Pamelyn Ferdin

Pamelyn Ferdin

Pamelyn Ferdin, circa 1972
Born February 4, 1959
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation Actress, public relations director, activist

Pamelyn Ferdin (born February 4, 1959) is an American former television and film child actor who grew up in Glendale, California, where she attended Herbert Hoover High School, graduating in 1977. She was mainly active both in live action and as a voice actress in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, but has since appeared more sporadically in recent films, concentrating more on animal rights activism than acting.

Acting

Ferdin played the Bumsteads' daughter Cookie in the 1968–1969 CBS revival series Blondie. She played Felix Unger's daughter Edna in the 1970s ABC series version of The Odd Couple and Paul Lynde's daughter Sally on the short-lived The Paul Lynde Show.

She appeared on the original Star Trek in 1968 as one of a group of orphaned children led by an alien with sinister motives in the episode "And the Children Shall Lead", and in the 1977 series Space Academy as Laura Gentry.[1]

Ferdin provided the voice of Lucy van Pelt in three Peanuts cartoons: the 1969 TV special It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown, a 1969 feature film A Boy Named Charlie Brown and the 1971 TV special Play It Again, Charlie Brown.

She appeared as Mary Constable in the supernatural thriller Daughter of the Mind and as Abby Clarkson in The Mephisto Waltz (1971). Other films include The Reluctant Astronaut, The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, The Christine Jorgensen Story, Happy Birthday Wanda June, and The Toolbox Murders. Pamelyn was a frequent guest star on episodic television in the 1960s and 1970s, with appearances on Bewitched, Green Acres, The Andy Griffith Show, Branded, Daniel Boone, Custer, The Monkees, The Flying Nun, Gunsmoke, Shazam!, The High Chaparral, Mannix, The Brady Bunch, Family Affair, Love, American Style, Marcus Welby, M.D., Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, Apple's Way, The Streets of San Francisco, Baretta, CHiPS, and 240-Robert.

Her character "Amy" in The Beguiled (1971) turns against the Clint Eastwood character after he kills her pet turtle.

She voiced Fern Arable, the little girl who works to save the life of Wilbur the pig, in the 1973 film version of Charlotte's Web. [2][3][4]

She has been married to Dr. Jerry William Vlasak Jr. since Oct. 12th, 1986.

Activism

In August 2004, Ferdin accepted the presidency of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC), according to statements filed under oath in U.S. District Court in New Jersey. The incumbent, Kevin Kjonaas, resigned after being indicted on charges of conspiracy and interstate stalking.[5] When Kjonaas and six other SHAC activists were jailed in 2006, Ferdin vowed to continue the campaign. According to Salon.com she defined her role as "a squeaky-clean representative for SHAC USA," but warned that if the SHAC 7 were convicted, "[P]eople, I think, are going to get hurt. There's going to be a lot of violence."[6]

In 2004, she accused the parents of Kelly Keen, a three-year-old child killed in a coyote attack, of murdering their daughter and using the story of an animal attack to cover up the crime. This was part of her protest against public efforts to control the coyote population near suburban homes.[7]

On June 22, 2006, Ferdin was sentenced to 90 days in jail for trespassing and "targeted demonstration" outside the home of an employee of the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services. She stated that the conviction "is not going to affect my speaking out and exposing the atrocities occurring at our six city shelters."[8] She served 36 hours and was released for serving the full sentence due to prison over crowding.

In December 2006, Ferdin's group the Animal Defense League, Los Angeles (ADLLA) announced that it had been awarded $75,000 against the city of Los Angeles for an anti-SLAPP (Strategic lawsuit against public participation) motion.[9]

In 2008, Ferdin was convicted of contempt of court, after allegedly violating an injunction. The conviction was overturned and she is now suing UCLA for harassment in federal court.[10] Although Ferdin has expressed some interest in returning to show business her public career remains in the past.

Filmography

Television

References

  1. ↑ "Space Academy". www.70slivekidvid.com. Archived from the original on 2008-06-01. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
  2. ↑ "IMDb".
  3. ↑ "Pamelyn Ferdin".
  4. ↑ "Pamelyn Ferdin at Star Trek".
  5. ↑ "Radical Animal Rights Group Convicted of Inciting Violence and Stalking". www.adl.org. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
  6. ↑ Cook, Jon. "Thugs for puppies". Salon Life. www.salon.com. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
  7. ↑ , "This just in: U.S. is 500 years old"], Glendale News Press by Jeff Keating, April 19, 2004.
  8. ↑ "abc7.com: Former Child Actress Sentenced to Jail 6/22/06". abclocal.go.com. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
  9. ↑ Milionis, Allison. "Los Angeles CityBeat - SLAPPing Back". www.lacitybeat.com. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
  10. ↑ "Judge: To protect and to unnerve’: animal rights activists accuse UCLA of intimidation tactics". laactivist.com. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  11. ↑ Ferdin, Pamelyn (Summer 1995). "Basically, just a really nice little girl – Pamelyn Ferdin: Her Life & Work". Feminist Baseball (Seattle). Retrieved August 23, 2010.

External links