Martine Bartlett (April 24, 1925 – April 5, 2006) was an American actress. A life member of

The Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 44th Street (Manhattan), West 44th Street between Ninth Avenue (Manhattan), Ninth and Tenth Avenue (Manhattan), Tenth avenues in the ...

, Bartlett is best-remembered, albeit not by name, for her chilling performance as Hattie Dorsett, the seriously disturbed, abusive mother of

Sally Field Sally Margaret Field (born November 6, 1946) is an American actress. She has received many awards and nominations, including two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Cannes Film F ...

's title character in ''

Sybil Sibyls were oracular women believed to possess prophetic powers in ancient Greece. Sybil or Sibyl may also refer to: Films * ''Sybil'' (1921 film) * ''Sybil'' (1976 film), a film starring Sally Field * ''Sybil'' (2007 film), a remake of the 19 ...

''.

Career

She was active onstage with the former St. Louis Community Playhouse, Rooftop Players and the old Empress Theater. She received her

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

at the Graduate Drama School at

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

. Her debut on Broadway was as a townsperson in '' The Devil's Disciple'' (1950). She was part of the ensemble cast in ''Saint Joan'' (1951), starring Uta Hagen. Her first

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

appearance was in an episode of '' Robert Montgomery Presents'' titled "The Man Who Vanished" (1956). Her other appearances include episodes on ''

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, su ...

'', '' The Fugitive'', ''

Dr. Kildare Dr. James Kildare is a fictional American medical doctor, originally created in the 1930s by the author Frederick Schiller Faust under the pen name Max Brand. Shortly after the character's first appearance in a magazine story, Paramount Pictur ...

'', '' The Virginian'', '' Kojak'', ''

Cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

'', '' Mission: Impossible'', and ''

Quincy, M.E. ''Quincy, M.E.'' (also called ''Quincy'') is an American mystery medical drama television series from Universal Studios that aired on NBC from October 3, 1976, to May 11, 1983. Jack Klugman starred in the title role as a Los Angeles County medic ...

'' She was nominated for an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actress for her performance in an episode of the series '' Arrest and Trial'' ("Journey Into Darkness", 1963). She returned to Broadway in 1957 and played the role as Loreena Lovejoy in Carson McCullers' ''The Square Root of Wonderful'' (starring

Anne Baxter Anne Baxter (May 7, 1923 – December 12, 1985) was an American actress, star of Hollywood films, Broadway productions, and television series. She won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, and was nominated for an Emmy. A granddaughter of Fra ...

). Bartlett appeared as the kindly Aunt Nonnie in the original Broadway production of

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

' '' Sweet Bird of Youth'' (1959). Her

motion picture A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

debut was as the English teacher Miss Metcalf in '' Splendor in the Grass'' (1961), starring Natalie Wood and

Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...

. Other films in which she appeared include ''

The Prize The Prize may refer to: * ''The Prize'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Irving Wallace ** ''The Prize'' (1963 film), a 1963 film based on the novel * ''The Prize'' (1950 film), a 1950 French film * ''The Prize'' (2011 film), a 2011 Mexican film * * ...

'' (1963) and ''

Lord Love a Duck ''Lord Love a Duck'' is a 1966 American teen black comedy film produced, directed and co-written by George Axelrod and starring Roddy McDowall and Tuesday Weld. The film was a satire of popular culture at the time, its targets ranging from progres ...

'' (1966). She played Alma Mulloy, the first victim of

Rod Steiger Rodney Stephen Steiger (; April 14, 1925July 9, 2002, aged 77) was an American actor, noted for his portrayal of offbeat, often volatile and crazed characters. Cited as "one of Hollywood's most charismatic and dynamic stars," he is closely assoc ...

's serial killer in '' No Way to Treat a Lady'' (1968). She played the delusional prostitute Sadie in '' Fuzz'' (1972); played Raquel Welch's mother (and Jodie Foster's grandmother) in ''

Kansas City Bomber ''Kansas City Bomber'' is a 1972 American sports drama film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Jerrold Freedman and starring Raquel Welch. It also marks one of the earliest film appearances of Jodie Foster. Plot The film is an ins ...

'' (1972); and appeared in ''

Aloha, Bobby and Rose ''Aloha, Bobby and Rose'' is a 1975 American Road movie, road drama film written and directed by Floyd Mutrux and starring Paul Le Mat, Dianne Hull and Robert Carradine. The plot concerns a young working-class couple who accidentally cause the de ...

'' (1975). Bartlett portrayed the "Secret Wife", a self-abusing mental patient, in '' I Never Promised You a Rose Garden'' (1977). In the NBC

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

'' (1976), Bartlett played Hattie Dorsett, Sybil's psychotic mother who appears in flashbacks abusing and tormenting a very young Sybil (played by Natasha Ryan), garnering acclaim for her performance. She made her last known appearance in an episode of the television series '' Remington Steele'' (1983).

Death

Bartlett died on April 5, 2006, in

Tempe, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Vale of Tempe , image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg , imagesize = 260px , image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...

, aged 80. She is buried in Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* *
MSN Movies entry for Martine BartlettTVGuide.com entry for Martine Bartlett
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bartlett, Martine 1925 births 2006 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from St. Louis American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Deaths from kidney failure Washington University in St. Louis alumni Yale School of Drama alumni