Diana Bellamy
Diana Bellamy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | September 19, 1943 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | June 17, 2001 (aged 57) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1970-2001 |
| Spouse | never married |
Diana Alice Bellamy (September 19, 1943 – June 17, 2001) was an American character actress of stage, film, and television, during the 1980s and mid-2000s, who was often cast in both comedic and dramatic roles to great acclaim. Bellamy is known for her starring role as Head Nurse Maggie Poole in the NBC comedy 13 East and Principal Cecilia Hall in Popular.
Biography
Bellamy was born on September 19, 1943, in Los Angeles, California.[1] Her family had ties to the establishment of Early Virginia and her father, Victor "Vic" Bellamy, was a Juilliard graduate and opera singer who later became a local Western actor.[2] She attended Southern Methodist University (SMU) from which she graduated with a fine arts master's degree in 1970.[3][4] She began her career with her own puppet theatre in her native Los Angeles and later began working professionally on the stage. Some of her stage work consists of appearances in The House of Blue Leaves at the Pasadena Playhouse, The Skin of Our Teeth at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego and the title role in Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You at Theater Geo in Los Angeles, and the handicapped Mrs. Nichols in Dorothy Parker’s The Ladies of the Corridor at the Tamarind Theater.[5] In 1986, the Los Angeles Times wrote that she became her character of a snake handler in Talking With... (1986). "This is not an actress," they wrote, "this is a swamp woman holding a box with holes in it."[6] She was praised in her role of Sister Mary in Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You at Theatre Geo in 1994.[7] The Los Angeles Times wrote, "When Bellamy is good, she is very, very good."[7]
In 1986 she was the strong and shapely policewoman who helped the young protagonists to defeat the criminal gang in Tom Trbovich's Free Ride.
Although she suffered from cancer, blindness, and diabetes[5] she never let her illnesses stop her from pursuing a career in acting and she later went on to appear in over 80 film and TV roles throughout the 1980s up until her death, some of which included Murder, She Wrote; Tall Tales and Legends; Matlock; Alien Nation; Married...with Children; Life Goes On; Family Ties; Murphy Brown; Baywatch; Grace Under Fire; Wings; Seinfeld; Living Single; The Secret World of Alex Mack; and Life with Roger. Her film appearances included Malice, Air Force One, Outbreak, Ghosts of Mississippi, and Outrageous Fortune. Her first regular television role was as Nurse Poole in 13 East, which started in 1989.[8] Her final role was a guest spot on Diagnosis Murder in the episode Being of Sound Mind which aired on March 2, 2001.
She died from cancer at her home in Valley Village, California, three months later on June 17, 2001, at the age of 57.[9] A memorial service was held for Bellamy on July 7, 2001, at the Court Theater in West Hollywood, California,[5] and her cremains were scattered in the Pacific Ocean.[10] Bellamy, in her own words, said of her health in a 1999 interview, "I had tried crying and being in a snit about blindness, but that was real boring. I've learned to live with it as best I can, and I feel very blessed that this has happened."[11]
Filmography
Cinema
- D.C. Cab (1983)[12]
- Odd Jobs (1984)[13]
- Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985)[13]
- My Chauffeur (1986)[13]
- Free Ride (1986)[13]
- Crossroads (1986)[13]
- Maid to Order (1987)[13]
- Outrageous Fortune (1987)[13]
- Blind Date (1987)[13]
- Stripped to Kill (1987)[14]
- Spellbinder (1988)[13]
- The Nest (1988)[13]
- Critters 3 (1991)[13]
- Passed Away - Froggie (1992)[15]
- Malice (1993)[13]
- Outbreak (1995)[13]
- Ghosts of Mississippi (1996)[13]
- Air Force One (1997)[13]
Television
- The Skin of Our Teeth (1983)[13]
- Condor (1986)[13]
- Hunter (1986) as Waterworks Receptionist
- Married... with Children – Shirley
- Shootdown (1988)[13]
- The Final Days – Rose Mary Woods (1989)[16]
- 13 East – Maggie Poole (1989–1990)[17]
- On the Air – Ethel Thissle (1992)[18]
- Living Single – Judge Glazer (1994)[19]
- Amelia Earhart: The Final Flight (1994)[13]
- Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad – Cha-Cha Rimba Starkey (1994)[13]
- Wings (1990 TV series) – Mother (voice) (Episode Olive or Twist) (1996)
- Desert's Edge (1997)[13]
- Popular (TV series) - Principal Cecelia Hall (1999–2001)
Theater
- Funny Girl at Sebastian's/West - Mama Brice (1981)[20]
- Creatures at Odyssey Theatre[21] - Sister Ratissa (1984)[22]
- The Serving of Two Masters at Playbill Theatre - adaptation (1985)[23]
- Romeo and Juliet at The Globe Playhouse - The Nurse (1985)[24]
- Why Hanna's Skirt Won't Stay Down at Coast Playhouse - Sophie (1986)[25]
- Talking With... at the Olio Theater - Snake Handler (1986)[6]
- Mensch Meier at the Odyssey Theatre - Mama (1987)[26]
- The House of Blue Leaves at the Pasadena Playhouse - Sister Superior (1987)[27]
- Lady-Like at the Philadelphia Theatre Company - Mary Carryll (1992)[28]
- Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You at Theatre Geo - Sister Mary (1994)[7]
- Weekend in Goshen at Theatre Geo - Art's mother (1996)[29]
References
- ^ Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons (3rd ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 54. ISBN 9781476625997.
- ^ Bellamy, Joe David (2005). The Bellamys of Early Virginia. Virginia Beach, Virginia: Bellamy House Publishing. pp. xiv. ISBN 9780595360970.
- ^ Andres, Holly (2001-06-28). "Memorial Service Set for Actress Bellamy". Daily News. Archived from the original on 2017-09-05 – via HighBeam Research.
- ^ "State School Students Joined by College Students for Play". The Mexia Daily News. 23 May 1969. Retrieved 31 August 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Diana Bellamy". Variety. 2001-06-29. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
- ^ a b Loynd, Ray (1986-06-06). "'L'amante Anglaise' At Stages Goes For The Kill". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
- ^ a b c "'Sister Mary Ignatius' Is Satisfyingly Silly". Los Angeles Times. 21 October 1994. Retrieved 31 August 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "TalkBack". Los Angeles Times. 17 September 1989. Retrieved 31 August 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Diana Bellamy; Character Actress". Los Angeles Times. 24 June 2001. Retrieved 31 August 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wilson, Scott (August 19, 2016). "Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed". McFarland – via Google Books.
- ^ Starr, Michael (August 18, 1999). "BLIND 'POPULAR' STAR ISN'T ACTING".
- ^ Hahn, Fritz (9 August 2011). "Catch 'D.C. Cab' at MiG Bar". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Lentz, III, Harris M., ed. (2002). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2011: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 31. ISBN 9780786412785.
- ^ "Stripped to Kill". Video Hound's Golden Movie Retriever. 2008-01-01. Archived from the original on 2017-09-05 – via HighBeam Research.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (1992-04-24). "Review/Film; Carefree Look at Death Reveals Family Conflicts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
- ^ "Nixon". Daily Record. 29 October 1989. Retrieved 31 August 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Boedeker, Hal (14 April 1990). "'13 East' In Need of a Prayer". The Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved 31 August 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Best Bets". Tampa Bay Times. 27 June 1992. Retrieved 31 August 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Living Single: Double Indignity". iMDB. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
- ^ Lowell, Sondra (20 November 1981). "'Miracle Worker' at Gem Theater". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 August 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Sullivan, Dan (23 March 1984). "'Creatures' Lacking Their Comforts". Los Angeles Times. p. 7. Retrieved 31 August 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Sullivan, Dan (31 August 2017). "'Creatures' Lacking Their Comforts". Los Angeles Times. p. 8. Retrieved 31 August 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Openings". Los Angeles Times. 22 August 1985. Retrieved 31 August 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Ellis, Kirk (30 January 1985). "A Winning Juliet Plays the Globe". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 August 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Christon, Lawrence (14 August 1986). "'Hanna's Skirt' Casts its Spiel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 August 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Sullivan, Dan (1987-08-27). "Odyssey Production : 'Mensch Meier': Message Play With Little To Say". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
- ^ "McClanahan True to 'Blue Leaves'". Los Angeles Times. 5 May 1987. Retrieved 31 August 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Ridley, Clifford A. (10 January 1992). "Over the Years With Two Female Social Pioneers". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 31 August 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Collins, Scott (16 February 1996). "Witty 'Goshen' Examines Art, Commerce". Los Angeles Times – via Newspapers.com.
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1943 births
- 2001 deaths
- Deaths from cancer
- Actresses from Los Angeles
- People from Greater Los Angeles
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- Blind people
- American stage actresses
- American television actresses
- American film actresses
- Southern Methodist University alumni
- American Methodists
- California Democrats
- American puppeteers
- American memoirists
- American women memoirists