Nedda Harrigan Logan (August 24, 1899 – April 1, 1989) was an American actress.

Early life

Harrigan was the youngest of 10 children of entertainer

Edward Harrigan Edward Harrigan (October 26, 1844June 6, 1911), sometimes called Ned Harrigan, was an Irish-American actor, singer, dancer, playwright, lyricist and theater producer who, together with Tony Hart (as Harrigan & Hart), formed one of the most celebr ...

and his wife, Annie (Braham) Harrigan. Her grandfather was conductor

David Braham David Braham (1834 – April 11, 1905) was a London-born musical theatre composer most famous for his work with Edward Harrigan and Tony Hart (theater), Tony Hart. He has been called "the American Jacques Offenbach, Offenbach". Early life (1834&n ...

, and one of her brothers was actor

William Harrigan William Harrigan (March 27, 1894 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor who performed in Hollywood during the 1930s and 1940s and on stage. Early years Harrigan was born in New York City and attended New York Military Academy. Harrigan was ...

As a child, she sometimes appeared on stage with her father. Her first experiences in acting came at the

National Park Seminary National Park Seminary — later called National Park College — was a private girls' school open from 1894 to 1942. Located in Forest Glen Park, Maryland, its name alludes to nearby Rock Creek Park. The historic campus is to be preserved as t ...

in Washington, D.C.

Stage

In 1918, Harrigan was the leading lady in a production of ''Common Cause'' in San Francisco. She acted in stock theater companies, including the Woodward Players at the Majestic Theater in Detroit. Decades later, Harrigan reflected on the education that she gained from working in stock theater. "There were no ctingschools then," she said. "But you see, there were a lot of stock companies. You learned an awful lot in stock. I played stock every year and learned by just doing." In 1984, Harrigan was production consultant for ''Harrigan and Hart'', a stage show about the entertainment team formed by her father and Tony Hart. In 1985, she performed with her husband,

Joshua Logan Joshua Lockwood Logan III (October 5, 1908 – July 12, 1988) was an American director, writer, and actor. He shared a Pulitzer Prize for co-writing the musical '' South Pacific'' and was involved in writing other musicals. Early years Logan ...

, in ''An Evening with Joshua Logan'', a show that reviewed his career as a director.

Film

In 1934, Harrigan left New York's stages and went to Hollywood to act in the

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 ...

film ''

I'll Fix It ''I'll Fix It'' is a 1934 American romantic comedy film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Jack Holt, Mona Barrie and Winnie Lightner. An extremely powerful machine politics fixer is frustrated when his attempts to secure his younger br ...

''. She returned to Hollywood to make ''The Case of the Caretaker's Cat'' (1936). Her other films included '' Thank You, Mr. Moto'' (1937) and '' Devil's Island'' (1939).

Public service

During World War II, Harrigan was a leading force in establishing the

Stage Door Canteen The Stage Door Canteen was an entertainment venue for American and Allied servicemen that operated in the Broadway theatre district of New York City throughout World War II. Founded by the American Theatre Wing (ATW) in 1942, the entertainers we ...

, which produced plays for servicemen, and she led tours of plays to Europe to entertain troops. Harrigan also served as president of the Actors Fund, and was a founder of the Actors Fund Bloodbank and a trustee of the Museum of the City of New York. Harrigan's long-term service to the

United Service Organizations The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

led to her being awarded the USO's Woman of the Year award in the 1980s.

Personal life

In 1921, Harrigan married actor

Walter Connolly Walter Connolly (April 8, 1887 – May 28, 1940) was an American character actor who appeared in almost 50 films between 1914 and 1939. His best known film is ''It Happened One Night'' (1934). Early years Connolly attended St. Xavier Coll ...

, with whom she had a daughter. She later married Joshua Logan, a director and writer. On April 1, 1989, Harrigan died of cancer at her home in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

at age 89. The

Actors Fund of America The Entertainment Community Fund, formerly The Actors Fund, is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that supports performers and behind-the-scenes workers in performing arts and entertainment, helping more than 17,000 people directly each year. S ...

created the Nedda Harrigan Logan Award to honor Harrigan.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harrigan, Nedda 1899 births 1989 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses 20th-century American actresses National Park Seminary alumni