Kathleen Hughes (born Elizabeth Margaret von Gerkan; November 14, 1928) is an American actress.

Early life

Hughes' uncle,

F. Hugh Herbert Frederick Hugh Herbert (May 29, 1897 - May 17, 1958) was a playwright, screenwriter, novelist, short story writer, and infrequent film director. Biography Born in Vienna, Austria, Herbert was educated at the University of London. He emigrated in ...

, was a playwright who authored ''Kiss and Tell'' and ''

The Moon Is Blue ''The Moon Is Blue'' is a play by F. Hugh Herbert. A comedy in three acts, the play consists of one female and three male characters. Performance history ''The Moon Is Blue'' premiered at The Playhouse in Wilmington, Delaware on February 16, 19 ...

''. Her desire to act was inspired by a film she saw featuring Donald O'Connor, which gave her the idea that "acting looked like fun." After graduating from Fairfax High School, Hughes attended Los Angeles City College and

UCLA 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 St ...

Motion pictures

Hughes was discovered in a Little Theater production in 1948. Signed to a seven-year contract with

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

, she made 14 films for the studio. She appeared in five motion pictures for

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

, including the cult film ''

It Came From Outer Space ''It Came from Outer Space'' is a 1953 American science fiction horror film, the first in the 3D process from Universal-International. It was produced by William Alland and directed by Jack Arnold. The film stars Richard Carlson and Barbara ...

''. Released on May 27, 1953, the sci-fi feature was adapted from the writing of

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and r ...

. It was Universal's first entry into the 3D-film medium. Hughes co-starred with

Edward G. Robinson Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-American actor of stage and screen, who was popular during the Hollywood's Golden Age. He appeared in 30 Broadway plays and more than 100 films duri ...

in a 1953 crime drama, '' The Glass Web'', and opposite

Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular movie stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades. A prominent heartthrob in the Golde ...

in an adventure film that year, '' The Golden Blade''.

Television

By 1956, Hughes was appearing in television series. She played in episodes of ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''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 ren ...

'' (1956–1957), ''Telephone Time'' (1956), '' The Bob Cummings Show'' (1958), ''

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from October 3, 1952, to April 23, 1966, and starred the real-life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television, where it ...

'', '' 77 Sunset Strip'' (1959), ''Hotel de Paree'' (1959), ''

Tightrope! ''Tightrope!'' is an American crime drama series that aired on CBS from September 1959 to September 1960, under the alternating sponsorship of the J.B. Williams Company (Aqua Velva, Lectric Shave, etc.), and American Tobacco ( Pall Mall). Produc ...

'' (1959), '' General Electric Theater'' (1960–1962), '' The Tall Man'' (1961), '' Bachelor Father'' (1962), ''

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. ''Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.''The show (and CBS) renders the title as ''Gomer Pyle – USMC''. is an American situation comedy that originally aired on CBS from September 25, 1964, to May 2, 1969. The series was a spin-off of ''The Andy Griffith Sho ...

'' (1965), and ''

I Dream of Jeannie ''I Dream of Jeannie'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series, created by Sidney Sheldon that starred Barbara Eden as a sultry, 2,000-year-old genie and Larry Hagman, as an astronaut with whom she falls in love and eventually marrie ...

'' (1967). In 1962, Hughes played the role of murder victim Lita Krail in the sixth-season 1962 episode of '' Perry Mason'', entitled "The Case of the Double-Entry Mind". She played the recurring role of Mrs. Coburn on the television series '' The Ghost & Mrs. Muir''. She appeared on ''

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 ...

'' as Lorraine Blake, wife of unit commander

Henry Blake Henry Blake may refer to: * Sir Henry Arthur Blake (1840–1918), British colonial administrator and Governor of Hong Kong * Henry Blake (baseball) (1874–1919), American baseball player * Henry Blake (lighthouse keeper) (1837–1871), American ...

, in a home movie she sent to him. Hughes portrayed Mitch, a secretary, on the NBC drama ''

Bracken's World ''Bracken's World'' is an American drama television series that aired on NBC from September 19, 1969, to December 25, 1970. The series was created and produced by Dorothy Kingsley. The Lettermen performed the second-season theme song "Worlds". ...

'' (1969–1971).Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010''. McFarland & Company, Inc.; . P. 129.

Stage

Hughes' favorite stage role was in the play ''

The Seven Year Itch ''The Seven Year Itch'' is a 1955 American romantic comedy film directed by Billy Wilder, from a screenplay he co-wrote with George Axelrod from the 1952 three-act play. The film stars Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell, who reprised his stage role. ...

''.

Personal life

On July 25, 1954, Hughes married Stanley Rubin, the producer of ''

'', at the home of her uncle. The couple had one daughter and three sons. The marriage lasted 59 years, until Rubin died on March 2, 2014 from

natural causes In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinct ...

at the age of 96.

Filmography

References

Sources

* *

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Kathleen 1928 births Living people American stage actresses American film actresses American television actresses Actresses from Los Angeles 20th Century Studios contract players