Pamelyn Ferdin

Pamelyn Ferdin

Ferdin, ca. mid-1970s
Born Pamelyn Wanda Ferdin
February 4, 1959
Los Angeles, California, United States
Occupation Actress, public relations director, activist
Years active 1964–1982, 1983, 1999-2009
Spouse(s) Jerry Vlasak (m. 1986)

Pamelyn Wanda Ferdin is an American former child actress and animal rights activist.

Ferdin's acting career was primarily in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, though she has appeared in projects sporadically in later years. Ferdin began her career in numerous television series, and gained renown for her work as a voice actress supplying the voice of Lucy Van Pelt in A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969), as well as in two other Peanuts television specials.

She later had supporting roles in The Beguiled (1971) with Clint Eastwood and Geraldine Page, and a lead role in the exploitation film The Toolbox Murders (1978) with Cameron Mitchell. She also supplied the voice of Fern Arable in Charlotte's Web (1973). She was to be the voice of Penny in the 1977 Disney film The Rescuers, but was replaced by Michelle Stacy instead. Ferdin distanced herself from acting in the late 1980s, and shifted her career to animal rights activism, working as an activist and protester in animal protection programs in New York City and Los Angeles.

Early life

Ferdin attended Herbert Hoover High School, graduating in 1977.

Career

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. Ferdin 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.

She had a brief and uncredited role in The Reluctant Astronaut (1965) and was featured in the Walt Disney musical The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968). She appeared as Mary Constable in the supernatural thriller Daughter of the Mind and as Abby Clarkson in the horror film The Mephisto Waltz (1971) with Alan Alda. The same year, Ferdin appeared in The Christine Jorgensen Story, based on the life of the first trans woman in the United States to undergo sex reassignment surgery, and in The Beguiled alongside Clint Eastwood and Geraldine Page. She then appeared in the Kurt Vonnegut adaptation Happy Birthday Wanda June, and in the exploitation horror film The Toolbox Murders (1978).

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 was considered for the role of Regan MacNeil, the demon-possessed girl in the 1973 William Friedkin film The Exorcist, but casting directors preferred the then less-familiar actress Linda Blair.

Ferdin drew away from acting in the mid-1980s, but did voice the character of Shelley Kelley in seven episodes of the Kids' WB series Detention in 1999.

Activism

After leaving her job as a public relations director in the mid-1990s, Ferdin began working for the Center for Animal Care and Control in New York City.[5] 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.[6] 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."[7]

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.[8]

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".[9] She served 36 hours and was released for serving the full sentence due to prison overcrowding.

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.[10]

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.[11]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1964 What a Way to Go! Geraldine Crawley[12]
1965 Never Too Late Little girl in lobby Uncredited
1965 We Learn About the Telephone Susie Matthew Short film
1966 Baby Makes Three Linda Jayne Television film
1967 The Reluctant Astronaut Mary Uncredited
1968 The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band Laura Bower
1968 Mad Mad Scientist Sally Springer Television film
1969 A Boy Named Charlie Brown Lucy van Pelt Nominated— Grammy Award for Best Recording for Children
1969 Daughter of the Mind Mary Constable Television film
1970 The Christine Jorgensen Story Dolly (child)
1970 Smoke Susie Television film
1971 Happy Birthday, Wanda June Wanda June
1971 The Forgotten Man Sharon Hardy Television film
1971 What's the Matter with Helen? Kiddy M.C.
1971 The Mephisto Waltz Abby Clarkson
1971 The Beguiled Amelia
1972 Lassie: Joyous Sound Lucy Baker Television film
1973 Charlotte's Web Fern Arable Voice role
1974 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Francie Nolan Television film
1978 The Toolbox Murders Laurie Ballard
1982 Heidi's Song Klara Voice role
2009 Elf Sparkle Meets Christmas the Horse Christmas, the Horse (voice)

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. ↑ Tuchman, Gary (1995-12-23). "Why NOT to give a pet for Christmas". CNN. Retrieved 2015-09-25.
  6. ↑ "Radical Animal Rights Group Convicted of Inciting Violence and Stalking". www.adl.org. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
  7. ↑ Cook, Jon. "Thugs for puppies". Salon Life. www.salon.com. Archived from the original on 2008-04-17. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
  8. ↑ , "This just in: U.S. is 500 years old"], Glendale News Press by Jeff Keating, April 19, 2004.
  9. ↑ "abc7.com: Former Child Actress Sentenced to Jail 6/22/06". abclocal.go.com. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
  10. ↑ Milionis, Allison. "Los Angeles CityBeat – SLAPPing Back". www.lacitybeat.com. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
  11. ↑ "Judge: To protect and to unnerve’: animal rights activists accuse UCLA of intimidation tactics". laactivist.com. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  12. ↑ Ferdin, Pamelyn (Summer 1995). "Basically, just a really nice little girl – Pamelyn Ferdin: Her Life & Work". Feminist Baseball. Seattle. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
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