Rita Gam

Rita Gam
Gam in 1969
Born Rita Eleanore MacKay
(1927-04-02)April 2, 1927
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died March 22, 2016(2016-03-22) (aged 88)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 1950–1997
Spouse(s)
Children 2

Rita Gam (born Rita Eleanore MacKay, April 2, 1927 – March 22, 2016) was an American film and television actress and documentary filmmaker. She was nominated for a Golden Globe and won the Silver Bear for Best Actress.

Background

Gam was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Belle (nėe Fately), who was born in Romania, and Milton A. MacKay, who was born in Alsace-Lorraine, to parents from Romania. Her father died in 1931, and her mother subsequently remarried, and Rita took the surname of her stepfather, Benjamin J. Gam, who was a Russian Jewish immigrant.[1][2][3][4]

Career

Gam was a model before she ventured into acting. Her acting career began on Broadway and in television, after which she moved on to films. Her Broadway credits included There's a Girl in My Soup, The Insect Comedy, A Flag is Born, and A Temporary Island.[5]

She appeared first in the 1952 film noir The Thief, which starred Ray Milland. In October 1952, she signed a long-term MGM contract.[6] Another notable role was Herodias in 1961's King of Kings.

She shared the Silver Bear for Best Actress award with Viveca Lindfors at the 1962 Berlin Film Festival, for their performances in Tad Danielewski's No Exit.[7]

In 1963, Gam was a leading member of The Minnesota Theatre Company in the opening season of The Tyrone Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Gam appeared in a few more American films before working in Europe. She returned to the U.S. to appear in small parts in films, including Klute in 1971, before taking up documentary film making.

In 2003, she appeared in the rotating cast of the Off-Broadway stage reading of Wit & Wisdom.[8] In 2004, she appeared in one of a series of ads for the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Personal life and death

Gam's first husband was director Sidney Lumet, whom she married in 1949. The marriage ended in divorce in 1955,[5] and Lumet married socialite Gloria Vanderbilt. In 1956 she married publisher Thomas Guinzburg. This marriage also ended in divorce[9] in 1963.[5] She was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her close friend, Grace Kelly, to Prince Rainier in Monaco.[10]

Gam died on March 22, 2016 at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from respiratory failure, aged 88.[11] She was survived by a daughter and a son.[5]

Books

Gam was the author of two books, Actress to Actress[12] and Actors: A Celebration[13][5]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1952 The Thief The Girl
1953 Saadia Saadia
1954 Night People Ricky Cates
1954 Sign of the Pagan Kubra
1956 Magic Fire Cosima Liszt
1956 Mohawk Onida
1958 Sierra Baron Felicia Delmonte
1959 Wild Cats on the Beach Rita Eldmont
1959 Hannibal Sylvia
1961 King of Kings Herodias
1962 Sinners Go to Hell Estelle
1971 Klute Trina
1971 Shoot Out Emma
1971 Such Good Friends Doria
1974 The Gardener Helena Boardman
1974 Law and Disorder Woman in Cab
1987 Distortions Mildred Tyson
1989 Midnight Heidi
1996 Rowing Through Iris Biglow
1997 Monaco (voice) Short

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1950 Believe It or Not "The Secret of Nefertiti"
1951 Lights Out Girl "The Pattern"
1951 Trapped "The Nobody"
1951 Somerset Maugham TV Theatre "Appearances and Reality"
1951 Danger "Marley's Ghost", "Inherit Murder"
1951 Lux Video Theatre Leah "A Child Is Born"
1952 Cameo Theatre "Dark of the Moon"
1952 Casey, Crime Photographer "Blackmail"
1952 The Adventures of Fu Manchu: The Zayat Kiss TV film
1954 The Motorola Television Hour Anna "Nightmare in Algiers"
1954 The Jack Benny Program Woman in Commercial "The Jam Session Show", "San Diego Naval Training Center Show"
1955 Ford Theatre Mimi "Mimi"
1955 Kraft Television Theatre "Trucks Welcome"
1956 Front Row Center Anna Deasy "Deadlock"
1956 Screen Directors Playhouse Lotti "Affair in Sumatra"
1956 Westinghouse Studio One Rain "The Laughter of Giants"
1957 The Steve Allen Show Comedian "3.11"
1958 DuPont Show of the Month "The Bridge of San Luis Rey"
1958 Armchair Theatre Elsie "Time of Your Life"
1960 The United States Steel Hour Polly Chalmers "The Women of Hadley", "Revolt in Hadley"
1964 Festival Yelena "Uncle Vanya"
1964 Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Detta "The Mist of Silence"
1966 The Jackie Gleason Show Rosita "The Honeymooners: You're in the Picture"
1966 Family Affair Louise Marshall "Beware the Other Woman"
1968 Hidden Faces Mimi Jaffe TV series
1973 McMillan & Wife Pam Crane "The Devil You Say"
1974 Mannix Dr. Ernestine Waldo "Race Against Time: Parts 1 & 2"
1975 Matt Helm "Now I Lay Me Down to Die"
1976 Harry O Naomi Cline "Book of Changes"
1977 Love of Life Nita Ray TV series
1978 Greatest Heroes of the Bible Xantha "The Story of Noah: Parts 1 & 2"
1979 The Rockford Files Cynthia Zakarian "Guilt"
1981 Tales of the Unexpected Lisa Brisson "Completely Foolproof"
1983 Romance Theatre Mitzi "Love in the Present Tense: Parts 1-5"
1983 Tucker's Witch Beatrice "Formula for Revenge"
1983 The Edge of Night Dora Coburn TV series

References

  1. ↑ Judith Balaban Quine. "The Bridesmaids: Grace Kelly and Six Intimate Friends". Books.google.ca. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
  2. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Rita Gam, actress - obituary". The Telegraph. April 10, 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  6. ↑ "Rita Gam". Glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com. Retrieved 2014-04-27.
  7. ↑ "Berlinale 1962: Prize Winners". Berlinale.de. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
  8. ↑ "Wit & Wisdom - Off-Broadway | Tickets, Reviews, Info and More". Theatermania.com. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
  9. ↑ Staff. "RITA GAM REMARRIED; Film Actress Is Wed Here to Thomas H. Guinzburg", The New York Times, March 24, 1956; accessed September 13, 2010.
  10. ↑ LIFE Magazine, May 5, 1952, p. 144
  11. ↑ "Rita Gam Dead: Glamorous Actress Was 88". The Hollywood Reporter. 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
  12. ↑ "Actress to Actress". Amazon. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  13. ↑ "Actors: A Celebration". Amazon. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
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