Peggy Knudsen
Encyclopedia
Peggy Knudsen was an American
character actress
.
, she made her Broadway
debut in My Sister Eileen
. She began her film career in 1946 in A Stolen Life opposite Bette Davis
. That same year, she appeared in bit parts in several films including The Big Sleep
and Humoresque
with Joan Crawford
.
Despite appearing in big budget features with established stars, Knudsen's career never took off and she was relegated to smaller roles in B movie
s. Her last film role was in the 1957 film Istanbul with Errol Flynn
.
In the 1950s and '60s, Knudsen appeared in guest starring roles on several television shows including Alfred Hitchcock Presents
, The Millionaire, Perry Mason
, and Pete and Gladys
. After appearing in an episode of The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet in 1965, Knudsen retired from acting.
for most of her later years and was cared for by her close friend, actress Jennifer Jones.
On July 11, 1980, she died of cancer
in Encino, California.
For her contribution to the television industry, Peggy Knudsen has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 6230 Hollywood Boulevard
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
character actress
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
.
Biography
Born Margaret Ann Knudsen in Duluth, MinnesotaDuluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
, she made her 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...
debut in My Sister Eileen
My Sister Eileen (play)
My Sister Eileen is an American comedy stage production, written by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, based on autobiographical short stories by Ruth McKenney...
. She began her film career in 1946 in A Stolen Life opposite Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
. That same year, she appeared in bit parts in several films including The Big Sleep
The Big Sleep (1946 film)
The Big Sleep is a 1946 film noir directed by Howard Hawks, the first film version of Raymond Chandler's 1939 novel of the same name. The movie stars Humphrey Bogart as detective Philip Marlowe and Lauren Bacall as the female lead in a film about the "process of a criminal investigation, not its...
and Humoresque
Humoresque (film)
Humoresque is a 1946 Warner Bros. feature film starring Joan Crawford and John Garfield in an older woman/younger man tale about a violinist and his patroness. The screenplay by Clifford Odets and Zachary Gold was based upon a novel by Fannie Hurst...
with Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre....
.
Despite appearing in big budget features with established stars, Knudsen's career never took off and she was relegated to smaller roles in B movie
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
s. Her last film role was in the 1957 film Istanbul with Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
.
In the 1950s and '60s, Knudsen appeared in guest starring roles on several television shows including Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
, The Millionaire, Perry Mason
Perry Mason (TV series)
Perry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
, and Pete and Gladys
Pete and Gladys
Pete and Gladys is an American situation comedy broadcast by CBS on Monday night at 8:00pm Eastern and Pacific time for two seasons, beginning on September 19, 1960...
. After appearing in an episode of The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet in 1965, Knudsen retired from acting.
Later years and death
Knudsen suffered from crippling arthritisArthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
for most of her later years and was cared for by her close friend, actress Jennifer Jones.
On July 11, 1980, she died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in Encino, California.
For her contribution to the television industry, Peggy Knudsen has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6230 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard
-Revitalization:In recent years successful efforts have been made at cleaning up Hollywood Blvd., as the street had gained a reputation for crime and seediness. Central to these efforts was the construction of the Hollywood and Highland shopping center and adjacent Kodak Theatre in 2001...
.
Filmography
- A Stolen Life (1946)
- Two Guys from Milwaukee (Uncredited, 1946)
- The Big SleepThe Big Sleep (1946 film)The Big Sleep is a 1946 film noir directed by Howard Hawks, the first film version of Raymond Chandler's 1939 novel of the same name. The movie stars Humphrey Bogart as detective Philip Marlowe and Lauren Bacall as the female lead in a film about the "process of a criminal investigation, not its...
(1946) - Shadow of a Woman (1946)
- Never Say Goodbye (1946)
- HumoresqueHumoresque (film)Humoresque is a 1946 Warner Bros. feature film starring Joan Crawford and John Garfield in an older woman/younger man tale about a violinist and his patroness. The screenplay by Clifford Odets and Zachary Gold was based upon a novel by Fannie Hurst...
(1946) - Stallion RoadStallion RoadStallion Road is a 1947 film starring Ronald Reagan, Alexis Smith and Zachary Scott, and directed by James V. Kern.-Synopsis:Stallion Road is a sweeping romantic melodrama set in the 1940s California pitting a veterinarian and a romance novelist in a bid for the affections of a beautiful rancher...
(1947) - The UnfaithfulThe UnfaithfulThe Unfaithful is a 1947 film noir based on the W. Somerset Maugham penned 1940 Bette Davis movie The Letter. The film was directed by Vincent Sherman.-Plot:Chris Hunter stabs a man in her home one night while her husband Bob is out of town...
(1947) - Roses Are Red (1947)
- My Wild Irish Rose (Uncredited, 1947)
- Perilous Waters (1948)
- Half Past Midnight (1948)
- Trouble Preferred (1948)
- Copper Canyon (1950)
- UnchainedUnchained (film)Unchained is a 1955 prison film based on the non-fiction book Prisoners are People by Kenyon J. Scudder. The film is most remembered for its theme song, "Unchained Melody", which was a #1 R&B hit for both Al Hibbler & Roy Hamilton in 1955, with Hibbler's version also reaching #3 on the Billboard...
(1955) - Betrayed Women (1955)
- Good Morning, Miss Dove (1955)
- The Bottom of the Bottle (1956)
- Hilda CraneHilda CraneHilda Crane, also known as The Many Loves of Hilda Crane, is a 1956 drama film made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Philip Dunne and produced by Herbert B. Swope Jr. from a screenplay adapted by Dunne from the play by Samson Raphaelson. The music score was by David Raksin and the...
(1956) - IstanbulIstanbul (film)Istanbul is a 1957 American drama film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Errol Flynn, Cornell Borchers and John Bentley. An American becomes mixed up with various criminal activities in Istanbul...
(1957)
Television
- Your Show Time (1 episode, 1949)
- Racket SquadRacket SquadRacket Squad is an American TV crime drama series starring Reed Hadley as Captain John Braddock, a fictional detective working for the San Francisco, California Police Department....
(1 episode, 1951) - Mr. and Mrs. North (2 episodes, 1953)
- The Pepsi-Cola PlayhouseThe Pepsi-Cola PlayhouseThe Pepsi-Cola Playhouse is an American dramatic anthology series that aired on ABC from 1953 to 1955, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. The show was hosted by Arlene Dahl , Anita Colby , and, finally, Polly Bergen -Guest stars:* Claude Akins...
(1 episode, 1954) - City Detective (1 episode, 1955)
- The Loretta Young Show (1 episode, 1955)
- So This is Hollywood (Unknown episodes, 1955)
- Alfred Hitchcock PresentsAlfred Hitchcock PresentsAlfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
(1 episode, 1956) - The Millionaire (1 episode, 1956)
- The Gale Storm ShowThe Gale Storm ShowThe Gale Storm Show is an American sitcom starring Gale Storm. The series premiered on September 29, 1956, and ran until 1960 for 143 half-hour black-and-white episodes, initially on CBS and in its last year on ABC...
(1 episode, 1956) - Panic! (1 episode, 1957)
- On Trial (1 episode, 1957)
- The Ford Television Theatre (1 episode, 1957)
- The Thin ManThe Thin Man (TV series)The Thin Man is a half-hour weekly television series based on the mystery novel The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett. The 72 episodes were produced by MGM Television and shown on NBC for two seasons from 1957–1959 on Friday evening.-Overview:...
(1 episode, 1957) - The Life and Legend of Wyatt EarpThe Life and Legend of Wyatt EarpThe Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp is a Western television series loosely based on the adventures of frontier marshal Wyatt Earp. The half-hour black and white series ran on ABC-TV from 1955 to 1961 and featured Hugh O'Brian as Earp. An off-camera barbershop quartet sang the theme song and hummed...
(1 episode, 1958) - The Real McCoysThe Real McCoysThe Real McCoys is an American situation comedy co-produced by Danny Thomas' "Marterto Productions", in association with Walter Brennan and Irving Pincus's "Westgate" company...
(1 episode, 1958) - The Millionaire (1 episode, 1959)
- Perry MasonPerry Mason (TV series)Perry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
(2 episodes, 1958–1959) - TightropeTightrope (TV series)Tightrope is an American crime drama series that aired on CBS from September 1959 to September 1960. Produced by Russell Rouse and Clarence Greene in association with Screen Gems, the series stars Mike Connors as an undercover agent named "Nick" who was assigned to infiltrate criminal gangs...
(1 episode, 1959) - General Electric TheaterGeneral Electric TheaterGeneral Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald W. Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.-Radio:...
(1 episode, 1960) - Pete and GladysPete and GladysPete and Gladys is an American situation comedy broadcast by CBS on Monday night at 8:00pm Eastern and Pacific time for two seasons, beginning on September 19, 1960...
(1 episode, 1960) - Bat MastersonBat Masterson (TV series)Bat Masterson is an American Western television series which showed a fictionalized account of the life of real-life marshal/gambler/dandy Bat Masterson. The title character was played by Gene Barry and the half-hour black and white shows ran on NBC from 1958 to 1961...
(3 episodes, 1959–1961) - The Wonderful World of Disney (1 episode, 1961)
- The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet (3 episodes, 1960–1965)