Diana Van der Vlis (June 9, 1935 - October 22, 2001) was a Canadian-American stage, screen and television actress best known for her characters Dr. Nell Beaulac (1975–76) on the ABC soap opera ''

Ryan's Hope ''Ryan's Hope'' is an American soap opera created by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer, airing for 13 years on ABC from July 7, 1975, to January 13, 1989. It revolves around the trials and tribulations within a large Irish-American family in th ...

'' and Kate Hathaway Prescott on the soap opera '' Where the Heart Is''. Two other roles on daytime dramas that she played were Sherry Rowan (1987–89) on ''

'' and Susan Ames Carver on ''

The Secret Storm ''The Secret Storm'' is an American soap opera that the CBS television network transmitted from February 1, 1954, to February 8, 1974. It was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas ''Search for Tomorrow'' and ''Love ...

'', when she was a substitute for

Judy Lewis Judy Lewis (born Judith Young; November 6, 1935 – November 25, 2011) was an American actress, writer, producer, and therapist. She was the secret biological daughter of actors Loretta Young and Clark Gable. Early life Lewis was born on Nov ...

in the role. Van der Vlis went to university in Winnipeg, studied at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senat ...

(RADA) in London and acted in Canada, living in both Clarkson, Mississauga and Vancouver, British Columbia, before booking a role in the Utah-filmed B-movie ''

The Girl in Black Stockings ''The Girl in Black Stockings'' is an American B-movie mystery film released by United Artists in 1957. Directed by Howard W. Koch, it stars Lex Barker, Anne Bancroft, and Mamie Van Doren. Plot A lodge in Kanab, Utah, is where Los Angeles lawyer ...

'' (1957), and moving to New York City in 1956. On arrival, she auditioned for an NBC drama program; there, a page suggested that she try the Baum-Newborn Theatrical Agency. Within six weeks of arriving in New York City, she was cast in the Broadway show ''The Happiest Millionaire''. While in rehearsals, she reportedly was offered a three-picture non-exclusive film deal with an independent studio and a lead role in a weekly half-hour NBC program filmed in Paris. Her debut, opposite

Walter Pidgeon Walter Davis Pidgeon (September 23, 1897 – September 25, 1984) was a Canadian-American actor. He earned two Academy Award for Best Actor nominations for his roles in ''Mrs. Miniver'' (1942) and ''Madame Curie'' (1943). Pidgeon also starred in ...

, proved to be a hit. She toured with the show, including to Toronto. Her subsequent Broadway productions include leading or featured roles in ''Comes a Day'', ''A Mighty Man Is He'', ''A Shot in the Dark'', ''On an Open Road'' and ''The Waltz of the Toreadors''. Diana can be seen in the movies '' X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes'' (1963), '' The Incident'' (1967), '' The Swimmer'' (1968) and ''

Lovespell ''Lovespell'' is a 1981 fantasy romantic tragedy film featuring Richard Burton as King Mark of Cornwall. It was directed by Tom Donovan. It is based on the classic saga of ''Tristan and Isolde''. Production Filmed in Ireland in 1979 as ''Tris ...

'' (1981). She also appears in a 1967 TV film ''Ghostbreakers''. Van der Vlis guest-starred on numerous primetime TV shows, including ''

Kraft Theatre ''Kraft Television Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series running from 1947 to 1958. It began May 7, 1947 on NBC, airing at 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. It first promoted MacLaren's Imperial Chees ...

'', '' Naked City'', ''Tactic'', '' U.S. Steel Hour'', ''

DuPont Show of the Month ''DuPont Show of the Month'' was a 90-minute television anthology series that aired monthly on CBS from 1957 to 1961. The DuPont Company also sponsored a weekly half-hour dramatic anthology series hosted by June Allyson, ''The DuPont Show with Jun ...

'', ''

The DuPont Show of the Week ''The DuPont Show of the Week'' is an American television anthology drama series which aired for three seasons on NBC from September 17, 1961 to August 30, 1964. It was nominated one time for an Edgar Allan Poe Award and eight times for Primet ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

Great Ghost Tales ''Great Ghost Tales'' is an American horror television series that aired Live from July 6 until September 21, 1961. The program was the summer replacement for ''The Ford Show''. Premise An anthology of scary stories hosted by Frank Gallop. Cast ...

'', '' Brenner'', ''

Checkmate Checkmate (often shortened to mate) is any game position in chess and other chess-like games in which a player's king is in check (threatened with ) and there is no possible escape. Checkmating the opponent wins the game. In chess, the king is ...

'', ''

East Side/West Side ''East Side/West Side'' is an American drama series starring George C. Scott, Elizabeth Wilson, Cicely Tyson, and, later on, Linden Chiles. The series aired for one season (1963–1964), and was shown Monday nights on CBS. Set in New York City, t ...

'', ''

Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', '' Flipper'', '' Mr. Broadway'', '' The Defenders'', ''

Twelve O'Clock High ''Twelve O'Clock High'' is a 1949 American war film about aircrews in the United States Army's Eighth Air Force, who flew daylight bombing missions against Germany and Occupied France during the early days of American involvement in World War II ...

'' (as the "commander's pretty wife"), ''

The Invaders ''The Invaders'' is an American science-fiction television series created by Larry Cohen that aired on ABC for two seasons, from 1967 to 1968. Roy Thinnes stars as David Vincent, who after stumbling across evidence of an in-progress invasion ...

'', ''

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by MGM Television, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who wo ...

'', '' T.H.E. Cat'', ''

The F.B.I. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

'', and '' The Fugitive''. She was a naturalized U.S. citizen and mother of actor Matthew Powers. On October 22, 2001, she died in Montana due to a cardiac arrest caused by a pulmonary embolism, following a brief illness.

Filmography

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Van der Vlis, Diana 1935 births 2001 deaths Canadian television actresses Canadian people of Dutch descent Actresses from Toronto Canadian emigrants to the United States Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art American soap opera actresses American people of Dutch descent Naturalized citizens of the United States 20th-century American actresses