Tina Louise
Encyclopedia
Tina Louise is an American actress, singer, and author
. She is best known for her role as the "movie star
" Ginger Grant
on the television
situation comedy
Gilligan's Island
(1964-1967).
. She was raised by her mother, Betty Horn Myers (1916-2011), a fashion model. Her father, Joseph Blacker, was an accountant. The name "Louise" was supposedly added during her senior year in high school when she mentioned to her drama teacher that she was the only girl in the class without a middle name. He immediately picked the name "Louise" and it stuck. She attended Miami University
in Oxford, Ohio
. At the age of 17, Louise began studying acting, singing and dancing. During her early acting years, she was offered modeling jobs and appeared on the cover of several pinup magazines such as Adam, Sir! and Modern Man. Her later pictorials for Playboy
(May 1958, April 1959) were arranged by Columbia Pictures studio in an effort to further promote the young actress. Her acting debut came in 1952 in the Bette Davis
musical revue Two's Company, followed by roles in other Broadway productions, such as John Murray Anderson's Almanac
, The Fifth Season, and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
She also appeared in such early live television dramas as Studio One
, Producers' Showcase
, and Appointment with Adventure
.
In 1957, she and Julie Newmar
appeared on Broadway
in the hit musical Li'l Abner
. Her album It's Time for Tina was also released that year, with songs such as "Embraceable You
" and "I'm in the Mood for Love
".
. She became an in-demand leading lady for major stars like Robert Taylor
, Richard Widmark
and Robert Ryan
, often playing somber roles quite unlike the glamorous pinup photographs and Playboy
pictorials she had become famous for in the late 1950s. She turned down roles in Li'l Abner and Operation Petticoat
taking roles on Broadway and in Italian cinema
and Hollywood. Among her more notable Italian film credits was the historical epic Garibaldi
(1960), directed by Roberto Rossellini
, that concerned Garibaldi's efforts to unify the Italian states in 1860. When Louise returned to the United States, she began studying with Lee Strasberg
and eventually became a member of the Actors Studio
. She appeared in the 1964 beach party film
For Those Who Think Young
, with Bob Denver
, prior to the development of Gilligan's Island.
In 1964, she left the Broadway musical Fade Out – Fade In to portray movie star Ginger Grant
on the situation comedy
Gilligan's Island, after the part was turned down by Jayne Mansfield
. However, she was unhappy with the role and worried that it would typecast
her. The role did make Louise a pop icon
of the era, and in 2005 an episode of TV Land Top Ten ranked her as second only to Heather Locklear
as the greatest of television's all-time sex symbols.
After the series ended in 1967, Louise continued to work in film and made numerous guest appearances in various television series. She appeared in the Matt Helm spy spoof The Wrecking Crew
(1969) with Dean Martin
. Louise played a doomed suburban housewife in the original The Stepford Wives
(1975), and both the film and her performance were well received.
She attempted to shed her comedic image by essaying grittier roles, including a guest appearance as a pathetic heroin addict in a 1974 Kojak
episode, as well as a co-starring role as an evil Southern prison guard in the 1976 ABC TV
Movie Nightmare in Badham County
. Her other television films of the period included Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby
(1976), SST: Death Flight
(1977), and Friendships, Secrets and Lies (1979).
The question "Ginger or Mary Ann?" is regarded to be a classic pop-psychological
question when given to American
men of a certain age as an insight into their characters, or at least their desires as regarding certain female stereotype
s.
and Constance Forslund
. Although she did not appear in these television movies, she made brief walk-on appearances on a few talk shows and specials for Gilligan's Island reunions, including Good Morning America
(1982), The Late Show
(1988) and the 2004 TV Land award show with the other surviving cast members. In the 1990s, she was reunited with costars Bob Denver
, Dawn Wells
, and Russell Johnson
in an episode of Roseanne
. She did not reunite with them for the television film Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredible True Story of the Longest Three-Hour Tour in History (2001), co-produced by Wells. She was portrayed by Kristen Dalton in the television film. Her relations with series star Denver were rumored to be strained, but in 2005, she wrote a brief, affectionate memorial to him in the year-end "farewell" issue of Entertainment Weekly
.
Louise appeared as a semi-regular character in the prime-time soap opera
Dallas
, as J.R.'s secretary, Julie Gray, during the 1978-79 seasons. In 1985, Louise played the second and final Taylor Chapin on the syndicated soap opera Rituals
. Later film roles included a co-starring appearance in the Robert Altman
comedy O.C. and Stiggs
(1987) as well as the independently made satire Johnny Suede
(1992) starring Brad Pitt. She appeared in Married... with Children
as Miss Beck in episode Kelly Bounces Back (1990).
From 1966 to 1974, Louise was married to radio and TV announcer/interviewer Les Crane
, with whom she has one daughter, Caprice Crane
(born 1974), who became an MTV
producer and a novelist. Crane's first novel, Stupid and Contagious, was published in 2006, and was warmly dedicated to her mother. Louise now resides in New York City. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and a lifetime member of the Actors Studio. As a literacy and academic advocate, she became a volunteer teacher at Learning Leaders
, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing tutoring to New York City school children. It has been her passion to help young students gain not only literary skills, but also confidence, self-determination and proof of their own potential. She has written two books: Sunday: A Memoir (1997) and When I Grow Up (2007). The latter is a children's book that inspires children to believe they can become whatever they choose through creative and humorous comparisons of animal kingdom achievements. She published a second children's book named "What Does A Bee Do?".
". Coleman Hawkins is featured on tenor sax. A version of this album is planned by UK label Harkit Records.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. She is best known for her role as the "movie star
Movie star
A movie star is a celebrity who is well-known, or famous, for his or her starring, or leading, roles in motion pictures. The term may also apply to an actor or actress who is recognized as a marketable commodity and whose name is used to promote a movie in trailers and posters...
" Ginger Grant
Ginger Grant
Ginger Grant is a fictional character in the 1964 to 1967 television sitcom Gilligan's Island.-Career:...
on the television
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
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...
Gilligan's Island
Gilligan's Island
Gilligan's Island is an American television series created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz and originally produced by United Artists Television. The situation comedy series featured Bob Denver; Alan Hale, Jr.; Jim Backus; Natalie Schafer; Tina Louise; Russell Johnson; and Dawn Wells. It aired for...
(1964-1967).
Early life
Tina Blacker was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She was raised by her mother, Betty Horn Myers (1916-2011), a fashion model. Her father, Joseph Blacker, was an accountant. The name "Louise" was supposedly added during her senior year in high school when she mentioned to her drama teacher that she was the only girl in the class without a middle name. He immediately picked the name "Louise" and it stuck. She attended Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
in Oxford, Ohio
Oxford, Ohio
Oxford is a city in northwestern Butler County, Ohio, United States, in the southwestern portion of the state. It lies in Oxford Township, originally called the College Township. The population was 21,943 at the 2000 census. This college town was founded as a home for Miami University. Oxford...
. At the age of 17, Louise began studying acting, singing and dancing. During her early acting years, she was offered modeling jobs and appeared on the cover of several pinup magazines such as Adam, Sir! and Modern Man. Her later pictorials for Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
(May 1958, April 1959) were arranged by Columbia Pictures studio in an effort to further promote the young actress. Her acting debut came in 1952 in the Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
musical revue Two's Company, followed by roles in other Broadway productions, such as John Murray Anderson's Almanac
John Murray Anderson's Almanac
John Murray Anderson's Almanac is a musical revue, featuring the music of the songwriting team of Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, as well as other composers...
, The Fifth Season, and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (play)
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? is an original stage comedy in three acts and four scenes that opened on Broadway October 13, 1955, starring Orson Bean , Martin Gabel , Jayne Mansfield , Harry Clark , Carol Grace , Lou Gallo , William Thourlby and Walter Matthau .It...
She also appeared in such early live television dramas as Studio One
Studio One (TV series)
Studio One is a long-running American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by the 26-year-old Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC.-Radio:...
, Producers' Showcase
Producers' Showcase
Producers' Showcase is an American anthology television series that was telecast live during the 1950s in compatible color by NBC. With top talent, the 90-minute episodes, covering a wide variety of genres, aired under the title every fourth Monday at 8 p.m. ET for three seasons, beginning October...
, and Appointment with Adventure
Appointment with Adventure
Appointment with Adventure is a half-hour adventure/dramatic anthology television series broadcast live on CBS from 1955-1956. The program has no host. It aired at 10 p.m...
.
In 1957, she and Julie Newmar
Julie Newmar
Julie Newmar is an American actress, dancer and singer. Her most famous role is Catwoman in the Batman television series.-Early life:...
appeared on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in the hit musical Li'l Abner
Li'l Abner
Li'l Abner is a satirical American comic strip that appeared in many newspapers in the United States, Canada and Europe, featuring a fictional clan of hillbillies in the impoverished town of Dogpatch, Kentucky. Written and drawn by Al Capp , the strip ran for 43 years, from August 13, 1934 through...
. Her album It's Time for Tina was also released that year, with songs such as "Embraceable You
Embraceable You
"Embraceable You" is a popular song, with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The song was originally written in 1928 for an unpublished operetta named East is West. It was eventually published in 1930 and included in the Broadway musical Girl Crazy. where it was performed by...
" and "I'm in the Mood for Love
I'm in the Mood for Love
"I'm in the Mood for Love" is a popular song. The music was written by Jimmy McHugh, the lyrics by Dorothy Fields. The song was published in 1935. It was introduced by Frances Langford in the movie Every Night at Eight released that year...
".
Hollywood and Gilligan's Island
Louise made her Hollywood film debut in 1958 in God's Little AcreGod's Little Acre (film)
God's Little Acre is a 1958 American film of Erskine Caldwell's 1933 novel. It was directed by Anthony Mann and shot in black and white by master cinematographer Ernest Haller....
. She became an in-demand leading lady for major stars like Robert Taylor
Robert Taylor (actor)
Robert Taylor was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Born Spangler Arlington Brugh in Filley, Nebraska, he was the son of Ruth Adaline and Spangler Andrew Brugh, who was a farmer turned doctor...
, Richard Widmark
Richard Widmark
Richard Weedt Widmark was an American film, stage and television actor.He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, Kiss of Death...
and Robert Ryan
Robert Ryan
Robert Bushnell Ryan was an American actor who often played hardened cops and ruthless villains.-Early life and career:...
, often playing somber roles quite unlike the glamorous pinup photographs and Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
pictorials she had become famous for in the late 1950s. She turned down roles in Li'l Abner and Operation Petticoat
Operation Petticoat
Operation Petticoat is a 1959 comedy film directed by Blake Edwards, and starring Cary Grant and Tony Curtis. It was the basis for a television series in 1977 starring John Astin in Grant's role...
taking roles on Broadway and in Italian cinema
Cinema of Italy
The history of Italian cinema began just a few months after the Lumière brothers had patented their Cinematographe, when Pope Leo XIII was filmed for a few seconds in the act of blessing the camera.-Early years:...
and Hollywood. Among her more notable Italian film credits was the historical epic Garibaldi
Garibaldi (film)
Garibaldi, the English title of the film originally released as Viva l'Italia! is a 1961 Italian drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini. The film follows famed revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi as he liberates southern Italy from the Bourbon monarchy....
(1960), directed by Roberto Rossellini
Roberto Rossellini
Roberto Rossellini was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Rossellini was one of the directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing films such as Roma città aperta to the movement.-Early life:Born in Rome, Roberto Rossellini lived on the Via Ludovisi, where Benito Mussolini had...
, that concerned Garibaldi's efforts to unify the Italian states in 1860. When Louise returned to the United States, she began studying with Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg was an American actor, director and acting teacher. He cofounded, with directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed as "America's first true theatrical collective"...
and eventually became a member of the Actors Studio
Actors Studio
The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street in the Clinton neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded October 5, 1947, by Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford, Robert Lewis and Anna Sokolow who provided...
. She appeared in the 1964 beach party film
Beach Party film
Beach party movies were an American 1960s genre of feature films created by American International Pictures with their surprise 1963 hit, Beach Party, and copied by virtually every other studio...
For Those Who Think Young
For Those Who Think Young (film)
For Those Who Think Young is a 1964 beach party film directed by Leslie H. Martinson and featuring James Darren, Pamela Tiffin, Paul Lynde, Tina Louise, Bob Denver, Robert Middleton, and Woody Woodbury.-Plot:...
, with Bob Denver
Bob Denver
Robert Osbourne "Bob" Denver was an American comedic actor known for his roles as Gilligan on the television series Gilligan's Island and the beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959–1963 TV series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.-Early life:Denver was born in New Rochelle, New York, and raised in...
, prior to the development of Gilligan's Island.
In 1964, she left the Broadway musical Fade Out – Fade In to portray movie star Ginger Grant
Ginger Grant
Ginger Grant is a fictional character in the 1964 to 1967 television sitcom Gilligan's Island.-Career:...
on the 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...
Gilligan's Island, after the part was turned down by Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield was an American actress working both in Hollywood and on the Broadway theatre...
. However, she was unhappy with the role and worried that it would typecast
Typecasting (acting)
In TV, film, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character; one or more particular roles; or, characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ethnic groups...
her. The role did make Louise a pop icon
Pop icon
A pop icon is a celebrity, character, or object whose exposure in pop culture constitutes a defining characteristic of a given society or era. The categorization is usually associated with elements such as longevity, ubiquity, and distinction. Moreover, "pop icon" status is distinguishable from...
of the era, and in 2005 an episode of TV Land Top Ten ranked her as second only to Heather Locklear
Heather Locklear
Heather Deen Locklear is an American actress best known for her television roles as Sammy Jo Carrington on Dynasty, Officer Stacy Sheridan on T.J...
as the greatest of television's all-time sex symbols.
After the series ended in 1967, Louise continued to work in film and made numerous guest appearances in various television series. She appeared in the Matt Helm spy spoof The Wrecking Crew
The Wrecking Crew (1969 film)
The Wrecking Crew, released in 1969 and starring Dean Martin, Elke Sommer, and Sharon Tate is the fourth and final film in a series of American comedy-spy-fi theatrical releases featuring Martin as secret agent Matt Helm....
(1969) with Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
. Louise played a doomed suburban housewife in the original The Stepford Wives
The Stepford Wives (1975 film)
The Stepford Wives is a 1975 science fiction–thriller film based on the 1972 Ira Levin novel of the same name. It was directed by Bryan Forbes with a screenplay by William Goldman, and stars Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Peter Masterson, Nanette Newman and Tina Louise...
(1975), and both the film and her performance were well received.
She attempted to shed her comedic image by essaying grittier roles, including a guest appearance as a pathetic heroin addict in a 1974 Kojak
Kojak
Kojak is an American television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired from October 24, 1973, to March 18, 1978, on CBS. It took the time slot of the popular Cannon series, which was moved one hour earlier...
episode, as well as a co-starring role as an evil Southern prison guard in the 1976 ABC TV
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...
Movie Nightmare in Badham County
Nightmare in Badham County
----Nightmare in Badham County is a ABC TV movie, starring Chuck Connors - Deborah Raffin and directed by John Llewellyn Moxey-----Plot:Two woman Cathy Phillips and Diane Emery have engine car trouble in a small town...
. Her other television films of the period included Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby
Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby
Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby is a 1976 TV movie, and a sequel to the 1968 film Rosemary's Baby. It has little connection to the novel by Ira Levin on which the first film was based.-The Book of Rosemary:...
(1976), SST: Death Flight
SST: Death Flight
SST Death Flight is a 1977 made-for-TV movie produced by ABC Circle Films. It featured an all-star television cast and was directed by David Lowell Rich, who went on to direct The Concorde ... Airport '79...
(1977), and Friendships, Secrets and Lies (1979).
The question "Ginger or Mary Ann?" is regarded to be a classic pop-psychological
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
question when given to American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
men of a certain age as an insight into their characters, or at least their desires as regarding certain female stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
s.
Later work
Despite successes on her own, she declined to participate in any of three reunion television films for Gilligan's Island and the role of Ginger was recast with Judith BaldwinJudith Baldwin
Judith Lee Baldwin is an American film and television actress who replaced Tina Louise in the role of Ginger Grant in Rescue From Gilligan's Island and The Castaways on Gilligan's Island . Baldwin amassed 46 screen credits between 1969 and her leading role in 2005's Every Secret Thing.- Early...
and Constance Forslund
Constance Forslund
Constance Forslund is an American actress whose performances included a revival of Clare Booth Luce's The Women on Broadway and the films The Way We Were and The Great Bank Hoax. In television movies she has portrayed Ginger Grant in The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island and Marilyn...
. Although she did not appear in these television movies, she made brief walk-on appearances on a few talk shows and specials for Gilligan's Island reunions, including Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
(1982), The Late Show
The Late Show (1986 TV series)
The Late Show is an American late-night talk show and the first series broadcast on the then-new Fox Network. Originally hosted by comic actress Joan Rivers, it first aired on October 9, 1986 under the title The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers...
(1988) and the 2004 TV Land award show with the other surviving cast members. In the 1990s, she was reunited with costars Bob Denver
Bob Denver
Robert Osbourne "Bob" Denver was an American comedic actor known for his roles as Gilligan on the television series Gilligan's Island and the beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959–1963 TV series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.-Early life:Denver was born in New Rochelle, New York, and raised in...
, Dawn Wells
Dawn Wells
Dawn Elberta Wells is an American actress known for playing Mary Ann Summers on the sitcom Gilligan's Island during its run from 1964 until 1967.- Early life :...
, and Russell Johnson
Russell Johnson
Russell David Johnson is an American television and film actor best known as "The Professor" on the CBS television sitcom Gilligan's Island...
in an episode of Roseanne
Roseanne (TV series)
Roseanne is an American sitcom broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988 to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working class family...
. She did not reunite with them for the television film Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredible True Story of the Longest Three-Hour Tour in History (2001), co-produced by Wells. She was portrayed by Kristen Dalton in the television film. Her relations with series star Denver were rumored to be strained, but in 2005, she wrote a brief, affectionate memorial to him in the year-end "farewell" issue of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
.
Louise appeared as a semi-regular character in the prime-time soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
, as J.R.'s secretary, Julie Gray, during the 1978-79 seasons. In 1985, Louise played the second and final Taylor Chapin on the syndicated soap opera Rituals
Rituals (TV series)
Rituals is an American soap opera that aired in syndication through Telepictures from September 10, 1984 to September 6, 1985. Created by Gene Palumbo, Ken Corday and Charlene Keel , 260 25-minute episodes were produced.The series later aired France from 1989 to 1990 under the name La...
. Later film roles included a co-starring appearance in the Robert Altman
Robert Altman
Robert Bernard Altman was an American film director and screenwriter known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective. In 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized his body of work with an Academy Honorary Award.His films MASH , McCabe and...
comedy O.C. and Stiggs
O.C. and Stiggs
O.C. and Stiggs is a 1987 film directed by Robert Altman, based on two characters that were originally featured in a series of stories published in National Lampoon magazine. The film stars Daniel H. Jenkins and Neill Barry as the title characters...
(1987) as well as the independently made satire Johnny Suede
Johnny Suede
Johnny Suede is the 1991 film directorial debut of writer-director Tom DiCillo. It starred Brad Pitt and Catherine Keener with early appearances from Samuel L. Jackson and Nick Cave.-Plot summary:...
(1992) starring Brad Pitt. She appeared in Married... with Children
Married... with Children
Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
as Miss Beck in episode Kelly Bounces Back (1990).
From 1966 to 1974, Louise was married to radio and TV announcer/interviewer Les Crane
Les Crane
Les Crane , born Lesley Stein, was a radio announcer and television talk show host, a pioneer in interactive broadcasting who also scored a spoken word hit with his 1971 recording of the poem Desiderata, winning a "Best Spoken Word" Grammy.Born in Long Beach, New York , Crane...
, with whom she has one daughter, Caprice Crane
Caprice Crane
Caprice Crane is an American novelist, screenwriter and television writer/producer.Crane was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of radio announcer/TV interviewer Les Crane and actress Tina Louise...
(born 1974), who became an MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
producer and a novelist. Crane's first novel, Stupid and Contagious, was published in 2006, and was warmly dedicated to her mother. Louise now resides in New York City. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and a lifetime member of the Actors Studio. As a literacy and academic advocate, she became a volunteer teacher at Learning Leaders
Learning Leaders
Learning Leaders is a New York City nonprofit organization that organizes volunteers to provide tutoring and mentoring for public school children. As of 2005, Learning Leaders has approximately 15,000 volunteers working with over 200,000 students. The organization works closely with the New York...
, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing tutoring to New York City school children. It has been her passion to help young students gain not only literary skills, but also confidence, self-determination and proof of their own potential. She has written two books: Sunday: A Memoir (1997) and When I Grow Up (2007). The latter is a children's book that inspires children to believe they can become whatever they choose through creative and humorous comparisons of animal kingdom achievements. She published a second children's book named "What Does A Bee Do?".
It's Time For Tina LP
Louise made four record albums, two for Concert Hall, and two for Urania Record (1958 and 1959 respectively). By far the most sought-after of these is the 1957 album It's Time For Tina (Concert Hall 1521). With arrangements by Jim Timmens and Buddy Weed's Orchestra, 12 tracks include "Tonight Is The Night" and "I'm in the Mood for LoveI'm in the Mood for Love
"I'm in the Mood for Love" is a popular song. The music was written by Jimmy McHugh, the lyrics by Dorothy Fields. The song was published in 1935. It was introduced by Frances Langford in the movie Every Night at Eight released that year...
". Coleman Hawkins is featured on tenor sax. A version of this album is planned by UK label Harkit Records.
Filmography
- God's Little AcreGod's Little AcreGod's Little Acre is a 1933 novel by Erskine Caldwell, which was made into a film of the same name in 1958.The novel was so controversial that the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice attempted to censor it, leading to the author's arrest and trial for obscenity...
(1958) - The TrapThe Trap (1959 film)The Trap is a 1959 color film noir directed by Norman Panama and released through 20th-Century Fox. It stars Richard Widmark, Lee J. Cobb, Tina Louise, Earl Holliman, and Lorne Greene -Plot:...
(1959) - The Hangman (1959)
- Day of the OutlawDay of the OutlawDay of the Outlaw is a 1959 film starring Robert Ryan and Burl Ives. It was directed by André De Toth; this film being his last Western feature film. Parts of it were filmed on location in snowy Bend, Oregon.-Plot:...
(1959) - The Warrior Empress (1960)
- Siege of SyracuseL' Assedio di Siracusa (film)The Siege of Syracuse is a 1960 historical drama film about the Roman Siege of Syracuse. It took place between 214 and 212 B.C., during the Second Punic War with Carthage.The film was directed by Pietro Francisci.-Cast:...
(1960) - Viva L'Italia!/GaribaldiGaribaldi (film)Garibaldi, the English title of the film originally released as Viva l'Italia! is a 1961 Italian drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini. The film follows famed revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi as he liberates southern Italy from the Bourbon monarchy....
(1961) - Armored CommandArmored CommandArmored Command is a 1961 World War II film directed by Byron Haskin filmed in Hohenfels, Bavaria but takes place in the Vosges Mountains during the Southern France campaign. It stars Howard Keel and Tina Louise.-Cast:*Howard Keel as Col. Devlin...
(1961) - For Those Who Think YoungFor Those Who Think Young (film)For Those Who Think Young is a 1964 beach party film directed by Leslie H. Martinson and featuring James Darren, Pamela Tiffin, Paul Lynde, Tina Louise, Bob Denver, Robert Middleton, and Woody Woodbury.-Plot:...
(1964) - The Seventh FloorThe Seventh FloorThe Seventh Floor is a 1967 Italian comedy film directed by and starring Ugo Tognazzi. It was entered into the 17th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Ugo Tognazzi - Giuseppe Inzerna* Tina Louise - Dr...
(1967) - The Wrecking CrewThe Wrecking Crew (1969 film)The Wrecking Crew, released in 1969 and starring Dean Martin, Elke Sommer, and Sharon Tate is the fourth and final film in a series of American comedy-spy-fi theatrical releases featuring Martin as secret agent Matt Helm....
(1969) - How to Commit MarriageHow to Commit MarriageHow to Commit Marriage is a 1969 comedy film directed by Norman Panama, featuring Bob Hope and Jackie Gleason in their only movie together. The film also stars Jane Wyman as Hope's wife, Tina Louise as record-producer Gleason's love interest, Leslie Nielsen as the straight man, and Irwin Corey as...
(1969) - The Good Guys and the Bad GuysThe Good Guys and the Bad GuysThe Good Guys and the Bad Guys is a 1969 film directed by Burt Kennedy. It stars Robert Mitchum and George Kennedy.-Cast:*Robert Mitchum as Flagg*George Kennedy as McKay*Martin Balsam as Mayor Wilker*David Carradine as Waco*Tina Louise as Carmel...
(1969) - The Happy EndingThe Happy EndingThe Happy Ending is a 1969 film written and directed by Richard Brooks, which tells the story of a repressed housewife who longs for liberation from her marriage...
(1969) - Love It or Leave It (1971) (documentary)
- Film Portrait (1973) (documentary)
- The Stepford WivesThe Stepford Wives (1975 film)The Stepford Wives is a 1975 science fiction–thriller film based on the 1972 Ira Levin novel of the same name. It was directed by Bryan Forbes with a screenplay by William Goldman, and stars Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Peter Masterson, Nanette Newman and Tina Louise...
(1975) - The Kentucky Fried MovieThe Kentucky Fried MovieThe Kentucky Fried Movie is an American comedy film, released in 1977 and directed by John Landis. The film's writers were the team of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker. This same team would go on to write and direct Airplane!, Top Secret! and the Police Squad! television series and its...
(1977) - Mean Dog Blues (1978)
- Dog Day (1984)
- Hell Riders (1984)
- Evils of the NightEvils of the NightEvils of the Night is a 1985 low-budget science fiction/"porno horror" film starring Aldo Ray, Neville Brand, Tina Louise, John Carradine, and Julie Newmar.-Plot:...
(1985) - The Pool (1987)
- O.C. and StiggsO.C. and StiggsO.C. and Stiggs is a 1987 film directed by Robert Altman, based on two characters that were originally featured in a series of stories published in National Lampoon magazine. The film stars Daniel H. Jenkins and Neill Barry as the title characters...
(1987) - Dixie Lanes (1988)
- Johnny SuedeJohnny SuedeJohnny Suede is the 1991 film directorial debut of writer-director Tom DiCillo. It starred Brad Pitt and Catherine Keener with early appearances from Samuel L. Jackson and Nick Cave.-Plot summary:...
(1991) - Welcome to Woop WoopWelcome to Woop WoopWelcome to Woop Woop is a 1997 Australian-British comedy film, directed by Stephan Elliott starring Johnathon Schaech and Rod Taylor. The film was based on the novel The Dead Heart by Douglas Kennedy...
(1997) - Little Pieces (2000)
- Growing Down in Brooklyn (2000)
- West from North Goes South (2004)
Television
- Jan Murray Time (1955)
- The Phil Silvers ShowThe Phil Silvers ShowThe Phil Silvers Show is a comedy television series which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959 for 142 episodes, plus a 1959 special. The series starred Phil Silvers as Master Sergeant Ernest G...
(1957) - Fanfare for a Death Scene (1964)
- Gilligan's IslandGilligan's IslandGilligan's Island is an American television series created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz and originally produced by United Artists Television. The situation comedy series featured Bob Denver; Alan Hale, Jr.; Jim Backus; Natalie Schafer; Tina Louise; Russell Johnson; and Dawn Wells. It aired for...
(1964–1967) – Ginger Grant - Love, American StyleLove, American StyleLove, American Style is an hour-long TV anthology produced by Paramount Television and originally aired between September 1969 and January 1974...
(Late 1960s) - BonanzaBonanzaBonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
(1967) – Mary Burns - IronsideIronside-Entertainment and literature:*Ironside , an American television series starring Raymond Burr*Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale, an urban fantasy novel by Holly Black-People:...
(1968) - Candy - It Takes a Thief (1968) – Anna Martine
- But I Don't Want to Get Married! (1970)
- KojakKojakKojak is an American television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired from October 24, 1973, to March 18, 1978, on CBS. It took the time slot of the popular Cannon series, which was moved one hour earlier...
(1974 episode – "Die Before They Wake") - Death Scream (1975)
- Look What's Happened to Rosemary's BabyLook What's Happened to Rosemary's BabyLook What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby is a 1976 TV movie, and a sequel to the 1968 film Rosemary's Baby. It has little connection to the novel by Ira Levin on which the first film was based.-The Book of Rosemary:...
(1976) - Nightmare in Badham County (1976)
- SST: Death FlightSST: Death FlightSST Death Flight is a 1977 made-for-TV movie produced by ABC Circle Films. It featured an all-star television cast and was directed by David Lowell Rich, who went on to direct The Concorde ... Airport '79...
(1977) - DallasDallas (TV series)Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
(1978–1979, cast as Julie Grey) - Friendships, Secrets and Lies (1979)
- Fantasy IslandFantasy IslandFantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...
(1979) - RitualsRituals (TV series)Rituals is an American soap opera that aired in syndication through Telepictures from September 10, 1984 to September 6, 1985. Created by Gene Palumbo, Ken Corday and Charlene Keel , 260 25-minute episodes were produced.The series later aired France from 1989 to 1990 under the name La...
(1984–1985) – Taylor Chapin Field von Platen - Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara (TV series)Santa Barbara is an American television soap opera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on July 30, 1984, and last aired on January 15, 1993. The show revolved around the eventful lives of the wealthy Capwell family of Santa Barbara, California...
(cast member in 1986) - Married... with ChildrenMarried... with ChildrenMarried... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
(1990) - All My ChildrenAll My ChildrenAll My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
(cast member in 1994)