Indus Arthur (born Indus Jo Saugstad; April 28, 1941 – December 29, 1984) was a 1960s film and television actress.

Early life

Arthur was from

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...

. Both she and her grandmother were named for the

Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

. Her grandmother once visited the river, and Arthur wished to do so. Her father, Mac Julian, was a still cameraman for

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

studios. He opposed the fact that Arthur and her two sisters were becoming involved in films. Arthur attended Hollywood High School and Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. She also acted with the Dublin Players.

Career

Stage

Arthur signed as the

leading lady A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...

for the mystery play, ''Uncle Marston'', in April 1963. The production was staged at the Stage Society Theater in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. A reviewer referred to her acting prowess in the role of an agitated

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

heiress, commenting "Arthur is a lovely, polished performer." Previously she had appeared in theater in

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

and at the Dublin Playhouse in

Dublin, Ireland Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 cen ...

Film

Arthur appeared in

Sydney Pollack Sydney Irwin Pollack (July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008) was an American film director, producer and actor. Pollack directed more than 20 films and 10 television shows, acted in over 30 movies or shows and produced over 44 films. For his film ''Out ...

's directing debut ''

The Slender Thread ''The Slender Thread'' is a 1965 American drama film starring Anne Bancroft and Sidney Poitier. It was the first feature-length film directed by future Oscar-winning director, producer and actor Sydney Pollack. Poitier portrays Alan, a college s ...

'' (1965) as an employee of a crisis clinic which counsels potential

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

victims. She was assigned a role in ''

Alvarez Kelly ''Alvarez Kelly'' is a 1966 American Western (genre), Western film set in the American Civil War directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring William Holden and Richard Widmark. The picture was based on the historic Beefsteak Raid of September 1864 ...

'' (1966), a western that was set during the era of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. It featured a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

cattleman played by

William Holden William Holden (born William Franklin Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor, and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film ''Stalag 17'' (1953) ...

and a military colonel depicted by

Richard Widmark Richard Weedt Widmark (December 26, 1914March 24, 2008) was an American film, stage, and television actor and producer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, '' Kiss of Death'' (1947) ...

. Arthur's other film roles were in ''Angel's Flight'' (1965), ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker. The ...

'' (1970), and ''

The Christian Licorice Store ''The Christian Licorice Store'' is a 1971 American drama film directed by James Frawley and starring Beau Bridges and Maud Adams. The title of the film is based on lyrics from the song "Pleasant Street" by Tim Buckley who makes a cameo in the ...

'' (1971).

Television

Arthur was a prolific actress on television. Among her many appearances are episodes of the ''Kraft Suspense Theater'' (1964–1965), ''

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was re ...

'' (1965), ''

Ben Casey ''Ben Casey'' is an American medical drama series that aired on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols " ♂, ♀, ✳, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member Sam Jaff ...

'' (1965), '' T.H.E. Cat'' (1966), '' The Virginian'' (1966), ''

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western, espionage, and science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 1969. Two satirical comedy television film sequels w ...

'' (1966), '' Dragnet'' (1967), and ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

'' (1963, 1970–1973). She made two guest appearances on ''

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 cli ...

'' in 1965 as Nancy Bryant, in the Case of the Telltale Tap, and in 1966, as Barbara Kramer in "The Case of the Dead Ringer".

Original Renaissance Faire

Indus Arthur played the harp and sang at the Original Renaissance Faire in Agoura, California. She had a beautiful voice and recorded several music cassettes of period folk songs. One of her most loved albums, The Rose and The Briar, featured "Barbara Allen" a Scottish tale of unrequited love and death. Personal friend, S Kraft

Death

Indus Arthur died in Los Angeles County in 1984 of complications from a brain tumor at age 43.

Filmography

References

* * * * * * * *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arthur, Indus 1941 births 1984 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from skin cancer Singers from Los Angeles Western (genre) film actresses