Polly Bergen (born Nellie Paulina Burgin; July 14, 1930 – September 20, 2014) was an American actress, singer, television host, writer and entrepreneur.
She won an
Emmy Award in 1958 for her performance as
Helen Morgan in ''
The Helen Morgan Story''. For her stage work, she was nominated for the
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
for
Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Carlotta Campion in ''
Follies
''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman.
The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Fol ...
'' in 2001. Her film work included ''
Cape Fear'' (1962) and ''
The Caretakers
''The Caretakers'' (released in the UK as ''Borderlines'') is a 1963 American drama film starring Robert Stack, Polly Bergen, Diane McBain, Joan Crawford and Janis Paige in a story about a mental hospital.
The screenplay was adapted by Henry F. ...
'' (1963), for which she was nominated for the
Golden Globe Award for
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. She hosted her own weekly variety show for one season (''The Polly Bergen Show''), was a regular panelist on the TV game show ''
To Tell the Truth,'' and later in life had roles in ''
The Sopranos
''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...
'' and ''
Desperate Housewives''. She wrote three books on beauty, fashion, and charm. She is also the inspiration behind Mother Goose in ''
The Land of Stories''.
Early life
Bergen was born in Knoxville, Tennessee to Lucy (née Lawhorne; 1909–1985) and William Hugh Burgin (1909–1982), a construction engineer.
Bill Bergen, as he was later known, had singing talent and appeared with his daughter in several episodes of her 18-episode comedy/variety show ''The Polly Bergen Show'', which aired during the 1957–1958 television season to much fanfare. They released a duet Columbia LP, ''Polly and Her Pop''.
Career
Bergen appeared in many film roles, most notably in the original ''
Cape Fear'' (1962) opposite
Gregory Peck and
Robert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...
. She had roles as the romantic interest in three
Dean Martin and
Jerry Lewis comedy films in the early 1950s: ''
At War with the Army
''At War with the Army'' is a 1950 American musical comedy film directed by Hal Walker, released by Paramount, starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis and introducing Polly Bergen. Filmed from July through August 1949, the film premiered i ...
'', ''
That's My Boy,'' and ''
The Stooge
''The Stooge'' is a 1952 American comedy film directed by Norman Taurog and starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis. The film was released nationally in the United States in February 1953 by Paramount Pictures.
Plot
In 1930, entertainer Bil ...
''. She was featured in a number of Westerns during the 1950s, including ''
Warpath'', ''
Arena
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
,'' and ''
Escape from Fort Bravo
''Escape from Fort Bravo'' is a 1953 American Anscocolor Western film set during the American Civil War. It stars William Holden, Eleanor Parker, and John Forsythe.
Plot
Fort Bravo is a Union prison camp with a strict disciplinarian named Cap ...
''. She starred in the horse racing comedy ''
Fast Company
''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year.
History
''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...
''; she starred as the first female commander-in-chief in ''
Kisses for My President''; and as the wife of
James Garner
James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy ...
in the romantic comedy ''
Move Over, Darling'', which also starred
Doris Day. Bergen's later roles included Mrs. Vernon-Williams in ''
Cry-Baby
''Cry-Baby'' is a 1990 American teen musical romantic comedy film written and directed by John Waters. It was the only film of Waters's over which studios were in a bidding war, coming off the heels of the successful '' Hairspray''. The film s ...
'', a John Waters film.
Bergen received an Emmy Award for her portrayal of singer
Helen Morgan in the episode ''
The Helen Morgan Story'' of the 1950s television series ''
Playhouse 90''.
Signed to
Columbia Records, she also enjoyed a successful recording career during this era. She recorded an album in 1957 titled,''Bergen Sings Morgan'', which included the song "
Bill".
In the 1950s, she became known as "The Pepsi Cola Girl", having done a series of commercials for this product.
She was a regular panelist on the game show ''
To Tell the Truth'' during its original run. She was an occasional panelist and appeared three times as the mystery guest on ''
What's My Line?
''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...
''. She appeared on the interview program ''
Here's Hollywood''. She earned two
Emmy Award nominations for her role as Rhoda Henry, wife of Captain "Pug" Henry (played by Robert Mitchum), in two miniseries: ''
The Winds of War
''The Winds of War'' is Herman Wouk's second book about World War II (the first being ''The Caine Mutiny''). Published in 1971, ''The Winds of War'' was followed up seven years later by ''War and Remembrance''; originally conceived as one volume, ...
'' and its sequel ''
War and Remembrance
''War and Remembrance'' is a novel by Herman Wouk, published in October 1978 as the sequel to Wouk's '' The Winds of War'' (1971). ''The Winds of War'' covers the period 1939 to 1941, and ''War and Remembrance'' continues the story of the extende ...
''.
Bergen starred in a 2001 Broadway revival of
Stephen Sondheim's ''
Follies
''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman.
The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Fol ...
'' at the Belasco Theater and received a
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
In 2003, she starred at the same theatre in ''
Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks'' opposite
Mark Hamill in a role she took over from
Rue McClanahan
Eddi-Rue McClanahan (February 21, 1934 – June 3, 2010) was an American actress and comedian best known for her roles on television as Vivian Harmon on '' Maude'' (1972–78), Aunt Fran Crowley on '' Mama's Family'' (1983–84), and Blanche ...
.
In 2004, Bergen played
Fran Felstein on HBO's ''
The Sopranos
''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...
'', the former mistress of
Johnny Soprano and
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
. From 2007 to 2011, Bergen had a guest role in ''
Desperate Housewives'' as
Stella Wingfield, which earned her an
Emmy Award nomination.
She was a semi-regular cast member of ''
Commander-in-Chief'' (2006) as the mother of
Mackenzie Allen, the fictional president of the United States, played by
Geena Davis
Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis (born January 21, 1956) is an American actor . Bergen had once played the first female president of the United States in the movie ''
Kisses for My President'' (1964). Another late appearance came in the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation ''
Candles on Bay Street'' (2006), in which she played the assistant to a husband-and-wife team of veterinarians.
In 1965, Bergen created the Polly Bergen Company cosmetics line also known as Oil of the Turtle. She also created lines of jewelry and shoe brands, and wrote three books on beauty.
Personal life
Bergen was married to actor
Jerome Courtland
Jerome Courtland (December 27, 1926 – March 1, 2012) was an American actor, director and producer. He acted in films in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and in television in the 1950s and 1960s. Courtland also appeared on Broadway in the musical '' ...
from 1950 to 1955. In 1957, she married Hollywood agent-producer
Freddie Fields
Freddie Fields (July 12, 1923 – December 11, 2007),
December 12, 2007 born Fred ...
, with whom she had two adopted children, Pamela Kerry Fields and Peter William Fields, and stepdaughter,
Kathy Fields. Bergen converted from Southern Baptist to Judaism upon marrying Fields.
The couple divorced in 1975. She was married to entrepreneur Jeffrey Endervelt in the 1980s.
In 1991, Bergen spoke about having had an abortion, for inclusion in the book ''
The Choices We Made: Twenty-Five Women and Men Speak Out About Abortion.''
On March 31, 1993,
Brandon Lee died accidentally on the set of
''The Crow'', and in early April, Bergen held a memorial at her home in Los Angeles, and 200 of Lee's family, friends, and business associates attended.
Bergen was a liberal-minded, politically active
Democrat and
feminist. She was an active advocate of the
Equal Rights Amendment, women's education, and
Planned Parenthood.
Bergen's niece is the television producer Wendy Riche.
Death
Bergen died of natural causes on September 20, 2014 at her home in Southbury, Connecticut, surrounded by family and close friends. She had been diagnosed with emphysema and other ailments in the late 1990s.
Upon her death, she was cremated.
Filmography
Film
Television
Radio appearances
Discography
Albums list adapted from
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
and
Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...
.
Albums
* 1955: ''Little Girl Blue'' (10" LP)
* 1956: ''The Girls''
* 1956: ''Today's Hits'' (EP)
* 1957: ''Bergen Sings Morgan'' (
''Billboard'' 200 – No. 10)
* 1957: ''The Party's Over'' (''Billboard'' 200 – No. 20)
* 1958: ''Polly and Her Pop'' (accompanied on guitar & vocals by her father, Bill Bergen)
* 1959: ''My Heart Sings'' – Columbia #CS 8018 – orchestra conducted by
Luther Henderson (re-released in 1996)
* 1959: ''All Alone by the Telephone''
* 1959: ''First Impressions'' – with
Farley Granger
Farley Earle Granger Jr. (July 1, 1925 – March 27, 2011) was an American actor, best known for his two collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock: ''Rope'' in 1948 and '' Strangers on a Train'' in 1951.
Granger was first noticed in a small ...
and
Hermione Gingold
Hermione Ferdinanda Gingold (; 9 December 189724 May 1987) was an English actress known for her sharp-tongued, eccentric character.
Her signature drawling, deep voice was a result of nodules on her vocal cords she developed in the 1920s and e ...
* 1960: ''Four Seasons of Love''
* 1961: ''Sings the Hit Songs from Do-Re-Mi and Annie Get Your Gun''
* 1963: ''Act One, Sing Too''
Singles
* 1958: "
Come Prima
"Come prima" (English: "As Before") is an Italian song, with lyrics by Mario Panzeri and music by Vincenzo Di Paola and Sandro Taccani. First made popular by Tony Dallara in Italy in 1957, a version by the Marino Marini Quartet was a hit in the ...
" (
''Billboard'' Hot 100 – No. 67)
Bibliography
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*
*
References
External links
*
*
*
*
Polly Bergen – Madame President
Gallery: Polly Bergen in Knoxville, TN
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergen, Polly
1930 births
2014 deaths
Actresses from Indiana
Actresses from Tennessee
American film actresses
American musical theatre actresses
American television actresses
American stage actresses
American entertainment industry businesspeople
American memoirists
American women memoirists
American women in business
Columbia Records artists
Compton High School alumni
Connecticut Democrats
Converts to Judaism from Baptist denominations
Former Baptists
Indiana Democrats
Jewish American actresses
Jewish women singers
Jubilee Records artists
RCA Victor artists
Torch singers
Traditional pop music singers
Musicians from Richmond, Indiana
Nightclub performers
Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners
People from Knoxville, Tennessee
Tennessee Democrats
Writers from Richmond, Indiana
21st-century American Jews
21st-century American women