Best Man, Natalie

Natalie Schafer was born on November 5, 1900 (the exact date of her birth became known to the general public only in 1991) in the city of , New Jersey . She was the eldest child (a brother younger than five years old, a sister six years old) in the family of Charles Emanuel Schafer (1870 -?) And Jenny Elizabeth Schafer (nee Tim; 1880 - after 1964) ^[1] .

In 1927, she first appeared on the Broadway stage, where she performed until 1959: however, in these 32 years she took part in only seventeen productions, most often playing minor characters. The most notable theatrical works are (season 1941-1942) and (season 1957-1958).

Schafer first appeared on a wide screen in 1930 in the short film “Poor Fish”, in 1937 she was supposed to play a small role as a dancer in the film , but in the end the episode with her participation was cut out, well, since 1941 years Schafer began to appear on screens regularly. Since 1948, the actress began to act in films for television. In 1979, she acted as a screenwriter for the only time - one episode for the series Boat of Love .

Natalie Schafer was one of the few women who survived the diagnosis: breast cancer ^[2] . Nevertheless, she died precisely from cancer (though, the liver ^[3] ) many years after the diagnosis and successful treatment ( removal of both mammary glands ). According to the will, her ashes were cremated and scattered over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. Schafer bequeathed three million dollars to his poodle, which caused several lawsuits from her nephews and nieces (the actress had no close relatives) ^[3] .

Schafer also donated a lot to the American Cancer Society and The Motion Picture and Television Hospital , for which in 1994 one of her new buildings was named “Natalie Schafer Wing” ^[4] .

Personal life and age

From 1933 to 1942, she was married to the famous actor Louis Calhern , divorce, no children. In the 1940s and 1950s, she was repeatedly seen in a relationship with a playwright, director, producer, and critic .

Only two weeks before Schafer's death, it turned out that she was twelve years older than everyone expected: the year of her birth was 1900 , and not 1912 , and even her husband, Louis Calhern, did not know about it ^[3] .

Over the 49 years of her film career, Natalie Schafer has appeared in 94 films and TV shows.

Widescreen

• 1942 - f / Reunion in France - Frau Amy Schroeder (uncredited)
• 1945 - Keep Your Powder Dry - Harriet Corvin
• 1945 - / Molly and Me - Kitty Good Barrows
• 1945 - Wonder Man - Mrs. Hume
• 1947 - Dishonored Lady - Ethel Royce
• 1947 - Repeat Performance / Repeat Performance - Eloise Show
• 1948 - Secret Beyond the Door - Edith Potter
• 1948 - The Time of Your Life - a lady from society (a visitor to the bar)
• 1948 - The Snake Pit - Mrs. Stewart
• 1949 - Captive / Caught - Dorothy Dale
• 1951 - Payment on Demand - Mrs. Edna Blunton
• 1951 - Take of My Little Girl - Cooky Clark
• 1951 -? / Callaway Went Thataway - Martha Lorrison
• 1954 - Casanova's Big Night - Signora Foressi
• 1955 - Female on the Beach - Queenie Sorenson
• 1956 - Forever, Darling / Forever, Darling - Millie Oddike
• 1956 - Anastasia / Anastasia - Irina Lissemskaya
• 1957 - Ah, men! Ah women! / Oh, Men! Oh, women! - Mrs. Day
• 1961 - Back - Mrs. Evans
• 1961 - Susan Slade - Marion Corbett
• 1973 - / 40 Carats - Mrs. Adams
• 1975 - The Day of the Locust - Audrey Jennings

Television

Natalie Schafer starred for many television series and television films from 1948 to 1990, but in all the series she played guest roles in one or two episodes. The one exception is her main role in the series Gilligan's Island and several of its spin-offs .

• 1964 - 1967 - Gilligan's Island - Mrs. , wife of a millionaire (in 99 episodes)
• 1978 - from Gilligan's Island [Res / Rescue from Gilligan's Island - Mrs. Unaise Lavell Wentworth Howell
• 1979 - The Castaways on Gilligan's Island - Mrs. Younice Lavell Wentworth Howell

• Schafer, Natalie, on the Internet Broadway Database
• Natalie Schafer at tcm.com
• Obituary at nytimes.com