Louise Platt (August 3, 1915 – September 6, 2003[1]) was an American theater, film, and TV actress.

Louise Platt
Platt in 1941
Born(1915-08-03)August 3, 1915
DiedSeptember 6, 2003(2003-09-06) (aged 88)
OccupationActress
Years active1936–1963
Spouses
(m. 1939; div. 1941)
Stanley Gould
(m. 1950, died)
Children2

Early years

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Platt was born in Stamford, Connecticut, and grew up in Annapolis, Maryland.[1] Her father was a dental surgeon in the Navy.[2]

Career

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Platt's first professional acting experience came in stock theater in Suffern, New York.[3] She went on to act in stock productions "from Maine to Virginia to Minnesota".[4] Her Broadway credits include The Traitor (1949), Anne of the Thousand Days (1948), Five Alarm Waltz (1941), In Clover (1937), Promise (1936), Spring Dance (1936), and A Room in Red and White (1936).[5]

 
George Bancroft, John Wayne and Louise Platt in Stagecoach (1939)

Platt is best remembered for her role as the officer's pregnant wife in John Ford's Stagecoach (1939). After two years on Broadway, she came to Hollywood in 1938. She returned to the New York stage in 1942 after acting in a half-dozen movies. She worked with Rex Harrison in Anne of the Thousand Days on Broadway in 1948 and in the 1950s played a variety of roles on television, including two appearances on Alfred Hitchcock Presents and a recurring role as Ruth Holden on The Guiding Light.[1]

Personal life

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Platt was first married to theater director Jed Harris, who abused her.[6] On August 25, 1950, she married director Stanley Gould in North Guilford, Connecticut.[7] They remained together until his death. Each marriage produced a daughter.[6]

Death

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On September 6, 2003, Platt died at a hospital in Greenport, New York, at age 88. The cause of her death was not disclosed.[1]

Filmography

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Year Title Co-stars Role Notes
1938 I Met My Love Again Joan Bennett, Henry Fonda Brenda Wayne
Spawn of the North George Raft, Henry Fonda Dian 'Di' Turlon
1939 Stagecoach Claire Trevor, John Wayne Mrs. Lucy Mallory
Tell No Tales Melvyn Douglas Ellen Frazier
1940 Forgotten Girls Robert Armstrong Judy Wingate
Captain Caution Victor Mature Corunna Dorman
1942 Street of Chance Burgess Meredith, Claire Trevor Virginia Thompson
1957 Alfred Hitchcock Presents John Baragrey, Georgann Johnson Marsha Hendricks Season 2 Episode 23: "One for the Road"
1958 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Keenan Wynn, Doreen Lang Ethel Botibol Season 3 Episode 35: "Dip in the Pool"

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Louise Platt, 88: Last Survivor of Passengers in Movie 'Stagecoach'". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. September 25, 2003. p. B 12. Retrieved September 12, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.  
  2. ^ Harrison, Paul (May 22, 1939). "Harrison Turns Hollywood Spotlight On Three New Faces Facing Cameras". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. Utah, Ogden. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 8. Retrieved September 12, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "Lovely Stage Star Saw World As Child of Navy Surgeon". Sunday Times Signal. Ohio, Zanesville. November 26, 1950. p. Section 4 - Page 3. Retrieved September 12, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ Harrison, Paul (June 12, 1940). "Louise Platt Climbs on Play Flops". The Salt Lake Telegram. Utah, Salt Lake City. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 16. Retrieved September 12, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.  
  5. ^ "Louise Platt". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on September 12, 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Vallance, Tom (October 2, 2003). "Louise Platt". The Independent. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  7. ^ "Marriages". Billboard. September 9, 1950. p. 63. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
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