Nydia Eileen Westman (February 19, 1902 – May 23, 1970) was an American character actress and singer of stage, screen, and television.

Early years

Westman's parents, Theodore and Lily (Wren) Westman were active in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

in her native New York City. In addition to their working together on stage, her mother was a writer and her father was a composer. She attended the

Professional Children's School The Professional Children's School (PCS) is a not-for-profit, college-preparatory school geared toward working and aspiring child actors and dancers in grades four through twelve. The school was founded in New York City in 1914 to provide an ac ...

. Until 1921, she performed on stage only with her family.

Career

Westman's career started in theatre begain 1921 and she featured in the Broadway production "Pigs" in 1924. her screen appearances ranged from episodic appearances on TV series such as '' That Girl'' and '' Dragnet'' and uncredited bit roles in movies to appearances in films such as '' Craig's Wife'', which starred

Rosalind Russell Catherine Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907November 28, 1976) was an American actress, model, comedian, screenwriter, and singer,Obituary '' Variety'', December 1, 1976, p. 79. known for her role as fast-talking newspaper reporter Hildy Johnson in ...

, and the first film version of ''

Little Women ''Little Women'' is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott, originally published in two volumes, in 1868 and 1869. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters— Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details th ...

''. Westman's screen debut came in '' Strange Justice'' (1932). She appeared in 31 films in the 1930s. She appeared as the housekeeper Mrs. Featherstone in the 1962–1963 ABC series, ''

Going My Way ''Going My Way'' is a 1944 American musical comedy drama film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald. Written by Frank Butler and Frank Cavett, based on a story by McCarey, the film is about a new young priest ...

'', which starred

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

and Leo G. Carroll as

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

priests in New York City. Her last role in a Broadway production was ''Midgie Purvis'' (1961).

Personal life

Westman was married to Robert Sparks, a producer, from 1930 until 1937; they had a daughter, actress

Kate Williamson Robina Jane Sparks, also known as Kate Williamson (September 19, 1931 – December 6, 2013) was an American actress, whose career spanned nearly three decades. Biography Williamson was born as Robina Jane Sparks in 1931, the daughter of actress/ ...

. Westman died of throat cancer at the age of 68 in

Burbank Burbank may refer to: Places Australia * Burbank, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane United States * Burbank, California, a city in Los Angeles County * Burbank, Santa Clara County, California, a census-designated place * Burbank, Illinois, ...

, and was buried at Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Chatsworth, California.Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14000 Famous Persons by Scott Wilson

Selected filmography

Television work

References

External links

* *
FilmsAndTV bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Westman, Nydia 1902 births 1970 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Actresses from New York City Actresses from Greater Los Angeles Deaths from cancer in California Obie Award recipients Singers from New York City 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers