Nancy Coleman

Nancy Coleman (December 30, 1912 – January 18, 2000) was an American film, stage, television and radio actress. After working on radio and appearing on the Broadway stage, Nancy Coleman moved to Hollywood to work for Warner Bros. studios.

Nancy Coleman
Coleman in 1956
Born(1912-12-30)December 30, 1912
Everett, Washington, U.S.
DiedJanuary 18, 2000(2000-01-18) (aged 87)
Brockport, New York, U.S.
Resting placeLake View Cemetery
Alma materUniversity of Washington
OccupationActress
Years active1941–1985
Spouse(s)
Whitney Bolton
​
​
(m. 1943; died 1969)​
Children2

Early life

Coleman was born December 30, 1912 in Everett, Washington,[1] where her father, Charles Sumner Coleman, was editor of The Daily Herald.[2] Her mother, Grace Sharplass Coleman,[3] was "an accomplished violinist."[4] The family lived in Everett, Washington, where she graduated with honors from Everett High School.[2]

She attended the University of Washington in Seattle where she majored in English[5][4] and was a member of the Alpha Lambda chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta.[6] After graduating, she was accepted at Columbia University's Teacher's College in New York. She attended the university, but dropped out, moving to San Francisco, California,[7] where she worked as an elevator operator of a department store.[8]

Career

Early in her career as an actress, Coleman portrayed Alice Hughes on the radio version of the soap opera Young Doctor Malone.[9] Coleman also appeared as the lead in the 04/13/1943 episode of "Suspense", entitled "Fear Paints a Picture". On television, she played Helen Emerson on Valiant Lady.[10]

Coleman's Broadway credits include Liberty Jones (1941), The Sacred Flame (1952), and The Desperate Hours (1955).[11]

Memorable roles include playing the mistress to a Nazi (played by Helmut Dantine) in Edge of Darkness and co-starring with Paul Henreid in In Our Time. In the 1950s, Coleman began making guest appearances on television. She also played Anne Brontë in the film Devotion (1946) opposite Olivia de Havilland and Ida Lupino.

Personal life

Coleman was married to Whitney Bolton, a publicity director, from 1943 until his death in 1969.[12] She gave birth to twin girls, Charla Elizabeth and Grania Theresa, on July 13, 1944.[13] Coleman was a Democrat who supported Adlai Stevenson in the 1952 presidential election.[14]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1941Dangerously They LiveJane
1942Kings RowLouise Gordon
1942The Gay SistersSusie Gaylord
1942Desperate JourneyKaethe Brahms
1943Edge of DarknessKatja
1944In Our TimeJanina Orwid
1946DevotionAnne Brontë
1946Her Sister's SecretAntoinette 'Toni' DuBois
1947ViolenceAnn Dwire, alias Ann Mason
1947Mourning Becomes ElectraHazel Niles
1953That Man from TangierMary Ellen
1969SlavesMrs. Stillwell

Notes
  1. Bubbeo 2001, p. 19.
  2. Bentley, Janet (July 1943). "She's Solid! -- Nancy Coleman". Photoplay. 23 (2): 59–60, 72. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  3. Bubbeo, Daniel (2013). "Nancy Coleman: 'The Fragile Heroine'". The Women of Warner Brothers: The Lives and Careers of 15 Leading Ladies, with Filmographies for Each. McFarland. pp. 19–30. ISBN 9780786462360. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  4. Burroughs, Jack (September 19, 1937). "From Elevator to Mike". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. p. 73. Retrieved June 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Bubbeo 2001, p. 20.
  6. "Notable Thetas". Kappa Alpha Theta Heritage. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  7. Bubbeo 2001, p. 21.
  8. Bubbeo 2001, p. 22.
  9. Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 361. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
  10. Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 1136. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  11. "Nancy Coleman". Playbill Vault. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  12. Riddle, Margaret (2006). "Nancy Coleman Bolton". Women's Stories, Women's Lives. Women's Legacy Project of Snohomish County, Washington.
  13. "Actress Nancy Coleman Gives Birth to Twins". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. United Press. July 14, 1944. p. 7. Retrieved June 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. Motion Picture and Television Magazine, November 1952, page 33, Ideal Publishers

References
  • Bubbeo, Daniel (2001). The Women of Warner Brothers: The Lives and Careers of 15 Leading Ladies with Filmographies for Each. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-41137-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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