Elizabeth Hartman
Encyclopedia
Mary Elizabeth Hartman was an American
actress, best known for her performance in the 1965 film A Patch of Blue
, playing a blind girl named Selina D'Arcy, opposite Sidney Poitier
, a role for which she won the Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actress
and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress
and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama. The next year, she appeared in You're a Big Boy Now
as Barbara Darling, for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
, Ohio
, where she became known to patrons of the Youngstown Playhouse
as "Biff" Hartman. After gaining valuable experience in community theater, she relocated to New York City
. In 1964, Hartman was signed to play the ingénue lead in the Broadway
comedy Everybody Out, the Castle is Sinking.
, opposite Sidney Poitier
and Shelley Winters
. The role won Hartman widespread critical acclaim, a fact proudly noted by the news media in her hometown. The role also won Hartman an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. At the time of her nomination in 1966, Elizabeth Hartman (who was 22 years old) was the youngest nominee ever in the Best Actress category. That same year, Hartman received an achievement award from the National Association of Theater Owners.
She went on to star in three well-received films, The Group
, You're a Big Boy Now
and The Beguiled
. A role as wife of former Sheriff Buford Pusser in Walking Tall
(1973) was followed a decade later by voice work in 1982's The Secret of NIMH
, wherein she voiced mouse-heroine Mrs. Brisby. This proved to be her last Hollywood film role.
In 1975, Hartman starred in the world premiere of Academy and Emmy Awards nominee Tom Rickman's play Balaam, a play about political intrigue in Washington, D.C. Her costar was veteran actor Peter Brandon, with supporting roles played by Howard Whalen and Ed Harris
. The performance was mounted in Old Town Pasadena
, California, by the Pasadena Repertory Theatre located in The Hotel Carver
. It was directed by Hartman's husband, Gill Dennis and produced by Duane Waddell.
. In her later years, her mental health continued to decline and she moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
to be closer to her family. In 1984, she divorced her husband, screenwriter Gill Dennis, after a five-year separation. In the last few years of her life, she gave up acting altogether and worked at a museum in Pittsburgh while receiving treatment for her condition at an outpatient clinic. However, on June 10, 1987, Hartman fell to her death from the fifth floor window of her apartment, in what was believed to be a suicide
. Earlier that morning, she had reportedly called her psychiatrist saying that she was feeling down. Hartman's remains were subsequently buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in her hometown.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, best known for her performance in the 1965 film A Patch of Blue
A Patch of Blue
A Patch of Blue is a 1965 American drama film directed by Guy Green about the relationship between a black man, Gordon , and a blind white female teenager, Selina , and the problems that plague their relationship when they fall in love in a racially divided America...
, playing a blind girl named Selina D'Arcy, opposite Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier
Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE is a Bahamian American actor, film director, author, and diplomat.In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field...
, a role for which she won the Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actress
Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actress
The Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress originated in 1948. Between 1954 and 1965, multiple winners were announced. The category was discontinued following the 1983 ceremonies.-Winners:*1948: Lois Maxwell*1950: Mercedes McCambridge...
and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress
Academy Award for Best Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama. The next year, she appeared in You're a Big Boy Now
You're a Big Boy Now
You're a Big Boy Now is a 1966 film with Peter Kastner, Elizabeth Hartman, Geraldine Page, Julie Harris and Karen Black, written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola based on a 1963 novel, also titled You're a Big Boy Now, by David Benedictus....
as Barbara Darling, for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
Early life
Hartman was born in YoungstownYoungstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, where she became known to patrons of the Youngstown Playhouse
Youngstown Playhouse
The Youngstown Playhouse, based in the former industrial center of Youngstown, Ohio, is one of the nation's oldest and most respected community theaters.- Early years :...
as "Biff" Hartman. After gaining valuable experience in community theater, she relocated to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In 1964, Hartman was signed to play the ingénue lead in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
comedy Everybody Out, the Castle is Sinking.
Film and theatre career
In 1964, Hartman was screen-tested by MGM and Warner Brothers. In the early autumn of 1964, she was offered a leading role in A Patch of BlueA Patch of Blue
A Patch of Blue is a 1965 American drama film directed by Guy Green about the relationship between a black man, Gordon , and a blind white female teenager, Selina , and the problems that plague their relationship when they fall in love in a racially divided America...
, opposite Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier
Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE is a Bahamian American actor, film director, author, and diplomat.In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field...
and Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television; her career spanned over 50 years until her death in 2006...
. The role won Hartman widespread critical acclaim, a fact proudly noted by the news media in her hometown. The role also won Hartman an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. At the time of her nomination in 1966, Elizabeth Hartman (who was 22 years old) was the youngest nominee ever in the Best Actress category. That same year, Hartman received an achievement award from the National Association of Theater Owners.
She went on to star in three well-received films, The Group
The Group
The Group may refer to:*The Group , by Mary McCarthy*The Group , by Sidney Lumet, based on the book*The Group , a group of British poets of the late 1950s and early 1960s...
, You're a Big Boy Now
You're a Big Boy Now
You're a Big Boy Now is a 1966 film with Peter Kastner, Elizabeth Hartman, Geraldine Page, Julie Harris and Karen Black, written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola based on a 1963 novel, also titled You're a Big Boy Now, by David Benedictus....
and The Beguiled
The Beguiled
The Beguiled is a 1971 drama film directed by Don Siegel, starring Clint Eastwood and Geraldine Page. The script was written by Albert Maltz and is based on the 1966 Southern Gothic novel written by Thomas P. Cullinan, originally titled A Painted Devil...
. A role as wife of former Sheriff Buford Pusser in Walking Tall
Walking Tall
Walking Tall is a 1973 semi-biopic of Sheriff Buford Pusser, a former professional wrestler-turned-lawman in McNairy County, Tennessee. It starred Joe Don Baker as Pusser...
(1973) was followed a decade later by voice work in 1982's The Secret of NIMH
The Secret of NIMH
The Secret of NIMH is a 1982 animated film directed by Don Bluth in his directorial debut. It is an adaptation of Robert C. O'Brien's 1971 children's novel Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. The film was produced by Aurora Pictures and released by United Artists. While released to critical acclaim,...
, wherein she voiced mouse-heroine Mrs. Brisby. This proved to be her last Hollywood film role.
In 1975, Hartman starred in the world premiere of Academy and Emmy Awards nominee Tom Rickman's play Balaam, a play about political intrigue in Washington, D.C. Her costar was veteran actor Peter Brandon, with supporting roles played by Howard Whalen and Ed Harris
Ed Harris
Edward Allen "Ed" Harris is an American actor, writer, and director, known for his performances in Appaloosa, Radio, The Rock, The Abyss, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, A History of Violence, and The Truman Show. Harris has also narrated commercials for The Home Depot and other companies...
. The performance was mounted in Old Town Pasadena
Old Town Pasadena
Old Pasadena is the original commercial center of Pasadena, a city in California, United States that arose from one of the most prosperous areas of the state, and had a latter day revitalization after a period of decay...
, California, by the Pasadena Repertory Theatre located in The Hotel Carver
The Hotel Carver
The Hotel Carver is a three story Victorian Building with full basement at 107 S. Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena, California. It was built in the late 1880s as part of the Doty Block in the Old Town Pasadena district. According to sources at the Pasadena Museum of History, it originally was a...
. It was directed by Hartman's husband, Gill Dennis and produced by Duane Waddell.
Final years
Throughout much of her life, Hartman suffered from depressionClinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
. In her later years, her mental health continued to decline and she moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
to be closer to her family. In 1984, she divorced her husband, screenwriter Gill Dennis, after a five-year separation. In the last few years of her life, she gave up acting altogether and worked at a museum in Pittsburgh while receiving treatment for her condition at an outpatient clinic. However, on June 10, 1987, Hartman fell to her death from the fifth floor window of her apartment, in what was believed to be a suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. Earlier that morning, she had reportedly called her psychiatrist saying that she was feeling down. Hartman's remains were subsequently buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in her hometown.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | A Patch of Blue A Patch of Blue A Patch of Blue is a 1965 American drama film directed by Guy Green about the relationship between a black man, Gordon , and a blind white female teenager, Selina , and the problems that plague their relationship when they fall in love in a racially divided America... |
Selina D'Arcey | Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer - Female Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign... Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress Academy Award for Best Actress Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry... Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama |
| A Cinderella Named Elizabeth | Herself | MGM promotional film for A Patch of Blue | |
| 1966 | The Group The Group (film) The Group is a 1966 ensemble film directed by Sidney Lumet based on the novel of the same name by Mary McCarthy about a group of female graduates from a Connecticut College-like college during the early 1930s.... |
Priss | |
| You're a Big Boy Now You're a Big Boy Now You're a Big Boy Now is a 1966 film with Peter Kastner, Elizabeth Hartman, Geraldine Page, Julie Harris and Karen Black, written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola based on a 1963 novel, also titled You're a Big Boy Now, by David Benedictus.... |
Barbara Darling | Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | |
| 1968 | The Fixer The Fixer (film) The Fixer is a 1968 British drama film based on the 1966 semi-biographical novel of the same name, written by Bernard Malamud.-Plot:Like the book, the film's main character Yakov Bok, a Jew living in the Russian Empire, who was unjustly imprisoned based on prejudice and the charge of having... |
Zinaida | |
| 1970 | Pursuit of Treasure | ||
| 1971 | The Beguiled The Beguiled The Beguiled is a 1971 drama film directed by Don Siegel, starring Clint Eastwood and Geraldine Page. The script was written by Albert Maltz and is based on the 1966 Southern Gothic novel written by Thomas P. Cullinan, originally titled A Painted Devil... |
Edwina Dabney | |
| Night Gallery Night Gallery Night Gallery is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, The Twilight Zone, served both as the on-air host of Night Gallery and as a major contributor of scripts, although... |
Judith Timm | Episode "The Dark Boy" | |
| 1973 | Walking Tall Walking Tall Walking Tall is a 1973 semi-biopic of Sheriff Buford Pusser, a former professional wrestler-turned-lawman in McNairy County, Tennessee. It starred Joe Don Baker as Pusser... |
Pauline Pusser | |
| Love, American Style Love, American Style Love, American Style is an hour-long TV anthology produced by Paramount Television and originally aired between September 1969 and January 1974... |
Wilma More | (uncredited) (segment "Love and the Locksmith") | |
| 1975 | Wide World Mystery | Camilla | Episode "A Little Bit Like Murder" |
| Doctors' Hospital Doctors' Hospital Doctors' Hospital is an American medical drama that ran on NBC during the 1975-1976 season. It followed the neurosurgery team at the fictional Lowell Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles, led by Dr. Jake Goodwin and his staff, including residents Norah Purcell , and Felipe Ortega , and Nurse Hestor... |
Bobbie Marks | Episode "Come at Last to Love" | |
| 1980 | Willow B: Women in Prison | Helen | aka A Matter of Survival (USA: original pilot title) |
| 1981 | Full Moon High Full Moon High Full Moon High is a 1981 horror comedy film written and directed by Larry Cohen. It involves a high school werewolf that tries to keep his secret. He also ignores his girlfriend's sexual advances because it's "his time of the month".-Plot summary:... |
Miss Montgomery | |
| 1982 | The Secret of NIMH The Secret of NIMH The Secret of NIMH is a 1982 animated film directed by Don Bluth in his directorial debut. It is an adaptation of Robert C. O'Brien's 1971 children's novel Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. The film was produced by Aurora Pictures and released by United Artists. While released to critical acclaim,... |
Mrs. Brisby | (voice) |