Mariette Hartley
Encyclopedia
Mary Loretta "Mariette" Hartley (born June 21, 1940) is an American
character actress
.
, the daughter of Mary Ickes “Polly” (née
Watson), a manager and saleswoman, and Paul Hembree Hartley, an account executive. Her maternal grandfather was psychologist John B. Watson
(through Watson’s daughter from his first marriage) and her maternal grandmother was the sister of politician Harold L. Ickes
.
In her 1990 autobiography
Breaking the Silence, written with Anne Commire, Hartley talked about her struggles with psychological problems, pointing directly at Watson’s practical application of his theories as the source of the dysfunction in his family. She has also spoken in public about her experience of bipolar disorder
, and was a founder of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
. In 2009, Hartley spoke at a suicide and violence prevention forum about her father's suicide
.
. Her film career began with Ride the High Country
(1962), a western with actors Randolph Scott
and Joel McCrea
, and directed by Sam Peckinpah
. She also had a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock
's Marnie
(1964).
In the 1963-64 television season, she appeared in an episode of ABC
’s drama
about college
life, Channing
and in two episodes of The Virginian
. In 1966, she appeared as Polly Dockery in the series finale, "A Burying for Rosey", of The Legend of Jesse James
.
She worked with Rod Serling
and Gene Roddenberry
, two creators of television science fiction
. She first appeared in an episode of The Twilight Zone
("The Long Morrow
"). In 1969, she appeared in the penultimate episode of Star Trek
, "All Our Yesterdays". She appeared in several science fiction films, Marooned
(1969), Earth II (1971), and the pilot for the post-apocalyptic
Genesis II (1973), another Roddenberry production.
On television, she portrayed Dr. Claire Morton
on the primetime adaption of Peyton Place
. In 1971, Hartley had a guest appearance with Glenn Corbett
on the Gunsmoke episode "Phoenix". In 1978, she appeared in the TV series Logan’s Run (based on the film of the same name
) and in The Incredible Hulk in two episodes. As Dr. Carolyn Fields, she marries Bill Bixby
's character, the alter ego of the Hulk
; for her performance, Hartley won an Emmy Award
. Hartley appears in an episode of M*A*S*H as Dr. Inga Halverson (Series 7, Episode 17, "Inga"). She also co-starred with Bixby in the 1983 situation comedy
Goodnight, Beantown
. She appeared in two episodes of the mystery series Columbo, starring Peter Falk
as the rumpled detective. In 1979, she portrayed the Witch in ABC
’s holiday telefilm The Halloween That Almost Wasn't
(a.k.a. The Night Dracula
Saved The World).
In the 1990s, she toured with Elliott Gould
and Doug Wert in the revival of the mystery Deathtrap
. She hosted the television documentary series Wild About Animals. In 2006, Hartley starred in her own one-woman show, If You Get to Bethlehem, You've Gone Too Far, which ran in Los Angeles
.
She played Dorothy Spiller, the mother of Courteney Cox
's character on Dirt
and is featured as Ceptembre Sage Weller in Shhh ..., a spoof based on The Secret. Hartley has had a recurring role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
as Lorna Scarry.
in a popular series of television commercials
advertising Polaroid
cameras. The two actors had such chemistry that it was often (erroneously) believed that they were married in real life. Her biography contains a photo of her in a T-shirt proclaiming, “I am NOT Mrs. James Garner.” Hartley also guest-starred in a memorable episode of Garner’s TV series The Rockford Files
during this period. The script required them to kiss at one point. Unknown to them, a paparazzo
was photographing the scene from a distance. The photos were run in a tabloid trying to provoke a scandal, causing a good deal of attention. (An article that ran in TV Guide
was titled, “That woman is not James Garner’s wife!”)
Between 2001 and 2006, Hartley endorsed the See Clearly Method
, a commercial eye exercise
program of which sales were eventually halted by a court which found that it had been marketed dishonestly.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
character actress
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
.
Personal life
Hartley was born in Weston, ConnecticutWeston, Connecticut
Weston is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut. The population was 10,179 at the 2010 census. The town is served by Route 57 and Route 53, both of which run through the town center. About 19% of the town's workforce commutes to New York City, about to the southwest.Like many towns in...
, the daughter of Mary Ickes “Polly” (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Watson), a manager and saleswoman, and Paul Hembree Hartley, an account executive. Her maternal grandfather was psychologist John B. Watson
John B. Watson
John Broadus Watson was an American psychologist who established the psychological school of behaviorism. Watson promoted a change in psychology through his address Psychology as the Behaviorist Views it which was given at Columbia University in 1913...
(through Watson’s daughter from his first marriage) and her maternal grandmother was the sister of politician Harold L. Ickes
Harold L. Ickes
Harold LeClair Ickes was a United States administrator and politician. He served as United States Secretary of the Interior for 13 years, from 1933 to 1946, the longest tenure of anyone to hold the office, and the second longest serving Cabinet member in U.S. history next to James Wilson. Ickes...
.
In her 1990 autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
Breaking the Silence, written with Anne Commire, Hartley talked about her struggles with psychological problems, pointing directly at Watson’s practical application of his theories as the source of the dysfunction in his family. She has also spoken in public about her experience of bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
, and was a founder of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention was founded in 1987 by a group of experts on suicide who wanted to create a 5013 organization to fund research in suicide prevention....
. In 2009, Hartley spoke at a suicide and violence prevention forum about her father's suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
.
Career
Hartley began her career in her teens as a stage actress, coached and mentored by the noted Eva Le GallienneEva Le Gallienne
Eva Le Gallienne was a well-known actress, producer, and director, during the first half of the 20th century.-Early life and early career:...
. Her film career began with Ride the High Country
Ride the High Country
Ride the High Country is a noted 1962 American Western film. It stars Joel McCrea, Randolph Scott, Ron Starr, Edgar Buchanan and Mariette Hartley. It was written by N.B...
(1962), a western with actors Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott was an American film actor whose career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of genres, including social dramas, crime dramas, comedies, musicals , adventure tales, war films, and even a few...
and Joel McCrea
Joel McCrea
Joel Albert McCrea was an American actor whose career spanned 50 years and appearances in over 90 films.-Early life:...
, and directed by Sam Peckinpah
Sam Peckinpah
David Samuel "Sam" Peckinpah was an American filmmaker and screenwriter who achieved prominence following the release of the Western epic The Wild Bunch...
. She also had a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's Marnie
Marnie (film)
Marnie is a 1964 psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and based on the novel of the same name by Winston Graham. The film stars Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery. The original film score was composed by Bernard Herrmann.-Plot:...
(1964).
In the 1963-64 television season, she appeared in an episode of ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
’s drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
about college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
life, Channing
Channing (TV series)
Channing is an American drama series that aired on American Broadcasting Company from September 18, 1963 to April 8, 1964...
and in two episodes of The Virginian
The Virginian (TV series)
The Virginian is an American Western television series starring James Drury and Doug McClure, which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971 for a total of 249 episodes. Filmed in color, The Virginian became television's first 90-minute western series...
. In 1966, she appeared as Polly Dockery in the series finale, "A Burying for Rosey", of The Legend of Jesse James
The Legend of Jesse James (TV series)
The Legend of Jesse James is a 34-episode western television series starring Christopher Jones in the tile role of notorious outlaw Jesse James which aired on ABC from September 13, 1965, to May 9, 1966...
.
She worked with Rod Serling
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
and Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
, two creators of television science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
. She first appeared in an episode of The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
("The Long Morrow
The Long Morrow
"The Long Morrow" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:Commander Douglas Stansfield an astronaut in the year 1987, is sent to a planetary system 141 light-years from Earth. The trip will take 20 years each way...
"). In 1969, she appeared in the penultimate episode of Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
, "All Our Yesterdays". She appeared in several science fiction films, Marooned
Marooned (film)
Marooned is a 1969 American film directed by John Sturges and starring Gregory Peck, Richard Crenna, David Janssen, James Franciscus, and Gene Hackman....
(1969), Earth II (1971), and the pilot for the post-apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural...
Genesis II (1973), another Roddenberry production.
On television, she portrayed Dr. Claire Morton
Claire Morton
Dr. Claire Morton is a fictional character on the television drama Peyton Place. She was portrayed by Mariette Hartley. She appeared in 30 episodes in 1965.-Character history:...
on the primetime adaption of Peyton Place
Peyton Place (TV series)
Peyton Place is an American prime-time soap opera which aired on ABC in half-hour episodes from September 15, 1964 to June 2, 1969.Based upon the 1956 novel of the same name by Grace Metalious, the series was preceded by a 1957 film adaptation. A total of 514 episodes were broadcast, in...
. In 1971, Hartley had a guest appearance with Glenn Corbett
Glenn Corbett
Glenn Corbett was an American actor best known for his role on CBS's adventure drama Route 66.-Acting career:...
on the Gunsmoke episode "Phoenix". In 1978, she appeared in the TV series Logan’s Run (based on the film of the same name
Logan's Run (1976 film)
Logan's Run is a 1976 science fiction film based on the novel of the same name by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. It depicts a dystopian future society in which population and the consumption of resources are managed and maintained in equilibrium by the simple expediency of killing...
) and in The Incredible Hulk in two episodes. As Dr. Carolyn Fields, she marries Bill Bixby
Bill Bixby
Wilfred Bailey Everett “Bill” Bixby III was an American film and television actor, director, and frequent game show panelist.His career spanned over three decades; he appeared on stage, in motion pictures and TV series...
's character, the alter ego of the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
; for her performance, Hartley won an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
. Hartley appears in an episode of M*A*S*H as Dr. Inga Halverson (Series 7, Episode 17, "Inga"). She also co-starred with Bixby in the 1983 situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Goodnight, Beantown
Goodnight, Beantown
Goodnight, Beantown is an American sitcom that aired on CBS for two brief seasons in 1983 and 1984.-Synopsis:The series starred Bill Bixby as Matt Cassidy and Mariette Hartley as Jennifer Barnes, two news anchors at a fictional Boston, Massachusetts television station...
. She appeared in two episodes of the mystery series Columbo, starring Peter Falk
Peter Falk
Peter Michael Falk was an American actor, best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the television series Columbo...
as the rumpled detective. In 1979, she portrayed the Witch in ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
’s holiday telefilm The Halloween That Almost Wasn't
The Halloween That Almost Wasn't
The Halloween That Almost Wasn't is a 1979 telefilm which aired regularly on the Disney Channel until the late 1990s. It revolves around Dracula trying to save Halloween from the Witch who threatens it. It won an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Individual Achievement - Children's Program" and was...
(a.k.a. The Night Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
Saved The World).
In the 1990s, she toured with Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould is an American actor. He began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s, and has remained prolific ever since. Some of his most notable films include M*A*S*H and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, for which he received an Oscar nomination...
and Doug Wert in the revival of the mystery Deathtrap
Deathtrap (play)
Deathtrap is a play by Ira Levin in 1978 which encompasses many plot twists and is essentially a play within a play. It is a play in two acts with one set and five characters. It holds the record for the longest running comedy-thriller on Broadway and was also nominated for the Tony Award for Best...
. She hosted the television documentary series Wild About Animals. In 2006, Hartley starred in her own one-woman show, If You Get to Bethlehem, You've Gone Too Far, which ran in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
She played Dorothy Spiller, the mother of Courteney Cox
Courteney Cox
Courteney Bass Cox is an American actress, she is best known for her roles as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom Friends, Gale Weathers in the horror series Scream and as Jules Cobb in the ABC sitcom Cougar Town, for which she earned her first Golden Globe nomination....
's character on Dirt
Dirt (TV series)
Dirt is an American television serial broadcast on the FX network. It premiered on January 2, 2007 and starred Courteney Cox as Lucy Spiller, the editor-in-chief of the first-of-its-kind "glossy tabloid" magazine DirtNow, which was previously two separate publications: drrt and Now Dirt (styled...
and is featured as Ceptembre Sage Weller in Shhh ..., a spoof based on The Secret. Hartley has had a recurring role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
as Lorna Scarry.
Advertising
During the late 1970s, Hartley also appeared with James GarnerJames Garner
James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...
in a popular series of television commercials
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
advertising Polaroid
Polaroid Corporation
Polaroid Corporation is an American-based international consumer electronics and eyewear company, originally founded in 1937 by Edwin H. Land. It is most famous for its instant film cameras, which reached the market in 1948, and continued to be the company's flagship product line until the February...
cameras. The two actors had such chemistry that it was often (erroneously) believed that they were married in real life. Her biography contains a photo of her in a T-shirt proclaiming, “I am NOT Mrs. James Garner.” Hartley also guest-starred in a memorable episode of Garner’s TV series The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah...
during this period. The script required them to kiss at one point. Unknown to them, a paparazzo
Paparazzi
Paparazzi is an Italian term used to refer to photojournalists who specialize in candid photography of celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people...
was photographing the scene from a distance. The photos were run in a tabloid trying to provoke a scandal, causing a good deal of attention. (An article that ran in TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
was titled, “That woman is not James Garner’s wife!”)
Between 2001 and 2006, Hartley endorsed the See Clearly Method
See Clearly Method
The See Clearly Method is an eye exercise program that was marketed as an alternative to the use of glasses, contact lenses, and eye surgery to improve vision. Sales were halted by legal action in 2006. The method is not supported by basic science, and no research studies were conducted prior to...
, a commercial eye exercise
Eye exercises
Orthoptics is a discipline dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of defective eye movement and coordination , binocular vision, and amblyopia by eye care professionals...
program of which sales were eventually halted by a court which found that it had been marketed dishonestly.
Awards and recognition
- Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for the episode “Married” of The Incredible Hulk (1978) - Honorary degree, Rider College (1993)
See also
- Photograph of Hartley at All Our Yesterdays
Further reading
- Hartley, Mariette; Commire, Anne. Breaking the Silence, G. P. Putnam's SonsG. P. Putnam's SonsG. P. Putnam's Sons was a major United States book publisher based in New York City, New York. Since 1996, it has been an imprint of the Penguin Group.-History:...
, 1990. ISBN 0399135839
External links
- Morgan, John; Shoop, Stephen A. "Mariette Hartley triumphs over bipolar disorder", USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, 1 August 2003. - "Mariette Hartley's autobiography and John B. Watson" - article about the children of psychologists Watson and B. F. SkinnerB. F. SkinnerBurrhus Frederic Skinner was an American behaviorist, author, inventor, baseball enthusiast, social philosopher and poet...