Celebrity Deathwatch: Beatrice Straight, Actress, 86

["Deathwatch Central" <cdw@slick.org>]

http://www.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/Movies/04/11/us.obit.straight.ap/index.html

Oscar, Tony winner Beatrice Straight dead at 86
April 11, 2001
Web posted at: 9:49 AM EDT (1349 GMT)


LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Actress Beatrice Straight, who earned an
Academy Award for her role as William Holden's estranged wife in the movie
"Network," has died. She was 86.

Straight, who also earned a Tony for her work on Broadway and was nominated
for a television Emmy, died Saturday in Los Angeles, her son Tony Cookson
said.

Although she needed just three days to film her three scenes in "Network,"
nobody disputed Straight's selection as the best supporting actress of 1976
for her portrayal of a wife struggling to keep her sanity after being dumped
for a younger woman.

The movie, which gave Americans the catch phrase "I'm mad as hell and I'm
not going to take it anymore!", gave Straight one of her most high-profile
Hollywood performances. Others included the paranormal investigator in
1982's "Poltergeist" and Mother Christophe in 1959's "The Nun's Story."'

Her stage career extended for decades and garnered her a Tony as best
supporting actress of 1953 for her Broadway portrayal of a Puritan accused
of witchcraft in Arthur Miller's "The Crucible." She made her Broadway debut
in "Bitter Oleander" in 1935.

She also appeared on television for more than 40 years, earning an Emmy
nomination in 1978 for her role as the matriarch in the miniseries "The Dain
Curse."

She also appeared opposite Lynda Carter in the hit 1970s series "Wonder
Woman," playing the Queen Mother to Carter's title character.

Other movie credits included "Bloodline," "The Promise," "Endless Love,"
"Two of a Kind" and "Power." Her final film role was as Goldie Hawn's mother
in 1991's "Deceived."

Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This mailing list is brought to you by Slick.ORG at http://www.slick.org
to remove yourself from the list, send e-mail to majordomo@slick.org
and include the words "unsubscribe deathwatch" in the message (not in the
subject).  For web-based help, go to:

http://www.slick.org/cgi-bin/majordomo

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *