Kathleen Hughes (born Elizabeth Margaret von Gerkan; November 14, 1928 – May 19, 2025) was an American actress who appeared during the
Golden Age of Hollywood
Golden means made of, or relating to gold.
Golden may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
*Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall
*Golden Cap, Dorset
*Golden Square, Soho, London
*Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome, Stroud#Golden Val ...
.
Early life
Hughes was born in
Hollywood, California
Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...
, on November 14, 1928.
Her uncle,
F. Hugh Herbert, was a playwright who authored ''Kiss and Tell'' and ''
The Moon Is Blue''.
Donald O'Connor
Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (August 28, 1925 – September 27, 2003) was an American dancer, singer and actor. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred, in succession, with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talki ...
, which gave her the idea that "acting looked like fun."[ ] After graduating from Fairfax High School, Hughes attended Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campus of the U ...
and UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
.
Film
Hughes was discovered in a Little Theater production in 1948. Signed to a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
, she made 14 films for the studio. She appeared in five motion pictures for Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to:
* Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate
** Universal Pictures, an American film studio
** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex
* Various theme parks operat ...
, including the cult film ''It Came From Outer Space
''It Came from Outer Space'' is a 1953 United States, American science fiction film, science fiction Horror film, horror film, the first in the 3D films, 3D process from Universal Pictures, Universal-International. It was produced by William Al ...
''. Hughes co-starred with Edward G. Robinson in a 1953 crime drama, '' The Glass Web'', and appeared in an adventure film that year, '' The Golden Blade''.
Television
By 1956, Hughes was appearing in television series. She played in 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 ...
'' (1956–1957), ''Telephone Time'' (1956), ''The Bob Cummings Show
''The Bob Cummings Show'' (also known in reruns as ''Love That Bob'') is an American sitcom starring Bob Cummings, which was broadcast from January 2, 1955, to September 15, 1959.
The program began with a half-season run on NBC, then ran for ...
'' (1958), ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' is an American television sitcom that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from October 3, 1952, to April 23, 1966, and starred the real-life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was b ...
'', ''77 Sunset Strip
''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American private detective crime drama television series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long (from 1960 to 1961) and Edd Byrnes (billed as Edward Byrnes). Each epis ...
'' (1959), ''Hotel de Paree'' (1959), ''Tightrope!
''Tightrope!'' is an American crime drama series that aired on CBS from September 1959 to September 1960, under the alternating sponsorship of the J. B. Williams Company ( Aqua Velva, Lectric Shave, etc.), and American Tobacco ( Pall Mall). Pr ...
'' (1959), ''General Electric Theater
''General Electric Theater'' is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.
Radio
After an audition show ...
'' (1960–1962), '' The Tall Man'' (1961), '' Bachelor Father'' (1962), '' Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.'' (1965), and ''I Dream of Jeannie
''I Dream of Jeannie'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy sitcom television series created by Sidney Sheldon and starring Barbara Eden as a beautiful but guileless 2,000-year-old Jinn, genie and Larry Hagman as an astronaut with whom s ...
'' (1967).
In 1962, Hughes played the role of murder victim Lita Krail in the sixth-season 1962 episode of '' Perry Mason'', entitled "The Case of the Double-Entry Mind". She played the recurring role of Mrs. Coburn on the television series '' The Ghost & Mrs. Muir''. She appeared on ''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 ...
'' as Lorraine Blake, wife of unit commander Henry Blake, in a home movie she sent to him. Hughes portrayed Mitch, a secretary, on the NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
drama '' Bracken's World'' (1969–1971).[Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010''. McFarland & Company, Inc.; . P. 129.]
Stage
Hughes' favorite stage role was in the play ''The Seven Year Itch
''The Seven Year Itch'' is a 1955 American romantic comedy film directed by Billy Wilder, who co-wrote the screenplay with George Axelrod. Based on Axelrod's 1952 The Seven Year Itch (play), play of the same name, the film stars Marilyn Monroe ...
''.[
]
Personal life and death
On July 25, 1954, Hughes married Stanley Rubin, the producer of '' Bracken's World'', at the home of her uncle. The couple had one daughter and three sons. The marriage lasted 59 years, until Rubin died on March 2, 2014, at the age of 96.
Hughes died on May 19, 2025, at the age of 96.
Filmography
References
Sources
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Kathleen
20th-century American actresses
1928 births
2025 deaths
American stage actresses
American film actresses
American television actresses
Actresses from Hollywood, Los Angeles
20th Century Studios contract players