There aren’t many actors who make every role seem as suited to them as Ann Wedgeworth who was a popular actress for the sitcoms Evening Shadow and Company of Three. In a career that spanned from 1958 to 2006, she appeared in theater productions, films and television shows, with a number of awards to go for all her efforts. She was, however, underestimated.
Biography of Ann Wedgeworth
It was as Elizabeth Ann Wedgeworth that the versatile American actress was born on January 21, 1934, in Abilene, Texas. Her father, Cortus Wedgeworth, worked as a schoolteacher while her mother, whose name was also the same as her daughter, Elizabeth Wedgeworth, died just two years after the actress was born.
Described as a very intelligent person, she went to Highland Park High School and upon graduation moved to the University of Texas from where she graduated in 1957.
When she finished her education, Wedgeworth left Texas for New York where she hoped to make a career in showbiz. She took the name Ann Wedgeworth after dropping ‘Elizabeth’. Although she has become an excellent actress on all platforms, Ann Wedgeworth has been plagued with shyness for a very long time, even in her acting years. She was elevated to the rank of a strict Baptist.
Three’s Company actress profile
Before too long, after intense auditions, she was admitted to The Actors Studio. In 1958, she was able to appear in the play Make a Million which became her first Broadway production. Along with a number of other Broadway and off-Broadway shows to her name such as Blues for Mister Charlie, Period of Adjustment, and Thieves, she also appeared in the play Chapter Two for which she won the Tony Award in 1978. Her performance in the play was considered one of the best ever. Additionally, with her performance in Sam Shepard’s 1985 play A Lie of the Mind which was made in 1986, Ann won a Drama Desk Award.
Ann Wedgeworth’s television career began with the Kraft Theater episode “Vengeance” in 1957 and she continued to manage other minor roles until 1979 when she was able to appear as Lana Sheilds in Company of Three which became one of his most popular works. Her next major TV role was in the CBS sitcom, Dirty Rich in 1982. From 1990 to 1994, she appeared in Evening Shade. Her portrayal of Merleen Eldridge in the television series earned her a Viewers for Quality Television Award nomination.
Her first film role came in 1965 when she appeared as Margie in the Richard C. Sarafian directed film, Andy. In 1973, she was Scarecrow and then Slowly Hit the Drum. With more movies to her name, she also appeared in the TV movie The War Between the Tates in 1977, the same year she played Dallas Angel in Handle With Care, a performance that won her an award from the National Society of Movie Critics.
The next time she came close to winning another National Society of Film Critics award was in 1985 with her portrayal of Hilda Hensley in Sweet Dreams (1985). Some of his other films include The Men’s Club (1986), A Tiger’s Tale (1987), Tough Promises (1991), Love and a .45 (1994), and The Hunter’s Moon (1999).
Private life
Ann Wedgeworth has been married twice. The first was to portray actor and comedian Rip Torn in 1956. The union produced a daughter, Danae Torn, born the same year. Danae, just like her parents, is also an actress. She is popular for Writer’s Block (1991) and The Bronx Zoo (1988).
The marriage ended in 1961, making the 60s a very difficult time for Ann because at the time she still believed that they were still crazy about each other. For this reason, the period was not very productive for her as an actress.
Although Rip didn’t get married until two years later; It was until 1970 that Wedgeworth married again, this time to a director and theater teacher, Ernest Martin. The two remained together until his death nearly five decades later. The marriage produced only one child, Dianna Martin who is also an actress and a teacher.
On November 16, 2017, the Three’s Company actress died at the age of 83 in North Bergen, New Jersey. Her death occurred following a long illness from which she suffered. Prior to her death, Ann was in a nursing home where she retired peacefully surrounded by her family.