Kathleen Crowley

Kathleen Crowley

Crowley as "Kiz" in Maverick (1960)
Born Betty Jane Crowley
(1929-12-26)December 26, 1929[1]
Green Bank, Washington Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, U.S.
Died April 23, 2017(2017-04-23) (aged 87)
Green Bank, Washington Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, U.S.
Other names Kathleen Rubsam (married name)
Occupation Actress, beauty pageant winner
Years active 1951–1970

Kathleen Crowley (December 26, 1929 – April 23, 2017)[1] was an American actress who starred in a number of TV shows and films throughout the 1950s and 1960s, ending her career in 1970.

Biography

Early life

Born on December 26, 1929 in the Green Bank section of Washington Township, Burlington County, New Jersey as Betty Jane Crowley, she graduated from Egg Harbor City High School in 1946. On August 7, 1949, the 19-year-old Crowley won the title of Miss New Jersey at a contest held at Asbury Park.[2][3] As the winner, she entered the Miss America pageant held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on September 10, 1949, and finished in seventh place.[4] At the time she was working as a bookkeeper.[5]

Acting career

Crowley attended New York's American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1950 on a scholarship won at the Miss America pageant and undertook some live TV work there.[6][7]

In February 1951 she appeared with Conrad Nagel in A Star is Born on Robert Montgomery Presents. Crowley made 81 television appearances and was cast in 20 movies between 1951–70. One of her last movie roles was in Downhill Racer with Robert Redford. She made three guest appearances on Perry Mason, including the role of defendant and title character Marylin Clark in the 1958 episode, "The Case of the Lonely Heiress." She was in the 1963 episode of Perry Mason's "The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito" as Mrs. Bradisson.[8]

Many of her films were low-budget science fiction and horror movies, but she appeared in a wide range of narrative television series produced in the late 1950s and 1960s, including Crossroads, Yancy Derringer, Bourbon Street Beat, Surfside 6, Hawaiian Eye, 77 Sunset Strip, Bat Masterson, The Americans. Bonanza, Colt .45, Bronco, Branded, Redigo, My Three Sons, The Donna Reed Show, Checkmate, Route 66, Thriller, Batman, Disneyland, Family Affair, Rawhide, The Virginian, The High Chaparral, The Restless Gun, Tales of Wells Fargo, and The Lone Ranger.[8]

Maverick

Crowley is best remembered for appearing in eight episodes as a variety of sirens on the ABC/Warner Brothers series, Maverick (1957), opposite James Garner, Jack Kelly, and Roger Moore.[9]

Private life

Crowley married John Rubsam in Los Angeles on September 27, 1969, and gave birth to her only child, a son named Matthew, the following year.

Death

She died on April 23, 2017, at her home in her native Green Bank, New Jersey. She was survived by her husband, son and a granddaughter.[10][11]

Selected filmography

References

  1. 1 2 "Kathleen Crowley profile". Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Miss America Named Tonight". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Michigan, Traverse City. September 10, 1949. p. 10. Retrieved April 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Miss New Jersey Chosen". The Kingston Daily Freeman. August 8, 1949. Retrieved April 27, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Our Jersey Neighbour". The Bristol Daily Courier. September 11, 1958. Retrieved April 27, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Lane, Lydia (February 6, 1956). "Kathleen Crowley is Careful about Diet". The Paris News. Retrieved April 27, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Weaver, Tom (2004). It Came from Horrorwood: Interviews with Moviemakers in the SF and Horror Tradition. McFarland. p. 88. ISBN 9780786482160. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  7. ↑ Thomas, Bob (October 12, 1952). "Starlet Kathleen Crowley is Grease Monkey for Fun". The Sedalia Democrat. Retrieved April 27, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 Kathleen Crowley on IMDb
  9. ↑ "Maverick Poses as Girl's Husband During Journey Through Bad Lands". The Daily Herald. November 18, 1957. Retrieved April 27, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Kathleen Crowley obituary, wimbergfuneralhome.com, April 25, 2017; retrieved April 25, 2017.
  11. ↑ Kent, Spencer (April 27, 2017). "Former Miss New Jersey, longtime Hollywood actress dies at 87". NJ.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
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