Nydia Westman
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Nydia Westman | |
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File:Nydia Westman.jpg | |
Born | New York City, U.S. | February 19, 1902
Died | May 23, 1970 Burbank, California, U.S. | (aged 68)
Resting place | Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Chatsworth, California |
Years active | 1932–1970 |
Spouse | Robert Sparks (1930–1937) (divorced) 1 child |
Children | Kate Williamson |
Nydia Eileen Westman (February 19, 1902 – May 23, 1970) was an American actress and singer of stage, screen and television.
Early years
Westman's parents, Theodore and Lily (Wren) Westman were active in vaudeville 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.[1]
Her sisters, Lolita and Neville were actresses, and her brother, Theodore (d. November 20, 1927), was an actor and playwright.
Career
Westman's career ranged from episodic appearances on TV series such as That Girl and Dragnet and uncredited bit roles in movies to appearances in groundbreaking films (such as Craig's Wife, which starred Rosalind Russell, and the first film version of Little Women.
Westman's screen debut came in Strange Justice (1922). She appeared in 31 films in the 1930s.[1]
She appeared as the housekeeper Mrs. Featherstone in the 1962–1963 ABC series, Going My Way, which starred Gene Kelly and Leo G. Carroll as Roman Catholic priests in New York City.
Westman's first Broadway play was Pigs (1924); her last was Midgie Purvis (1961).[2]
She broke ground on stage, debuting the role of Nell off-Broadway in Samuel Beckett's Endgame, for which she won one of the first Obie awards.[citation needed]
Personal life
Westman was married to Robert Sparks, a producer, from 1930 until 1937; they had a daughter, actress Kate Williamson, born on September 19, 1931.[1]
Westman died of cancer at the age of sixty-eight in Burbank, California.
Filmography
- The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit (1968) as Woman in Elevator (uncredited)
- Rabbit, Run (1970) as Mrs. Smith
- Silent Night, Lonely Night (1969)
- The Reluctant Astronaut (1967)
- The Swinger (1966)
- The Chase (1966)
- The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966)
- For Love or Money (1963)
- Don't Knock the Twist (1962)
- The Velvet Touch (1948)
- The Late George Apley (1947)
- Her Primitive Man (1944)
- Princess O'Rourke (1943)
- Hers to Hold (1943)
- They All Kissed the Bride (1942)
- The Remarkable Andrew (1942)
- The Chocolate Soldier (1941)
- The Bad Man (1941)
- Hullabaloo (1940)
- Forty Little Mothers (1940)
- The Cat and the Canary (1939)
- When Tomorrow Comes (1939)
- Bulldog Drummond's Peril (1938)
- The First Hundred Years (1938)
- The Goldwyn Follies (1938)
- Bulldog Drummond's Revenge (1937)
- Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937)
- When Love Is Young (1937)
- Pennies from Heaven (1936)
- Rose Bowl (1936)
- Craig's Wife (1936)
- The Gorgeous Hussy (1936)
- The Invisible Ray (1936)
- Three Live Ghosts (1936)
- A Feather in Her Hat (1935)
- Dressed to Thrill (1935)
- Sweet Adeline (1934)
- One Night of Love (1934)
- Ladies Should Listen (1934)
- Success at Any Price (1934)
- Manhattan Love Song (1934)
- The Trumpet Blows (1934)
- Two Alone (1934)
- Cradle Song (1933)
- Little Women (1933) as Mamie
- The Way to Love (1933)
- Bondage (1933)
- King of the Jungle (1933)
- From Hell to Heaven (1933)
- Should Crooners Marry (1933)
- Manhattan Tower (1932)
- Strange Justice (1932)
Television work
- Mary Kay and Johnny (unknown episodes, 1947–1950)
- Actors Studio (1 episode, 1948)
- The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre (1 episode, 1950)
- Philco Television Playhouse (2 episodes, 1949–1951)
- Young Mr. Bobbin (1951, TV Series) as Aunt Bertha
- Robert Montgomery Presents (1 episode, 1952)
- Broadway Television Theatre (1 episode, 1953) as Aunt Minnie Stickney
- Philip Morris Playhouse (1 episode, 1954)
- Kraft Television Theatre (5 episodes, 1954–1955)
- Studio One (3 episodes, 1953-1955) as Miss Twink / Cora Kinney
- Ford Television Theatre (1 episode, 1955) as Penny
- Producers' Showcase (1 episode, 1956) as Serena Applegate
- Kaiser Aluminum Hour (1 episode, 1957) as Mrs. Lansing
- The United States Steel Hour (1 episode, 1957) as Miss Prism
- Play of the Week (1 episode, 1960) as Armande Mangebois
- Going My Way (30 episode, 1962-1963)
- Route 66 (1 episode, 1963) as Mrs. LeMay
- The Addams Family (1 episode, 1964) as Miss Morrison
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1 episode, 1964) as Aunt Ida Maye
- Perry Mason (1 episode, 1964) as Ivy Stanton
- Bonanza (1 episode, 1964) as Martha Washburn
- Ben Casey (1 episode, 1964) as Mrs. Simmons
- The Donna Reed Show (1 episode, 1965) as Mrs. Robbins
- The Munsters (1 episode, 1965) as Elderly Woman
- F Troop (1 episode, 1965) as Mama Dobbs
- My Favorite Martian (1 episode, 1965) as Matilda
- Please Don't Eat The Daisies (2 episode, 1965-1966) as Aunt Alice / Emma
- That Girl (episode "Rain, Snow, Ice" 1967) as Lady
- Family Affair (1 episode, 1967) as Mrs. Elkins
- Premiere (1 episode, 1968) as Woman
- Lancer (1 episode, 1969) as Bridget McGloin
- Adam-12 (1 episode, 1969) as Alice Hoyt
- Dragnet 1967 (6 episodes, 1967–1970) as Martha Anderson / Myrtle Perriwinkle / Mrs. Morrison / Phoebe Kensington / Jennifer Salt / Mrs. Mary Burnside
- Bewitched (1 episode, 1970) as Mrs. Quigley
- The Murdocks and the McClays (1970, TV Movie) as Grandma Murdock
References
- ^ a b c Nissen, Axel (2016). Accustomed to Her Face: Thirty-Five Character Actresses of Golden Age Hollywood. McFarland. pp. 201–203. ISBN 9780786497324. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- ^ "Nydia Westman". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on 21 April 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
External links
- 1902 births
- 1970 deaths
- American female singers
- American film actresses
- American stage actresses
- American television actresses
- Actresses from New York City
- People from the Greater Los Angeles Area
- Deaths from cancer in California
- Obie Award recipients
- Singers from New York City
- 20th-century American actresses
- 20th-century American singers
- 20th-century women singers