Jeanne Bates

Jeanne Bates (May 21, 1918 – November 28, 2007) was an American radio, film and television actress. After performing in radio serials, she signed a contract with Columbia Pictures in 1942 which began her career in films both in small parts and larger roles in a series of horror films and noirs, including The Return of the Vampire and Shadows in the Night (1946).

In her later career, Bates would collaborate with David Lynch on his films Eraserhead (1977) and Mulholland Drive (2001), the latter of which was her last film credit before her death in 2007.

Career Bates was born in Berkeley, California in 1918. She began her acting career while attending San Mateo Junior College, with roles on radio soap operas produced in San Francisco. Bates had the lead role, and supplied the signature scream, on the radio mystery series Whodunit. Following the war, the show was revived under the name "Murder Will Out." In 1943, she married the writer of Whodunit, Lew X. Lansworth (1904–1981). Bates also appeared in radio's "Gunsmoke", including the 12/13/1952 episode "Post Martin" and the 10/23/1960 episode "Newsma'am".

She also had her film debut in 1943, in a Boston Blackie mystery, The Chance of a Lifetime. She played Bela Lugosi's first victim in The Return of the Vampire (1943), Anne Winson in The Soul of a Monster (1944), Victoria in The Mask of Diijon (1946), Diana Palmer in The Phantom serial (1943), Agnes in Back from the Dead (film) (1957), and she also had a minor role in Death of a Salesman (1951).

Bates worked steadily in television beginning in the 1950s, including an appearance on the syndicated western series The Range Rider, and thereafter on episodes of NBC's Buckskin, Riverboat, and Peter Gunn, as well as the crime drama Sheriff of Cochise, and the aviation adventure series Sky King and Whirlybirds. She also appeared in a 1956 episode of The Lone Ranger entitled "The Cross of Santo Domingo".

In the series premiere, "The Ferris Wheel" (September 23, 1958), of the syndicated television series, Rescue 8, starring Jim Davis and Lang Jeffries, Bates played a woman recently released from a mental institution who is trapped at the top of a Ferris wheel with her young daughter, portrayed by Gina Gillespie. Rand Brooks guest stars in the episode as Tom Hickey. That year she made three appearances on Perry Mason, most notably as Jean Strague in "The Case of the Buried Clock".

In 1960, she was cast as Mrs. Grandsoir in the episode "Mrs. Viner Vanishes" of the ABC/Warner Brothers crime drama Bourbon Street Beat, starring Andrew Duggan. She is more remembered for having portrayed Nurse Wills on the ABC medical drama Ben Casey, from 1961 to 1966. She appeared with John Payne in various roles in five episodes of his NBC western series The Restless Gun, and also guest starred as Mrs. Wayne in the Rawhide episode "Incident of the Tinkers Dam".

Bates, who also taught acting, also appeared in films such as The Strangler (1964), Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came (1970), and David Lynch's Eraserhead (1977) as Mrs. X. In July 1982, she appeared on Broadway as Mrs. Bixby in a production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Her last roles were small parts in Die Hard 2 (1990), Grand Canyon (1991), Dream Lover (1994) and Mulholland Drive (2001). She also played the title role of a flesh-eating ghoul in Mom (1991), opposite Brion James, Mark Thomas Miller, and Stella Stevens.

Personal life Bates married Lew X. Lansworth in 1943 and was married to him until his death in 1981.

Death In 2007, Bates died of breast cancer at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California at age 89. Her remains are interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, California.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes1943 The Chance of a Lifetime Mary Watson The Return of the Vampire Miss Norcutt Uncredited There's Something About a Soldier Phyllis The Phantom Diana Palmer Film serial1944 The Racket Man Phyllis Lake Sundown Valley Sidney Hawkins Hey, Rookie Chief W.A.C. Uncredited The Black Parachute Olga She's a Soldier Too "Red" Burns Uncredited Shadows in the Night Adele Carter The Soul of a Monster Anne Winson Also known as Death Walks Alone It's Murder Mrs. Tom Blair Short film Sergeant Mike Terry Arno 1945 Tonight and Every Night W.A.C. Woman Uncredited1946 The Mask of Diijon Victoria 1951 The Living Christ Series Mary, Sister of Lazarus Miniseries Dangerous Assignment Eva Schaeffer Season 1 Episode 4 The memory Chain Trouble In-Laws Mrs. Herbert Short film Death of a Salesman Mother Uncredited1952 Paula Attending Nurse 1954 Sabaka Durga 1955 Gunsmoke Mrs. Nolan Smoking Out The Nolan's Gunsmoke Mrs. Wyatt Night Incident1956 Tension at Table Rock Mrs. Brice Uncredited1957 Trooper Hook Ann Weaver Back from the Dead Agnes 1958 The Restless Gun Mrs. Hoffman Episodes "Strange Family in Town", "Gratitude", "No Way to Kill" Blood Arrow Almee1959 The Restless Gun Episode "Better Than a Cannon" Hi, Grandma! Television film Have Gun Will Travel Harriet Morrow Episode "The Taffeta Mayor"1960 Vice Raid Marilyn Uncredited1961 The Twilight Zone Ethel Hollis It's a Good Life - Season 3 Episode 81964 The Strangler Clara Thomas1969 Mayberry RFD Jennie MaeS2 Episode 13 Palm Springs Cowboy Mannix Melinda WebberS2-Episode 10 "Night Out Of Time"1970 Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came Mrs. Flanders 1976 Gus Nurse 1977 Eraserhead Mrs. X Poco... Little Dog Lost Mrs. John Ashmore1986 Touch and Go Woman at the Morgue 1989 From the Dead of Night Nurse Television film1990 Die Hard 2 Older Woman (Northeast Plane) Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation Katherine 1991 Mom Emily Dwyer Wild Orchid II: Two Shades of Blue Mrs. Felt Grand Canyon Mrs. Menken 1994 Dream Lover Jeanne 2001 Mulholland Drive Irene

Television Year Title Role Notes1959 Rawhide Mrs Wayne S2:E16, "Incident of the Tinker's Dam"1983 General Hospital Mrs. Dodd and Stella Fields 1983 and temp 1987