Valora Noland (born Valor Baum; December 8, 1941 – March 27, 2022) was an American actress, notable for her 1960s movie and television work, and, in her later years, photographer and author.

Biography

Noland was born in Seattle, as Valor Baum, on December 8, 1941, the day after Pearl Harbor. Her mother named her "Valor", inspired by a speech by

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

. Her family moved from Seattle to the countryside near

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz (Spanish language, Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the largest city and the county seat of Santa Cruz County, California, Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population ...

in 1943. Sometime around 1959 she decided to become an actress. After graduating from Santa Cruz High School, she was accepted by the

Pasadena Playhouse Pasadena Playhouse is a Tony Award-winning historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engag ...

and, while studying there for a year and a half, settled on "Valora Noland" for her stage name and moved to Hollywood. Valora's first job was an improvised scene with three other actors for the film ''

Five Finger Exercise ' is a 1962 American drama film directed by Daniel Mann and produced by Frederick Brisson from a screenplay by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett based on the play by Peter Shaffer. The film was distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film st ...

'', later cut before distribution. Still, it enabled her to buy her

SAG SAG, SAg or sag may refer to: Land formations * Sag (geology), or ''trough'', a depressed, persistent, low area * Sag pond, a body of water collected in the lowest parts of a depression People * Ivan Sag (1949–2013), American linguist ...

card, and somewhat larger parts in TV shows followed. She had a small role in a 1961 episode of the TV western ''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television series starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show ...

'' entitled "High Country". She played Vinnie in ''

The Donna Reed Show ''The Donna Reed Show'' is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the middle-class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz co-stars as her Pediatrics, pediatrician husband Dr. Alex Stone, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage childr ...

'' episode entitled "Everywhere That Mary Goes." Her first movie role was in ''

Beach Party ''Beach Party'' is a 1963 American film and the first of seven beach party films from American International Pictures (AIP) aimed at a teen audience.Smith, Gary A. Smith (2009) ''The American International Pictures Video Guide'', McFarland ...

'' (1963), and the next year, 1964, she played a part in an independent production, ''Summer Children'', made on Catalina Island. It was never officially released. This was followed by '' Muscle Beach Party'' and after that a film titled '' Sex and the College Girl'', which took place on

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. A third "island" film came in 1965 when she was chosen to play the unfaithful wife in '' The Passionate Strangers,'' a Philippine production. Back in Hollywood, Valora joined the cast of '' The War Wagon'' for a minimal role and appeared in guest roles in television shows including ''

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents Napoleon Solo, played by Robert Vaughn, and Illya Kuryakin, p ...

'', '' The Virginian'', ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

'', and ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that originally aired for eight seasons on CBS from September 16, 1967, to March 13, 1975. The show was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer ...

'' as Cindy Gier in "Live Blueberries". Season 1 episode 7. Noland was also active as a photographer and, as Valora Tree, authored the books ''"Horse Stories"'', and ''Water Lily Ponds'', a volume of poetry. Noland died on March 27, 2022, at the age of 80 in

Sebastopol, California Sebastopol ( ) is a city in Sonoma County, California, with a recorded population of 7,521, per the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census. Sebastopol was once primarily a plum- and apple-growing region. Wine grapes are the predominant a ...

Characters

*Clare in ''The Rifleman'' episode, "The High Country" (1961) *Vinnie in ''The Donna Reed Show'' episode, "Everywhere That Mary Goes" (1963) *Vickie in ''Sex and the College Girl'' (1964) *Duchess Vicky in ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E'' episode, "The Round Table Affair" (1966) *Amanda Harley in ''The Virginian'' episode, "Girl on the Pinto" (1967) *Daras in ''Star Trek'' episode, " Patterns of Force" (1968)

Filmography

*''

'' (1963) - Rhonda *'' Muscle Beach Party'' (1964) - Animal *'' Sex and the College Girl'' (1964) - Vickie *'' Summer Children'' (1965) - Diana *'' The Passionate Strangers'' (1966) - Margaret Courtney *'' The War Wagon'' (1967) - Kate

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Noland, Valora 1941 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women American film actresses American television actresses Actresses from Seattle Photographers from Washington (state)