Christine Lamson White (May 4, 1926 – April 14, 2013) was an American actress, most noted for her role in "
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
"Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" is the third episode of the fifth season American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone'', based on the short story of the same name by Richard Matheson, first published in ''Alone by Night'' (1961). It origin ...
", a 1963 episode of the anthology television series ''
The Twilight Zone
''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...
''.
Early life
White was born in
Washington, D.C.
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, one of two children of Lucia W. and James Andrew White. Following her graduation from high school, Christine attended the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
, where she majored in English and also began acting in stage productions of the Carolina Playmakers. After obtaining her undergraduate degree in English in Chapel Hill, she returned to Washington, D.C., to study and earn a master's degree in speech and drama at Catholic University.
She also studied at the Actors Studio and eventually moved to New York to further her theatrical career.
Stage
White was active in
summer stock theatre
In American theater, summer-stock theater is a theater that presents stage productions only in the summer. The name combines the season with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes. Summer stock th ...
, including work at the Cape Cod Playhouse. She was named Most Outstanding Actress at CCP for her portrayal of Millie in '' Picnic''.
In 1956, she replaced
Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters (born Shirley Schrift; August 18, 1920 – January 14, 2006) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades. She appeared in numerous films. She won Academy Awards for ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and ''A Patch o ...
in the
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
and relocated to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, where she began to appear in television shows. Her first role was in 1952 in the series ''
The Web
The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet.
Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through web s ...
'', and she also starred in the horror film ''
Macabre
In works of art, the adjective macabre ( or ; ) means "having the quality of having a grim or ghastly atmosphere". The macabre works to emphasize the details and symbols of death. The term also refers to works particularly gruesome in natu ...
'' (1958), directed by
William Castle
William Castle (born William Schloss Jr.; April 24, 1914 – May 31, 1977) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor.
Orphaned at 11, Castle dropped out of high school at 15 to work in the theater. He came to the attenti ...
.
Over the course of her 24-year career, she performed in over 50 television series, including '' Bonanza'', ''
Have Gun – Will Travel
''Have Gun – Will Travel'' is an American Western series that was produced and originally broadcast by CBS on both television and radio from 1957 through 1963. The television version of the series starring Richard Boone was rated number t ...
'', ''
The Rifleman
''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television program 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 ...
'', ''
The Loretta Young Show
''The Loretta Young Show'' (originally known as ''Letter to Loretta'') is an American anthology drama television series broadcast on Sunday nights from September 2, 1953, to June 4, 1961, on NBC for a total of 165 episodes. The series was hosted ...
'', ''
The Untouchables
Untouchables or The Untouchables may refer to:
American history
* Untouchables (law enforcement), a 1930s American law enforcement unit led by Eliot Ness
* ''The Untouchables'' (book), an autobiography by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley
* ''The U ...
'', ''
Father Knows Best
''Father Knows Best'' is an American sitcom starring Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray and Lauren Chapin. The series, which began on radio in 1949, aired as a television show for six seasons and 203 episodes. Created by ...
'', '' The Fugitive'', and in three episodes of ''
Perry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...
'': "The Case of the Blushing Pearls", "The Case of the Curious Bride", and "The Case of the Demure Defendant".
In 1961, White was cast as Kitty in ''The Twilight Zone'' episode "Prime Mover", and later that same year she began performing as a regular character, Abigail Adams, in the situation comedy ''
Ichabod and Me
''Ichabod and Me'' is an American situation comedy television series starring Robert Sterling and George Chandler that aired in the United States during the 1961–1962 television season. It depicts the life of a New York City newspaper report ...
'', which
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
broadcast for only one season. In 1963, White returned to work again on ''The Twilight Zone'' in the series' iconic episode "
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
"Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" is the third episode of the fifth season American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone'', based on the short story of the same name by Richard Matheson, first published in ''Alone by Night'' (1961). It origin ...
". Serving as the main supporting character in that episode, she portrays Julia Wilson, the wife of a terrified airplane passenger played by
William Shatner
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship ''Enterpris ...
.
Author
Gore Vidal
Eugene Luther Gore Vidal (; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his epigrammatic wit, erudition, and patrician manner. Vidal was bisexual, and in his novels and e ...
noted in his memoir ''Palimpsest'' that White, "almost invariably got the (television) parts that my friend
Joanne Woodward
Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward (born February 27, 1930) is an American actress. A star since the Golden Age of Hollywood, Woodward made her career breakthrough in the 1950s and earned esteem and respect playing complex women with a charact ...
wanted." He continued, "When Joanne received the Academy Award (1957 - ''
The Three Faces of Eve
''The Three Faces of Eve'' is a 1957 American film noir mystery drama film presented in CinemaScope, based on the book of the same name about the life of Chris Costner Sizemore, which was written by psychiatrists Corbett H. Thigpen and Hervey M. ...
''), I wired her, 'Where is Chris White tonight?'"
Film
White's acting was not limited to the stage and television series, as she also appeared in various feature films. Among these was a co-starring role in ''Man Crazy'', produced and released by Security Pictures in 1953 and, in a smaller role, portraying the wife of a motorcycle cop in the 1973 "Dirty Harry" film ''
Magnum Force
''Magnum Force'' is a 1973 American neo-noir vigilante action thriller film and the second to feature Clint Eastwood as maverick cop Harry Callahan after the 1971 film ''Dirty Harry''. Ted Post, who had previously worked with Eastwood on '' Ra ...
''.
Personal life
White reportedly had "a brief love affair" with actor James Dean.Later in life, she was an active part of the Evangelical Christian community.
Death
White died on April 14, 2013, at a
nursing home
A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to i ...
in Washington D.C. Her survivors included a number of nieces and nephews.