Vivian Nathan

Vivian Nathan (born Vivian Firko, October 26, 1916 – April 3, 2015) was an American actress and founding member of the Actors Studio, which opened in 1947. She served on the Actors Studio's board of directors until 1999.[2] She appeared in the original Broadway debut productions of The Rose Tattoo (1951) and Camino Real (1953).[2] Her film credits included Klute.

Vivian Nathan
Born
Vivian Firko

October 26, 1916
New York City, New York
DiedApril 3, 2015 (aged 98)
Englewood, New Jersey
NationalityAmerican
OccupationActress
Spouse(s)Nathan Schwalb (1950-2000, his death)[1]
Parent(s)Hipolit and Anna Firko

Early years

Nathan was born in New York City on October 26, 1916 to Hipolit and Anna Firko.[3]

Stage

Nathan won an audition with John Golden, a theater producer who was seeking new stage actors. She made her Broadway debut in the 1949 production of Montserrat, written by Lillian Hellman.[2]

She became an original member of the Actors Studio when it was founded in 1947 by Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg. Nathan also worked as acting instructor and session moderator at the Studio. Her students included the late actress, Kim Stanley.[2] Vivian Nathan served on the Actor Studio's board of directors until 1999, alongside Ellen Burstyn, Lee Grant, Paul Newman, Al Pacino, and Estelle Parsons.[2]

In 1951, Nathan was cast in the original Broadway opening of Tennessee Williams' The Rose Tattoo, co-starring together with Martin Balsam, Maureen Stapleton, and Eli Wallach.[2] She re-teamed with Martin Balsam for 1953's Camino Real, directed by Eli Kazan.

Nathan received a Clarence Derwent Award in 1951 for her role as the Charwoman in Anastasia. She also portrayed a Holocaust survivor in The Investigation in 1966.[2] In 1977, Nathan co-starred opposite Anne Bancroft in the play Golda, directed by Arthur Penn.[2] Her other Broadway credits include The Watering Place, Semi-Detached, and The Lovers.[4]

Film

Nathan made her film debut in the 1958 romantic comedy Teacher's Pet, starring Clark Gable.[2] She appeared in the crime drama The Young Savages and The Outsider, in which she played Tony Curtis' mother.[2] She gave a notable performance as Jane Fonda's psychiatrist in the 1971 crime thriller Klute.[2]

Television

Nathan appeared in The Investigation,[5] in The Last Summer episode of Studio One,[6] two episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents,[7] and in the Journey To The Day[8] and The Violent Heart episodes of Playhouse 90.[9]

Death

Nathan died at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey on April 3, 2015 at the age of 98. Her late husband, Nathan Schwalb, whom she had been married to for more than 50 years, died in 2000. Nathan's memorial service was held at Riverside Memorial Chapel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on April 12, 2015.[2]

Awards and honors

Filmography
gollark: > arguably, UK politics are a lot less fucked than australian politics.well, yes, somewhat.
gollark: hmm, yes, fair.
gollark: Hmmm, maybe English *causes* this insanity? Something something sapir-whorf hypothesis.
gollark: At this point I would probably quite like to go to a saner country in some years, but there are not really that many majority-english-speaking ones which also are good.
gollark: yeees, except *slightly* less insane.

References
  1. "Vivian Nathan, 98". Classic Images (488): 51. February 2016.
  2. Barnes, Mike (2015-04-10). "Vivian Nathan, Original Member of The Actors Studio, Dies at 98". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
  3. "Vivian Nathan obiuary". New York Times. 2015-04-09. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
  4. "Vivian Nathan". Playbill. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  5. "(TV listing)". California, Fremont. The Argus. April 13, 1967. p. 16. Retrieved February 27, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "(TV listing)". Oregon, Salem. The Oregon Statesman. August 3, 1958. p. 12. Retrieved February 27, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Vivian Nathan Acting Credits at IMDb
  8. "(TV listing)". New York, Oneonta. The Oneonta Star. April 16, 1960. p. 7. Retrieved February 27, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "(TV listing)". Oregon, Salem. The Oregon Statesman. February 2, 1958. p. 18. Retrieved February 27, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
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