Polly Bergen

Polly Bergen (born Nellie Paulina Burgin; July 14, 1930 – September 20, 2014) was an American actress, singer, television host, writer and entrepreneur.

Polly Bergen
Bergen in 1953
Born	Nellie Paulina Burgin (1930-07-14)July 14, 1930 Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	September 20, 2014(2014-09-20) (aged 84) Southbury, Connecticut U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer, writer, entrepreneur
Years active	1949–2012
Spouse(s)	Jerome Courtland ​ ( m. 1950; div. 1955) Freddie Fields ​ ( m. 1957; div. 1975) Jeffrey Endervelt ​ ( m. 1982; div. 1990)
Children	3, including Kathy Fields (stepchild)

She won an Emmy Award in 1958 for her performance as Helen Morgan in The Helen Morgan Story. For her stage work, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Carlotta Campion in Follies in 2001. Her film work included Cape Fear (1962) and The Caretakers (1963), for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. She hosted her own weekly variety show for one season (The Polly Bergen Show), was a regular panelist on the TV game show To Tell The Truth and later in life had recurring roles in The Sopranos and Desperate Housewives. She wrote three books on beauty, fashion and charm.

Early life

Bergen was born in Knoxville, Tennessee to Lucy (née Lawhorne; 1909–1985) and William Hugh Burgin (1909–1982), a construction engineer.[1] Bill Bergen, as he was later known, had singing talent and appeared with his daughter in several episodes of her 18-episode comedy/variety show The Polly Bergen Show, which aired during the 1957–1958 television season to much fanfare and led to their duet Columbia LP Polly and Her Pop.

Career

Bergen at the 1989 Emmy Awards

Bergen appeared in many film roles, most notably in the original Cape Fear (1962) opposite Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum. She had roles as the romantic interest in three Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis comedy films in the early 1950s: At War with the Army, That's My Boy and The Stooge. She was featured in a number of Westerns during the 1950s, including Warpath, Arena and Escape from Fort Bravo. She starred in the horse racing comedy Fast Company, as the first female commander-in-chief in Kisses for My President, and as the wife of James Garner in the romantic comedy Move Over, Darling, also starring Doris Day. Bergen's later roles included Mrs. Vernon-Williams in Cry-Baby, a John Waters film.

Bergen received an Emmy Award for her portrayal of singer Helen Morgan in the episode The Helen Morgan Story of the 1950s television series Playhouse 90.[2] Signed to Columbia Records, she enjoyed a successful recording career during this era, as well. In the 1950s, she was known as "The Pepsi Cola Girl", having done a series of commercials for this product.[3]

She was a regular panelist on the game show To Tell the Truth during its original run. She was an occasional panelist and once a mystery guest on What's My Line?. She appeared on the interview program Here's Hollywood. She earned two Emmy Award nominations for her role as Rhoda Henry, wife of Captain "Pug" Henry (played by Mitchum), in two miniseries: The Winds of War and its sequel War and Remembrance.

She starred in a 2001 Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim's Follies at the Belasco Theater and received a Tony Award nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Musical.[4] In 2003, she starred at the same theatre in Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks opposite Mark Hamill in a role she took over from Rue McClanahan.[5][6]

Bergen played Fran Felstein on HBO's The Sopranos, the former mistress of Johnny Soprano and John F. Kennedy. From 2007 to 2011, Bergen had a guest role in Desperate Housewives as Stella Wingfield, which earned her an Emmy Award nomination.[7]

She was a semi-regular cast member of Commander-in-Chief (2006) as the mother of Mackenzie Allen, the fictional president of the United States, played by Geena Davis. Bergen had once played the first female president of the United States in the movie Kisses for My President (1964). Another late appearance came in the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation Candles on Bay Street (2006), in which she played the assistant to a husband-and-wife team of veterinarians.

In 1965, Bergen created the Polly Bergen Company cosmetics line also known as Oil of the Turtle. She also created lines of jewelry and shoe brands, and wrote three books on beauty.[3]

Personal life

Bergen was married to actor Jerome Courtland in the early 1950s. In 1957, she married Hollywood agent-producer Freddie Fields, with whom she had two adopted children, Pamela Kerry Fields and Peter William Fields, and stepdaughter, Kathy Fields. Bergen converted from Southern Baptist to Judaism upon marrying Fields.[8][9] The couple divorced in 1975. She was married to entrepreneur Jeffrey Endervelt in the 1980s.[8][10]

In 1991, Bergen spoke about having had an abortion, for inclusion in the book The Choices We Made: Twenty-Five Women and Men Speak Out About Abortion.[11]

On March 31, 1993, Brandon Lee died accidentally on the set of The Crow, and in early April, Bergen held a memorial at her home in Los Angeles, and 200 of Lee's family, friends and business associates attended.[12][13][14][15]

Bergen was a liberal-minded, politically active Democrat and feminist. She was an active advocate of the Equal Rights Amendment, women's education and Planned Parenthood.[16][17] Bergen's niece is the television producer Wendy Riche.

Death

Bergen died of natural causes on September 20, 2014, at her home in Southbury, Connecticut, surrounded by family and close friends. She had been diagnosed with emphysema and other ailments in the late 1990s.[10][18] Upon her death, she was cremated.[19]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1949	Champion	Singer	Uncredited
1949	Across the Rio Grande	Singer	(as Polly Burgin)
1950	The Men	Singer	Uncredited
1950	At War with the Army	Helen Palmer	A Martin & Lewis comedy
1951	That's My Boy	Betty 'Babs' Hunter	A Martin & Lewis comedy
1951	Warpath	Molly Quade
1952	The Stooge	Mary Turner	A Martin & Lewis comedy
1953	Cry of the Hunted	Janet Tunner
1953	Half a Hero	Herself-Guest Appearance
1953	Fast Company	Carol Maldon
1953	Arena	Ruth Danvers
1953	Escape from Fort Bravo	Alice Owens
1954	The Blue Angel	Herself-Host
1962	Cape Fear	Peggy Bowden
1963	The Caretakers	Lorna Melford	Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
1963	Move Over, Darling	Bianca Steele	A Doris Day - James Garner comedy
1964	Kisses for My President	U.S. President Leslie Harrison McCloud
1967	A Guide for the Married Man	Technical Adviser (Clara Brown)
1984	Velvet	Mrs. Vance
1987	Making Mr. Right	Estelle Stone
1989	Mother, Mother	Barbara Cutler	Short film
1990	Cry-Baby	Mrs. Vernon-Williams	A comedy directed by John Waters
1995	Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde	Mrs. Unterveldt
1995	Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored	Miss Maybry
2005	Paradise, Texas	Beverly Cameron
2006	A Very Serious Person	Mrs. A
2012	Struck by Lightning	Grandma

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1954–55	The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse	Herself/Host
1956–61	To Tell the Truth	Herself	165 episodes
1957	Playhouse 90	Helen Morgan	"The Helen Morgan Story" (episode 33) Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
1957–58	The Polly Bergen Show	Herself	18 episodes
1960	The George Burns Show	Herself	Guest
1961	Alfred Hitchcock Presents	Crystal Coe	Episode: "You Can't Trust a Man"
1961	Wagon Train	Kitty Allbright	Episode: "The Kitty Allbright Story"
1962	What's My Line	Herself	Episode: "January 28, 1962
1962	Belle Sommers	Belle Sommers	Movie
1973	Thriller	Suzy Hunter	Season 1, Episode 4 “An Echo of Theresa”
1974	Death Cruise	Sylvia Carter	Movie
1975	Murder on Flight 502	Mona Briarly	Movie
1977	79 Park Avenue	Vera Keppler	Movie
1977	Telethon	Dorothy Goodwin	Movie
1978	How to Pick Up Girls!	Dana Greenberg	Movie
1981	The Million Dollar Face	Jo Burns	Movie
1982	Born Beautiful	Marion Carmody	Movie
1982	The Love Boat	Dana Pierce	3 episodes
1983	The Winds of War	Rhoda Henry	Miniseries (6 episodes) Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
1984	Fantasy Island	Esther Brandell	Episode: "Lady of the House/Mrs. Brandell's Favorites"
1985	Hotel	Elizabeth Hastings	Episode: "Images"
1985	Murder, She Wrote	Dr. Jocelyn Laird	Episode: "School for Scandal"
1988	Addicted to His Love	Vivien Langford	Movie
1988	She Was Marked for Murder	Laura Lee Webster	Movie
1988–89	War and Remembrance	Rhoda Henry	Miniseries (6 episodes) Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
1988	My Two Dads	Evelyn Taylor	Episode: "Joey's Mother-in-Law"
1989	Jake and the Fatman	Emma Julian	Episode: "By Myself"
1989	The Haunting of Sarah Hardy	Emily Stepford	Movie
1989	My Brother's Wife	Myra Gilbert	Movie
1990	Steel Magnolias	Clairee Belcher	Unsold pilot
1991	Lightning Field	Carol	Movie
1991–92	Baby Talk	Doris Campbell	23 episodes
1992	Lady Against the Odds	Cleo Storrs	Movie
1993	Arly Hanks	Ruby Bee	Movie
1994	Burke's Law	Rachel Doucet	Episode: "Who Killed the Starlet?"
1995	The Surrogate	Sandy Gilman	Movie
1996	In the Blink of an Eye	Murial	Movie
1996	For Hope	Molly Altman	Movie
1998	Touched by an Angel	Stella	Episode: "Deconstructing Harry"
2004	The Sopranos	Fran Felstein	Episode: "In Camelot"
2005–06	Commander in Chief	Kate Allen	10 episodes
2006	Candles on Bay Street	Rosemary	Movie
2007–11	Desperate Housewives	Stella Wingfield	10 episodes Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film

Radio appearances

Year	Title	Episode	Ref.
1952	Musical Comedy Theater	"On an Island with You"	[20]

Discography

Albums list adapted from AllMusic and Discogs.[21][22][23]

Albums

• 1955: Little Girl Blue (10" LP)
• 1956: The Girls
• 1956: Today's Hits (EP)
• 1957: Bergen Sings Morgan (Billboard 200 – No. 10)
• 1957: The Party's Over (Billboard 200 – No. 20)
• 1958: Polly and Her Pop (accompanied on guitar & vocals by her father, Bill Bergen)
• 1959: My Heart Sings – Columbia #CS 8018 – orchestra conducted by Luther Henderson (re-released in 1996)
• 1959: All Alone by the Telephone
• 1959: First Impressions – with Farley Granger and Hermione Gingold
• 1960: Four Seasons of Love
• 1961: Sings the Hit Songs from Do-Re-Mi and Annie Get Your Gun
• 1963: Act One, Sing Too

Singles

• 1958: "Come Prima" (Billboard Hot 100 – No. 67)

Bibliography

• Bergen, Polly (1962). The Polly Bergen Book of Beauty, Fashion, and Charm. Prentice Hall. ASIN B0007E27RS.
• Bergen, Polly (1974). Polly's Principles. Bantam Books. ASIN B000H4KY1Y.
• Bergen, Polly (1978). I'd Love To, but What'll I Wear. G. P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 978-0872235236.

References

1. "Polly Bergen profile". filmreference.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2010. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
2. "Emmy Awards Search – Polly Bergen". emmys.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
3. "Polly Bergen Dies at 84; Emmy-Winning Actress". New York Times. September 20, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
4. "2001 Tony Award Nominations". Los Angeles Times. May 8, 2001. Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
5. Jones, Kenneth (June 27, 2003). "Rue McClanahan Bows Out of Bway's Six Dance Lessons; Hamill Ready to Dance". Playbill. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
6. Gans, Andrew (November 21, 2003). "Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks to Close Nov. 23". Playbill. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
7. "Awards-IMDb". IMDb.com.
8. "Polly Bergen Obituary". The Guardian. September 22, 2014. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
9. "Acting, Just for The Fun of It". The Washington Post. December 18, 1988. Archived from the original on March 23, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
10. "AP: Polly Bergen, versatile actress and singer, dead at 84". Associated Press, myfoxhouston.com. September 20, 2014. Archived from the original on September 23, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
11. Flanagan, Caitlin (May 1, 2007). "The Sanguine Sex". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
12. "Shooting of a star (part 1)". The Observer. May 3, 1993.
13. "Shooting of a star (part 2)". The Observer. May 3, 1993.
14. "Shooting of a star (part 3)". The Observer. May 3, 1993.
15. "Shooting of a star (part 4)". The Observer. May 3, 1993.
16. "Polly Bergen (who Doesn't) Thinks E.r.a. Needs a Facelift". people.com. October 6, 1980. Archived from the original on March 30, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
17. "Polly Bergen, dead at 84, was strong women's rights activist". Los Angeles Times. September 20, 2014. Archived from the original on September 22, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
18. "Polly Bergen dies at 84; Emmy-winning actress, nightclub singer". Los Angeles Times. September 20, 2014. Archived from the original on September 23, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
19. Wilson, Scott (August 19, 2016). "Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed". McFarland – via Google Books.
20. Kirby, Walter (March 16, 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 44. Retrieved May 23, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
21. "Allmusic: Polly Bergen - Discography". Allmusic.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
22. "Discogs: Polly Bergen - Discography". Discogs.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
23. "Allmusic: Polly Bergen - Billboard Charts". Allmusic.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2014.

External links

• Polly Bergen on IMDb
• Polly Bergen at the Internet Broadway Database
• Polly Bergen at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Polly Bergen at AllMusic
• Polly Bergen – Madame President
• Gallery: Polly Bergen in Knoxville, TN