Rita Gam
Rita Gam | |
|---|---|
 Gam in 1969 | |
| Born | Rita Eleanore MacKay April 2, 1927 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | March 22, 2016 (aged 88) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Respiratory failure |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1950–1997 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
Rita Gam (April 2, 1927 – March 22, 2016) was an American film and television actress and documentary filmmaker. She was nominated for a Golden Globe and won the Silver Bear for Best Actress.
Background
Gam was born Rita Eleanore MacKay in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Belle (nėe Fately), who was born in Romania, and Milton A. MacKay, who was born in Alsace-Lorraine, to parents from Romania. Her father died in 1931, and her mother subsequently remarried, and Rita took the surname of her stepfather, Benjamin J. Gam, who was a Russian Jewish immigrant.[1][2][3][4] Her family was Jewish.[5]
Career
Gam was a model before she ventured into acting. Her acting career began on Broadway and in television, after which she moved on to films. Her Broadway credits included There's a Girl in My Soup, The Insect Comedy, A Flag is Born, and A Temporary Island.[6]
She appeared first in the 1952 film noir The Thief, which starred Ray Milland. In October 1952, she signed a long-term MGM contract.[7] Another notable role was Herodias in 1961's King of Kings.
She shared the Silver Bear for Best Actress award with Viveca Lindfors at the 1962 Berlin Film Festival, for their performances in Tad Danielewski's No Exit.[8]
In 1963, Gam was a leading member of The Minnesota Theatre Company in the opening season of The Tyrone Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.[citation needed] Gam appeared in a few more American films before working in Europe. She returned to the U.S. to appear in small parts in films, including Klute in 1971, before taking up documentary film making.[citation needed]
In 2003, she appeared in the rotating cast of the Off-Broadway stage reading of Wit & Wisdom.[9] In 2004, she appeared in one of a series of ads for the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Personal life and death
Gam's first husband was director Sidney Lumet, whom she married in 1949. The marriage ended in divorce in 1955,[6] and Lumet married socialite Gloria Vanderbilt. In 1956 she married publisher Thomas Guinzburg. This marriage also ended in divorce[10] in 1963.[6] She was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her close friend, Grace Kelly, to Prince Rainier in Monaco.[11]
Gam died on March 22, 2016 at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from respiratory failure, aged 88.[12] She was survived by a daughter and a son.[6]
Books
Gam was the author of two books, Actress to Actress[13] and Actors: A Celebration[14][6]
Selected filmography
- The Thief (1952)
- Saadia (1953)
- Night People (1954)
- Sign of the Pagan (1954)
- Magic Fire (1955)
- Mohawk (1956)
- Sierra Baron (1958)
- Wild Cats on the Beach (1959)
- Hannibal (1959)
- King of Kings (1961)
- No Exit (1962)
- Shoot Out (1971)
- Klute (1971)
- Such Good Friends (1971)
- The Gardener (1974)
- Midnight (1989)
References
- ^ Judith Balaban Quine. "The Bridesmaids: Grace Kelly and Six Intimate Friends". Books.google.ca. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Bloom, Nate (April 8, 2016). "Jewz in the Newz - American Israelite: Jews In The Newz". American Israelite. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "Rita Gam, actress - obituary". The Telegraph. April 10, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
- ^ "Rita Gam". Glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
- ^ "Berlinale 1962: Prize Winners". Berlinale.de. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ "Wit & Wisdom - Off-Broadway | Tickets, Reviews, Info and More". Theatermania.com. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
- ^ Staff. "RITA GAM REMARRIED; Film Actress Is Wed Here to Thomas H. Guinzburg", The New York Times, March 24, 1956; accessed September 13, 2010.
- ^ LIFE Magazine, May 5, 1952, p. 144
- ^ "Rita Gam Dead: Glamorous Actress Was 88". Hollywood Reporter. March 22, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
- ^ "Actress to Actress". Amazon. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
- ^ "Actors: A Celebration". Amazon. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
External links
- Rita Gam at IMDb
- Rita Gam at the Internet Broadway Database
- Please use a more specific IOBDB template. See the template documentation for available templates.
- Rita Gam at the University of Wisconsin's Actors Studio audio collection
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1927 births
- 2016 deaths
- Actresses from New York City
- American television actresses
- American film actresses
- American stage actresses
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players
- American people of French descent
- American people of Romanian-Jewish descent
- Ethical Culture Fieldston School alumni
- Silver Bear for Best Actress winners
- 20th-century American actresses