Hope Lange

Hope Elise Ross Lange (November 28, 1933 – December 19, 2003)[1] was an American film, stage, and television actress.

Hope Lange
Lange in 1957
Born	Hope Elise Ross Lange November 28, 1933 Redding, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	December 19, 2003 (aged 70) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Reed College
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1942–1998
Spouse(s)	Don Murray ​ ​ (m. 1956; div. 1961)​ Alan J. Pakula ​ ​ (m. 1963; div. 1971)​ Charles Hollerith, Jr. ​ ​ (m. 1986, her death)​
Children	2, including Christopher Murray

Lange was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Selena Cross in the 1957 film Peyton Place. In 1969 and 1970, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Carolyn Muir in the sitcom The Ghost & Mrs. Muir.

Early life

15-year-old Lange modeling the "Man-from-Mars, Radio Hat", 1949

Lange was born into a theatrical family in Redding, Connecticut.[2] Her father, John George Lange (1885–1942), was a cellist and the music arranger for Florenz Ziegfeld and conductor for Henry Cohen; her mother, Minette (née Buddecke; 1898–1970), was an actress.[3] They had three daughters, Minelda (1922–2004), Joy (1927–2007), and Hope, and a son, David.[4][5][6] John worked in New York City and the family moved to Greenwich Village when Hope was a young child.

Lange sang with other children in the play Life, Laughter and Tears, which opened at the Booth Theatre in March 1942.[7] At age 9, Lange had a speaking part in the award-winning Broadway play The Patriots, which opened in January 1943.[8][9] John Lange died in September 1942, but the family stayed in New York City.[10] Minette ran a restaurant on Macdougal Street near Washington Square Park from 1944 to 1956.[3] The name was "Minette's of Washington Square", although some sources confuse it with "Minetta Tavern", an Italian restaurant on Macdougal Street founded in 1937. The entire family worked in the restaurant; the oldest daughter, Minelda, ran the cash register, while Joy and Hope waited on tables.[11][12]

While attending high school, Lange studied dance, modeled, and worked in the family restaurant. She sometimes walked the dog of former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who had a nearby apartment.[13] When her photo appeared in the newspaper, she received an offer to work as a New York City advertising model.[14] She appeared on the June 1949 cover of Radio-Electronics magazine wearing the "Man from Mars" Radio Hat. This portable radio built into a pith helmet was a sensation in 1949.[15]

Lange attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon, for one year, studying dance and theater before subsequently transferring to Barmore Junior College in New York.[16] She met her first husband, Don Murray, at Barmore.[17]

Career

She began working in television in the 1950s with appearances on Kraft Television Theatre, which caught the eye of a Hollywood producer where she was signed on a contract to 20th Century Fox. Lange came to prominence in her first film role in Bus Stop with Marilyn Monroe and Don Murray, whom she married on April 14, 1956. Murray later said that Monroe grew jealous of another blonde being hired for the movie and asked the studio producers to dye Lange's blonde hair light brown.[2]

Lange in Death Wish (1974)

As a result of favorable reviews, Lange landed a major role in the then-risqué 1957 film Peyton Place. Her strong performance earned her a nomination for a Golden Globe Award and another for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She would become a rather well-recognized supporting actress of ingénue roles. Lange later said that she became somewhat typecast in her ingénue film appearances and this is why her movie career was short-lived.[18]

She went on to appear in Nicholas Ray's film, The True Story of Jesse James (1957) as James' wife, opposite Robert Wagner. She appeared in The Young Lions alongside Montgomery Clift. She starred as the wife of Jeffrey Hunter's character in Anton Myrer's wartime drama In Love and War (1958). These roles eventually led to Lange earning top billing in The Best of Everything (1959), with Suzy Parker and Joan Crawford.[2]

Lange appeared as Elvis Presley's older psychologist love interest in Wild in the Country (1961), despite being only 13 months Elvis' senior. She then appeared in Frank Capra's final movie, Pocketful of Miracles, alongside Glenn Ford. The next year, she appeared with Ford again in the romantic comedy Love Is a Ball.[2]

Lange returned to television for a 1966 role on the series The Fugitive (1963). She starred from 1968 to 1970 on the television series, The Ghost & Mrs. Muir for which she earned two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award nomination. This success was followed by three seasons on The New Dick Van Dyke Show as Dick Van Dyke's wife, Jenny Preston, from 1971 to 1974, after which she declined to return for a fourth season of the show.[2] She also appeared in twelve television movies, one being Crowhaven Farm where she played the role of a witch. In 1977, she returned to the Broadway stage where her acting career had originally begun. She also played the murdered wife of Charles Bronson's vigilante character in Death Wish (1974). In 1985, she appeared in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, and in 1986, she took a role as Laura Dern's mother in David Lynch's Blue Velvet. She took a Broadway role in Same Time, Next Year and then made appearances in the television movie based on Danielle Steel's Message from Nam and in Clear and Present Danger (1994).

Lange made appearances in the Maine town in which Peyton Place had been filmed during the film's 40th anniversary celebrations in 1998.[2]

Personal life

Date of birth

Lange's year of birth is often reported as 1931, but the correct year is 1933. A possible source of this error is the Reader's Digest Almanac and Yearbook.[19] It has shown the 1931 date from as early as 1980 to the 2009 issue. The 1976 and earlier editions give the year of birth as 1933.[20] Other references such as Chase's Annual Events have always shown 1933,[1] as does her Social Security Death Index entry.

The 1933 year also matches the ages given in newspaper accounts of Lange in her youth. The New York Times covered the annual "Young People's Concert" awards given at Carnegie Hall. Lange received an award in April 1945[21] and again in April 1946, when her age was given as 12.[22] Lange's age of 12 in April 1946 would correspond to a birthdate in November 1933, not 1931.

Also, a short feature story was published in February 1951 about Hope Lange's culinary skills. The first paragraph gives the biography of a 17-year-old Hope Lange of Greenwich Village, New York. Her late father was "director of music for Florenz Ziegfield [sic]" and her mother had a catering business. In addition to modeling, acting, and dancing, Hope could make "terrific" sandwiches. The article gives her recipes for "Sardine Strips" and "Cheese Ribbon" sandwiches.[23] Born in 1933, Lange would have been 17 years old in February 1951.

Relationships

Lange's first marriage was to actor Don Murray, who she met while filming his breakout role in Bus Stop with Marilyn Monroe in 1956; they had two children,[2] actor Christopher Murray and photographer Patricia Murray. Lange left Don Murray in 1961 for actor Glenn Ford, associate producer and co-star of Pocketful of Miracles. They had a four year relationship. She and Ford never married.[2] She then left acting for three years after her October 19, 1963, marriage to producer-director Alan J. Pakula, whom she divorced in 1971.

In 1972, she also dated Frank Sinatra and began a relationship with married novelist John Cheever.[24] In 1986, she married theatrical producer Charles Hollerith, Jr. (1927–2011), with whom she remained the rest of her life.[2]

Death

Lange died on December 19, 2003 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California as a result of an ischemic colitis infection at the age of 70. Her body was cremated.[25]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1956	Bus Stop	Elma Duckworth	Alternative title: The Wrong Kind of Girl	[26]
1957	The True Story of Jesse James	Zee James	Alternative title: The James Brothers	[26]
1957	Peyton Place	Selena Cross		[26]
1958	The Young Lions	Hope Plowman		[26]
1958	In Love and War	Andrea Lenaine Kantaylis		[26]
1959	The Best of Everything	Caroline Bender		[26]
1961	Wild in the Country	Irene Sperry		[26]
1961	Pocketful of Miracles	Elizabeth "Queenie" Martin		[26]
1963	Love Is a Ball	Millicent "Millie" Mehaffey	Alternative title: All This and Money Too	[26]
1968	Jigsaw	Helen Atterbury		[26]
1974	I Love You... Good-bye	Karen Chandler
1974	Death Wish	Joanna Kersey		[26]
1983	The Prodigal	Anne Stewart		[26]
1983	I Am the Cheese	Betty Farmer		[26]
1985	A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge	Shirl Walsh		[26]
1986	Blue Velvet	Mrs. Williams		[26]
1990	Tune in Tomorrow	Margaret Quince	Alternative title: Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter	[26]
1994	Clear and Present Danger	Senator Mayo		[27]
1995	Just Cause	Libby Prentiss		[28]

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1956	Kraft Television Theatre	Randy	Episode: "Snapfinger Creek"
1957–1958	Playhouse 90	Raiya Jessica Lovell Alex Winter	3 episodes
1962	Cyrano De Bergerac	Roxane	Television film
1962; 1975	Hallmark Hall of Fame	Roxane Mrs. Douglas	2 episodes
1966	Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre	Rachel Douglas	Episode: "Shipwrecked"
1966	The Fugitive	Annie Johnson	Episode: "The Last Oasis"	[28]
1967	CBS Playhouse	Lois Graves	Episode: "Dear Friends"	[28]
1968–1970	The Ghost & Mrs. Muir	Carolyn Muir	50 episodes
1970	Crowhaven Farm	Maggie Porter	Television film	[28]
1971–1974	The New Dick Van Dyke Show	Jenny Preston	72 episodes	[28]
1972	That Certain Summer	Janet Salter	Television film
1973	The 500 Pound Jerk	Karen Walsh	Television film
1974	I Love You, Goodbye	Karen Chandler	Television film
1974	Fer-de-Lance	Elaine Wedell	Television film
1975	The Secret Night Caller	Pat Durant	Television film
1975	Medical Story	Diana Hopkins	Episode: "Woman In White"
1975	The Rivalry	Mrs. Douglas	Television film
1976	Gibbsville	Harriet	Episode: "Afternoon Waltz"
1977	Police Story	Ann Wells	Episode: "Nightmare on a Sunday Morning"
1977	The Love Boat II	Elaine Palmer	Television film
1978	The Love Boat	Sandra Newberry	Episode: "Where Is It Written?/Julie's Aunt/The Big Deal"	[28]
1978	Match Game	Herself (panelist)	5 episodes
1979	Like Normal People	Roz Meyers	Television film
1980	The Day Christ Died	Claudia	Television film
1980	Beulah Land	Deborah Kendrick	Miniseries	[28]
1980	Pleasure Palace	Madelaine Calvert	Television film
1982	Matt Houston	Kate Riley	Episode: "Recipe for Murder"
1983	Fantasy Island	Marion Stamford	Episode: "Naughty Marietta/The Winning Ticket"
1983–1986	Hotel	Gwen Andrews Dr. Hannah Fielding	2 episodes
1984	Finder of Lost Loves	Catherine Connally Smith	Episode: "Maxwell Ltd: Finder of Lost Loves Pilot"
1985	Survival Guide		Television film
1985	Private Sessions	Mrs. Coles	Television film
1987	Ford: The Man and the Machine	Clara Ford	Television film
1987	Trying Times	Frances Fletcher	Episode: " A Family Tree"
1987–1993	Murder, She Wrote	Charlotte Newcastle Helen Lewis	2 episodes	[28]
1989	Knight & Daye	Gloria Daye	7 episodes	[28]
1993	Dead Before Dawn	Virginia DeSilva	Television film
1993	Cooperstown	Cassie Willette	Television film
1993	Message from Nam	Marjorie Wilson	Television film
1998	Before He Wakes	Helen Rawlings	Television film, (final film role)

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Outcome	Ref.
1958	Academy Award	Best Supporting Actress	Peyton Place	Nominated
1969	Emmy Award	Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series	The Ghost & Mrs. Muir	Won
1970			The Ghost & Mrs. Muir	Won
1958	Golden Globe Award	Best Supporting Actress	Peyton Place	Nominated
1969		Best TV Star — Female	The Ghost & Mrs. Muir	Nominated
1958	Laurel Awards	N/A	Top New Female Personality	Nominated
2008	TV Land Award	Favorite Character from the "Other Side"	The Ghost & Mrs. Muir	Nominated

References

1. Chase, William D.; Helen M. Chase (1988). Chase's Annual Events: Special Days, Weeks and Months in 1988. McGraw-Hill. p. 263. ISBN 978-0-8092-4667-0. Hope Lange, actress, born at Reading Ridge, CT, Nov. 28, 1933
2. "Hope Lange". The Independent. 23 December 2003. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
3. "Mrs. John G. Lange". The New York Times. October 31, 1970. "Mrs. Minette Buddecke Lange, who ran Minette's restaurant in Macdougal Street from 1944 to 1956, died Oct. 23 in a nursing home in Hanover, N. H. Her age was 71. She was the widow of John George Lange, composer and conductor."
4. "Jiras-Lange". The New York Times. August 28, 1949. p. 70. Minelda Lange, daughter of Mrs. John G. Lange married Robert Jiras. Minelda attended American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
5. "Harry Boardman 1920–2009". Whetstone Inn, Inc. Retrieved September 12, 2009. "During this time [1949–1954], he met and married Joy Lange, for whose family he had worked as a waiter at their Macdougal Street restaurant—Minette’s of Washington Square—and whose sister, Hope, was beginning to make a name as a Hollywood star in movies such as Bus Stop and Peyton Place."
6. Birth and death years for Minelda L Jiras and Joy L Boardman are from the Social Security Death Index.
7. "News of the Stage". The New York Times. February 21, 1942. p. 14. Life, Laughter and Tears arrives at the Booth on March 11. Mildred Dunnock, Gene Ross, Mervin Taylor, Hope Lange and Joan Shepherd are recent additions to the cast.
8. Nathan, George Jean; Charles Angoff (1972). The Theatre Book of the Year, 1942–1943. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press. p. 225. ISBN 978-0-8386-7946-3. The Patriots opened January 29, 1943. Hope Lange played Anne Randolph.
9. Corry, John (July 1, 1977). "Broadway". The New York Times. p. 41. Miss Lange was on Broadway at the age of 9, appearing in something called The Patriot
10. "Deaths". The New York Times. September 15, 1942. p. 23. John George Lange, September 13, 1942.
11. Scott, Vernon (January 5, 1972). "Hope Lange is a divorcee off of stage". Boca Raton News. Boca Raton, Florida. pp. 5B.
12. Gehman, Richard (May 1959). "Moveland marriage with a mission". Coronet. 45 (38): 38–40.
13. Beasley, Henry R.; Holly Cowan Shulman (2001). The Eleanor Roosevelt encyclopedia. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 382. ISBN 978-0-313-30181-0. Eleanor Roosevelt lived at 29 Washington Square West from 1945 to 1949
14. Polgreen, Lydia (December 22, 2003). "Hope Lange, Versatile Actress And Emmy Winner, Dies at 70". The New York Times. p. 7.
15. "The Radio Hat". Radio Electronics. 20 (9): 4, 32–33. June 1949. Cover description: The Radio Hat, posed by Hope Lange. page 4
16. Benner, Ralph; Clements, Mary Jo (1964). The Young Actors' Guide to Hollywood. New York: Coward-McCann. p. 41. OCLC 702220902.
17. Stone, Judy (February 16, 1969). "Nothing Haunted About Hope". The New York Times. p. D19.
18. Oliver, Myrna (December 22, 2003). "Hope Lange, 70; Drew an Oscar Nomination for 'Peyton Place'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
19. Reader's Digest Almanac and Yearbook, 1980. Reader's Digest Association. 1980. p. 277. ISBN 978-0-89577-079-0. Hope Lange (1931– ) actress
20. Reader's Digest Almanac and Yearbook, 1976. Reader's Digest Association. 1976. p. 262. Hope Lange (1933– ) actress
21. "Ganz Plays Works By Girl, 13, Boy, 14". The New York Times. April 8, 1945. p. 36. an annual "Young People's Concerts" award
22. "Youth Awards Given For Music Notebooks". The New York Times. April 7, 1946. p. 40.
23. "Versatile Greenwich Villager, 17, Tells Her Sprightly Buffet Recipes". The Lowell Sun. February 20, 1951. p. 4. This wire-service story was published in several newspapers.
24. Donaldson, Scott (2001). John Cheever: A Biography. iUniverse. p. 237. ISBN 978-0-595-21138-8. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
25. "Hope Lange, actress in 'Peyton Place,' dies". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 2003-12-22. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
26. "Hope Lange filmography". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Archived from the original on February 19, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
27. "Actress Hope Lange Dies at 70". The Washington Post. December 23, 2003. Archived from the original on February 19, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
28. "Hope Lange Credits". TV Guide. Archived from the original on February 19, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.

External links

• Hope Lange at the Internet Broadway Database
• Hope Lange at IMDb
• Hope Lange at the TCM Movie Database
• Hope Lange at AllMovie