Dorothy Louise Bridges (née Simpson; September 19, 1915 – February 16, 2009) was an American actress and poet. Bridges was the matriarch of an acting family, which included her husband,
Lloyd Bridges
Lloyd Vernet Bridges Jr. (January 15, 1913 – March 10, 1998) was an American film, stage and television actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. He was the father of four children, includi ...
, two of their three sons,
Beau Bridges and
Jeff Bridges
Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.
Bridges comes from a prominent ac ...
, and her grandson,
Jordan Bridges
Jordan Bridges (born November 13, 1973) is an American actor, best known as Frankie Rizzoli on ''Rizzoli & Isles'' (2010–2016).
Early life
Bridges was born in Los Angeles County, California, and is the son of actor Beau Bridges and Julie Brid ...
.
Bridges was sometimes credited as Dorothy Dean.
[
]
Early life
Bridges was born Dorothy Louise Simpson[ in ]Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
.[ Her father was an immigrant from the ]United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, born and raised in Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
, England. Her mother was of Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
and Swiss-German ancestry. Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was two years old.[ Bridges made her film debut in the movie '']Finders Keepers
Finders, keepers, sometimes extended as the children's rhyme finders, keepers; losers, weepers, is an English language, English adage with the premise that when something is unowned or abandoned, whoever finds it first can claim it for themself pe ...
''.[
She attended the ]University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...
(UCLA) where she met her future husband, Lloyd Bridges, while acting in a small theatrical play
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
* Google Play, a digital content service
* Play Framework, a Java framework
* P ...
on campus.[ Lloyd Bridges, who was a UCLA upperclassman at the time, appeared in the production as her "leading man."][
The couple married in 1938 in New York City.][ Dorothy and Lloyd Bridges remained married for 60 years,][ until he died in 1998 at the age of 85. They had four children: Beau Vernet, Garrett Myles, Jeffrey Leon, and Lucinda Louise. Garrett died of ]sudden infant death syndrome
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden unexplained death of a child of less than one year of age. Diagnosis requires that the death remain unexplained even after a thorough autopsy and detailed death scene investigation. SIDS usuall ...
on August 3, 1948.
Bridges and her husband moved to 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 ...
, where they continued to pursue their acting studies and careers. Dorothy and Lloyd Bridges both studied under the acting teacher Michael Chekhov
Mikhail Aleksandrovich Chekhov (russian: Михаил Александрович Чехов; 29 August 1891 – 30 September 1955), known as Michael Chekhov, was an American actor, director, author and theatre practitioner. He was a nephew ...
.[
They returned to Hollywood in the early 1940s when Lloyd Bridges was signed to ]Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
.[
]
Career
Bridges occasionally returned to acting throughout her life, often in roles where she was able to work with members of her family. She was sometimes credited as Dorothy Dean. She appeared in ''Sea Hunt
''Sea Hunt'' is an American action adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced. It stars Lloyd Bridges a ...
'', a television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...
which starred her husband.[ Bridges also appeared in ''The Thanksgiving Promise'', a 1986 ]television movie
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
directed by her son, Beau Bridges, and the 1989 film, '' See You in the Morning'', which co-starred her son, Jeff Bridges.[ Dorothy Bridges credits also included the 1993 television movie, ''Secret Sins of the Father'', which was directed by Beau Bridges, who cast other members of the Bridges family in main and supporting roles.][
In addition to raising her children, Bridges also introduced them to the acting profession as their first drama teacher.][ She encouraged each of her children to "pretend" for an hour each day.][ Her son, Jeff Bridges, later said that the playtime "pretend" games were "basically the basis of acting."][ Jeff Bridges notes that both his parents studied under Michael Chekhov and that "and a lot of things my mom learned with him were passed down to all of us."][ Two of Dorothy Bridges' sons, Jeff and Beau, and grandson, Jordan, ultimately became actors while her daughter, Lucinda, is an artist.][
Bridges also wrote ]poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
, later publishing some of her work. She was known to write love poems
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre (poetry), metre − to evo ...
to her husband every Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, thr ...
during their 59-year marriage.[ Dorothy and Lloyd exchanged vows again for their 50th wedding anniversary.
Dorothy Bridges released her memoirs, ''You Caught Me Kissing: A Love Story'', in 2005.][ Much of the book centered on her marriage to Lloyd Bridges. It included commentary from her children and family photos. Bridges was 89 years old at the time of the book's release.][
]
Death
Dorothy Bridges died of "age-related causes" in Holmby Hills
Holmby Hills is a neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States.
The neighborhood was developed in the early twentieth century by the Janss Investment Company, which developed the rest of Westwood as well as other Los Ang ...
, 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 ...
on February 16, 2009, in the same home where she and her husband raised their children. She was 93 years old.
Her son, Jeff Bridges, called her the "hub" of their family in an interview with the ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' following her death.[
She was survived by her brother Frederick Simpson, Jr.; sons, Beau Bridges and Jeff Bridges; and her daughter, Lucinda. Her eleven grandchildren include actors ]Jordan Bridges
Jordan Bridges (born November 13, 1973) is an American actor, best known as Frankie Rizzoli on ''Rizzoli & Isles'' (2010–2016).
Early life
Bridges was born in Los Angeles County, California, and is the son of actor Beau Bridges and Julie Brid ...
, Casey, Dylan and Emily.[ She was also survived by two great-grandchildren Lola and Orson Bridges.][
]
References
External links
*
1939 Yearbook Photo
Dorothy Bridges' official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridges, Dorothy
1915 births
2009 deaths
American film actresses
American stage actresses
American television actresses
American people of English descent
American people of Irish descent
American people of Swiss-German descent
Actresses from Los Angeles
Actresses from Worcester, Massachusetts
University of California, Los Angeles alumni
American women poets
Bridges family
20th-century American poets
20th-century American women writers
20th-century American actresses
People from Holmby Hills, Los Angeles
21st-century American women