Vivian Nathan (born Vivian Firko, October 26, 1916 – April 3, 2015) was an American actress and founding member of the Actors Studio, which opened in 1947. She served on the Actors Studio's board of directors until 1999. She appeared in the original

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

debut productions of ''

The Rose Tattoo ''The Rose Tattoo'' is a three-act play written by Tennessee Williams in 1949 and 1950; after its Chicago premiere on December 29, 1950, he made further revisions to the play for its Broadway premiere on February 2, 1951, and its publication by ...

'' (1951) and '' Camino Real'' (1953). Her film credits included ''

Klute ''Klute'' is a 1971 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed and produced by Alan J. Pakula, written by Andy and Dave Lewis, and starring Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi, and Roy Scheider. The film follows a high-priced call ...

''.

Early years

Nathan was born in Manhattan on October 26, 1916 to Hipolit and Anna Firko. The family soon relocated to

Maspeth, Queens Maspeth is a residential and commercial community in the borough of Queens in New York City. It was founded in the early 17th century by Dutch and English settlers. Neighborhoods sharing borders with Maspeth are Woodside to the north; Sunnyside ...

, where Vivian attended Holy Cross Parochial School. Sullivan, Ed (January 20, 1955)
"New York: Behind the Scenes"
''New York Daily News''. p. C16. Retrieved June 13, 2021. She later attended the St. Nicholas school on Manhattan's Lower East Side.

Stage

In 1944, Vivian caught the eye of

John Golden John Lionel Golden (June 27, 1874 – June 17, 1955) was an American actor, songwriter, author, and theatrical producer. As a songwriter, he is best-known as lyricist for " Poor Butterfly" (1916). He produced many Broadway shows and four films. ...

, a theater producer who was auditioning aspiring stage actors. Still performing under the name Firko, she made her Broadway debut under Elia Kazan's direction in 1948, in the Actors Studio production of Bessie Breuer's '' Sundown Beach''. The decision to employ her husband Nathan Schwalb's given name as Firko's stage name appears to have taken place sometime between casting and opening night in the 1949 production of ''Montserrat'',

Lillian Hellman Lillian Florence Hellman (June 20, 1905 – June 30, 1984) was an American playwright, prose writer, memoirist and screenwriter known for her success on Broadway, as well as her communist sympathies and political activism. She was blacklisted aft ...

's adaptation of the Emmanuel Roblès play. Nathan became an original member of the Actors Studio when it was founded in 1947 by Elia Kazan and

Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American theatre director, actor and acting teacher. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931 ...

. She also worked as acting instructor and session moderator at the Studio. Her students included the late actress, Kim Stanley. Vivian Nathan served on the Actor Studio's board of directors until 1999, alongside

Ellen Burstyn Ellen Burstyn (born Edna Rae Gillooly; December 7, 1932) is an American actress. Known for her portrayals of complicated women in dramas, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and two Primetime Em ...

Lee Grant Lee Grant (born Lyova Haskell Rosenthal; October 31, during the mid-1920s) is an American actress, documentarian, and director. She made her film debut in 1951 as a young shoplifter in William Wyler's ''Detective Story'', co-starring Kirk Dougl ...

, Paul Newman, Al Pacino, and Estelle Parsons. In 1951, Nathan was cast in the original Broadway opening 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 thr ...

' ''

'', co-starring together with

Martin Balsam Martin Henry Balsam (November 4, 1919 – February 13, 1996) was an American actor. He had a prolific career in character roles in film, in theatre, and on television. An early member of the Actors Studio, he began his career on the New Yo ...

Maureen Stapleton Lois Maureen Stapleton (June 21, 1925 – March 13, 2006) was an American actress. She received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Tony Awards, in addition to ...

, and

Eli Wallach Eli Herschel Wallach (; December 7, 1915 – June 24, 2014) was an American film, television, and stage actor from New York City. From his 1945 Broadway debut to his last film appearance, Wallach's entertainment career spanned 65 years. Origina ...

. She re-teamed with Martin Balsam for 1953's '' Camino Real'', directed by Elia Kazan. Nathan received a

Clarence Derwent Award The Clarence Derwent Awards are theatre awards given annually by the Actors' Equity Association on Broadway in the United States and by Equity, the performers' union, in the West End in the United Kingdom. Clarence Derwent (23 March 1884 – 6 Aug ...

in 1955 for her role as the Charwoman in ''Anastasia''. Roughly one week after that play's Broadway opening, entertainment writer

Ed Sullivan Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American television personality, impresario, sports and entertainment reporter, and syndicated columnist for the ''New York Daily News'' and the Chicago Tribune New Yor ...

devoted several paragraphs of his syndicated column to a profile of Nathan, which concluded with the actress stating:

''I think that whatever small success I've had is because of my great good fortune in having lived among the old Polish men and women of peasant stock. All of them had deep faith in their religion and they were simple, believing people. The roles in which I have done best are exactly that type. I understand those characterizations because they made me familiar with their accaptance of sorrow and tragedy.''

Nathan portrayed a Holocaust survivor in ''

The Investigation ''The Investigation'' (original title ''Śledztwo'') is a science fiction/ detective/ thriller novel by the Polish writer Stanisław Lem. The novel incorporates a philosophical discourse on explanation of unknown phenomena. It was first publis ...

'' in 1966. In 1977, Nathan co-starred opposite

Anne Bancroft Anne Bancroft (born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano; September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005) was an American actress. Respected for her acting prowess and versatility, Bancroft received an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two ...

in the play '' Golda'', directed by

Arthur Penn Arthur Hiller Penn (September 27, 1922 – September 28, 2010) was an American director and producer of film, television and theater. Closely associated with the American New Wave, Penn directed critically acclaimed films throughout the 19 ...

. Her other Broadway credits include '' The Watering Place'', ''

Semi-Detached A semi-detached house (often abbreviated to semi) is a single family duplex dwelling house that shares one common wall with the next house. The name distinguishes this style of house from detached houses, with no shared walls, and terraced hou ...

'', and ''The Lovers''.

Film

Nathan made her film debut in the 1958 romantic comedy ''

Teacher's Pet Teacher's pet is a person that has an advantageous position compared to other students, where the teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or v ...

'', starring

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

. She appeared in the crime drama ''

The Young Savages ''The Young Savages'' is a 1961 American crime drama film directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Burt Lancaster. It was written by Edward Anhalt from a novel by Evan Hunter. The supporting cast includes Dina Merrill, Shelley Winters, and E ...

'' and '' The Outsider'', in which she played

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...

' mother. She gave a notable performance as Jane Fonda's psychiatrist in the 1971 crime thriller ''

''.

Television

Nathan appeared in ''The Investigation'', in ''The Last Summer'' episode of '' Studio One'', two episodes of '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', and in the ''Journey To The Day'' and ''The Violent Heart'' episodes of '' Playhouse 90''.

Death

Nathan died at the

Lillian Booth Actors Home The Lillian Booth Actors Home of The Actors Fund is an American assisted-living facility, in Englewood, New Jersey. It is operated by the Actors Fund, a nonprofit umbrella charitable organization that assists American entertainment and perform ...

in Englewood, New Jersey on April 3, 2015 at the age of 98. Her late husband, Nathan Schwalb, whom she had been married to for more than 50 years, died in 2000. Nathan's memorial service was held at Riverside Memorial Chapel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on April 12, 2015.

Awards and honors

*1955:

for her portrayal of the

Charwoman A charwoman (also chargirl, charlady or char) is an old-fashioned occupational term, referring to a paid part-time worker who comes into a house or other building to clean it for a few hours of a day or week, as opposed to a maid, who usually ...

in ''Anastasia'', directed by

Alan Schneider Alan Schneider (December 12, 1917 – May 3, 1984) was an American theatre director responsible for more than 100 theatre productions. In 1984 he was honored with a Drama Desk Special Award for serving a wide range of playwrights. He directed th ...

Filmography

*''

'' (1958) as Edna Kovac *''

'' (1961) as Mrs. Escalante *'' The Outsider'' (1961) as Nancy Hayes *''

'' (1971) as Psychiatrist

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nathan, Vivian 1916 births 2015 deaths American people of Polish descent American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Actresses from New York City 21st-century American women