| Diana Hyland | |
|---|---|
in The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976) |
|
| Born | Diane Gentner January 25, 1936 Cleveland Heights, Ohio |
| Died | March 27, 1977 (aged 41) Los Angeles, California |
| Other names | Diane Gentner |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1955-1977 |
| Spouse | Joe Goodson (divorced) |
Diana Hyland (January 25, 1936 – March 27, 1977) was an American actress best known for her television appearances and occasional films.
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Hyland was born Diane Gentner in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
Hyland made her acting debut in 1955 in an episode of Robert Montgomery Presents. Over the next decade she played numerous guest and supporting roles in various television series, including Happy Days, The Eleventh Hour, The Fugitive and The Twilight Zone, before being cast in a featured role in The Chase (1966) with Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, and Robert Redford.
In 1959 she originated the role of Heavenly Finley in Tennessee Williams' Sweet Bird of Youth on Broadway, with Geraldine Page and Paul Newman. From 1958-1963, Hyland was a regular on the NBC soap opera, Young Doctor Malone, where she played the role of Gig Houseman, wife of the younger Dr. Malone. She also played a continuing role in the primetime soap opera Peyton Place from 1968 until 1969.
In 1976, she appeared in the television movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble for which she won a posthumous Emmy Award. The following year, she signed on to play the wife of Dick Van Patten's character in the series Eight is Enough. The first four episodes would be her last role.
She dated actor Joe Goodson briefly before the two were married on April 24, 1969. The union bore one child in 1973, a son named Zachary, before they divorced in 1975.[1]
In 1976, she began a romantic relationship with the actor John Travolta after meeting him on the set of the television movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble.[2] She was eighteen years older than Travolta.
In 1977, Hyland was diagnosed with breast cancer, and underwent a mastectomy.[3] Despite the mastectomy, her cancer continued to spread, and her health deteriorated. Hyland and Travolta remained together until her death, on March 27, 1977 in Los Angeles. Hyland died in Travolta's arms.[2]
After Hyland's death, her son (then four years old), was placed in Goodson's custody.
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1964 | One Man's Way | Ruth Stafford Peale | |
| 1966 | Smoky | Julie Richards | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1956 | Star Tonight | Louise | 2 episodes |
| 1962 | The Defenders | Mary DiFalco Robinson | 1 episode |
| 1963 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Janet Nelson | 1 episode |
| 1963 | Ben Casey | Greta Bauer | 1 episode |
| 1964 | Kraft Suspense Theatre | Linda Stevenson | 1 episode |
| 1964 | Twilight Zone | Anne Marie Henderson | 1 episode |
| 1964 | The Fugitive | Carol Hollister | 1 episode |
| 1965 | The Wackiest Ship in the Army | Margaret Cochran | 2 episodes |
| 1965 | The Fugitive | Stella Savano | 1 episode |
| 1966 | A Man Called Shenandoah | Nancy Pruitt | 1 episode |
| 1966 | The Green Hornet | Claudia Bromley | 1 episode |
| 1966 | The Fugitive | Penny | 1 episode |
| 1966 | The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | Miranda Bryant Mara |
2 episodes |
| 1967 | The Invaders | Sherri Vikor Ellie Markham |
3 episodes |
| 1967 | The Fugitive | Alison Priestley | 1 episode |
| 1968 | Judd, for the Defense | Jessie Tree | 2 episodes |
| 1968-1969 | Peyton Place | Susan Winter | 52 episodes |
| 1969 | The Name of the Game | Lisa Adrian | 1 episode |
| 1970 | Bracken's World | Mary Draper | 1 episode |
| 1970 | Ritual of Evil | Leila Barton | TV movie |
| 1971 | Alias Smith and Jones | Clara Phillips | 1 episode |
| 1972 | Banyon | Julia Egan | 1 episode |
| 1973 | Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law | Lita Coleman | 1 episode |
| 1973 | Gunsmoke | Dallas Fair | 1 episode |
| 1975 | Harry O | Sandra Dawes | 1 episode |
| 1975 | Mannix | Janice Graham | 1 episode |
| 1976 | Barnaby Jones | Nora Bradford | 1 episode |
| 1977 | Happy Days | Adrianna Prescott | 1 episode |
| 1977 | Eight is Enough | Joan Bradford | 4 episodes |