Slender Thread'' (1965) as an employee of a crisis clinic which counsels potential

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

victims. She was assigned a role in ''

Alvarez Kelly ''Alvarez Kelly'' is a 1966 American Western film set in the American Civil War directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring William Holden and Richard Widmark. The picture was based on the historic Beefsteak Raid of September 1864 led by Confederat ...

'' (1966), a western that was set during the era of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. It featured a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

cattleman played by

William Holden William Franklin Holden (né Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film '' Stalag 17'' (1953) and the Pri ...

and a military colonel depicted by

Richard Widmark Richard Weedt Widmark (December 26, 1914March 24, 2008) was an American film, stage, and television actor and producer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, ''Kiss of Death (1947 film ...

. Arthur's other film roles were in ''Angel's Flight'' (1965), ''

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 ...

'' (1970), and ''

The Christian Licorice Store ''The Christian Licorice Store'' is a 1971 American drama film directed by James Frawley and starring Beau Bridges and Maud Adams. The title of the film is based on lyrics from the song "Pleasant Street" by Tim Buckley who makes a cameo in the ...

'' (1971).

Television

Arthur was a prolific actress on television. Among her many appearances are episodes of the ''Kraft Suspense Theater'' (1964–1965), ''

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ''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 a ...

'' (1965), ''

Ben Casey ''Ben Casey'' is an American medical drama television series that aired on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, ✳, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member ...

'' (1965), ''

T.H.E. Cat ''T.H.E. Cat'' is an American television action drama that aired on NBC Fridays from 9:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. during the 1966–1967 television season.Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earl, ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cab ...

'' (1966), '' The Virginian'' (1966), ''

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western (genre), Western, spy film, spy, and science fiction on television, science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 19 ...

'' (1966), '' Dragnet'' (1967), and ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...

'' (1963, 1970–1973). She made two guest appearances on ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and four short stories, all of which involve a ...

'' in 1965 as Nancy Bryant, in the Case of the Telltale Tap, and in 1966, as Barbara Kramer in "The Case of the Dead Ringer".

Original Renaissance Faire

Indus Arthur played the harp and sang at the Original Renaissance Faire in Agoura, California. She had a beautiful voice and recorded several music cassettes of period folk songs. One of her most loved albums, ''The Rose and The Briar'', featured "Barbara Allen" a Scottish tale of unrequited love and death. Personal friend, S Kraft

Death

Indus Arthur died in Los Angeles County in 1984 of complications from a brain tumor at age 43.

Filmography

References

* * * * * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arthur, Indus 1941 births 1984 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Deaths from brain cancer in California Singers from Los Angeles Western (genre) film actresses