Natalie Schafer

Natalie Schafer (November 5, 1900 – April 10, 1991) was an American actress, best known today for her role as Lovey Howell on the sitcom Gilligan's Island (1964–1967).

Early life and career

Natalie Schafer was born on November 5, 1900, in Red Bank, New Jersey. the eldest of the three children of Jennie (née Tim; family name originally Tein) and Charles Emanual Schafer, both of German descent. For the 1971–1972 television season, Schafer joined the cast of the CBS daytime serial, Search for Tomorrow, portraying Helen Collins, mother of Wade and Clay Collins. Immediately following that role, she played Augusta Roulland on another daytime soap, Love of Life. Her final performance was in the 1990 made-for-television horror film I'm Dangerous Tonight.

She guest-starred as well on many other television series, including Goodyear Playhouse/Philco Playhouse ("The Sisters", with Grace Kelly, 1951), I Love Lucy (1954), Producers' Showcase ("The Petrified Forest", 1955), Guestward, Ho! (1960), Thriller (American TV series) (1961), The Beverly Hillbillies (1964), Mayberry RFD (1970), Mannix (1972), The Brady Bunch (1974), Phyllis (1976), Three's Company (1978), and The Love Boat (1979).

Personal life

Schafer was married to actor Louis Calhern from 1933 to 1942; they had no children. Schafer and Calhern appeared together in the 1956 film Forever, Darling.

Schafer was secretive about her age. She reportedly never revealed her true year of birth to her husband during their marriage. For many years, her birth year was generally given as 1912. Few people believed this; yet her actual year of birth of 1900 (which was not discovered until after her death) surprised even her intimate friends. She was reportedly also a breast cancer survivor, a fact she withheld from her fans and friends.

At the time of her death, a family spokesman stated that Schafer's survivors included her longtime companion Maurice Hill.

Death Schafer died of liver cancer in her Beverly Hills home at the age of 90. She was cremated; her ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean, off San Pedro's Point Fermin Light. She bequeathed between $1.5 million and $2 million to the Lillian Booth Actors Home to renovate the hospital's outpatient wing, which was renamed the Natalie Schafer Wing in 1993.

Partial filmography

The Body Disappears (1941) – Mrs. Lunceford Reunion in France (1942) – Frau Amy Schroder Marriage Is a Private Affair (1944) – Mrs. Irene Selworth Keep Your Powder Dry (1945) – Harriet Corwin Molly and Me (1945) – Kitty Goode-Burroughs Wonder Man (1945) – Mrs. Hume Masquerade in Mexico (1945) – Irene Denny The Other Love (1947) – Dora Shelton Dishonored Lady (1947) – Ethel Royce Repeat Performance (1947) – Eloise Shaw Secret Beyond the Door (1947) – Edith Potter The Time of Your Life (1948) – Society Lady The Snake Pit (1948) – Mrs. Stuart Caught (1949) – Dorothy Dale Payment on Demand (1951) – Mrs. Edna Blanton Take Care of My Little Girl (1951) – Mother Cookie Clark The Law and the Lady (1951) – Pamela Pemberson Callaway Went Thataway (1951) – Martha Lorrison Just Across the Street (1952) – Gertrude Medford The Girl Next Door (1953) – Evelyn the maid Casanova's Big Night (1954) – Signora Foressi Female on the Beach (1955) – Queenie Sorenson Forever, Darling (1956) – Millie Opdyke Anastasia (1956) – Irina Lissemskaia Oh, Men! Oh, Women! (1957) – Mrs. Day Bernardine (1957) – Mrs. Madge Beaumont Back Street (1961) – Mrs. Evans

Thriller (1961) - Beatrice Graves

Susan Slade (1961) – Marion Corbett Route 66 (1962) - Emily Bridenbaugh Gilligan's Island (1964–1967) - (Mrs. "Lovey" Howell) The Canterville Ghost (TV episode of ABC Stage 67) (1966) - Mrs. Otis 40 Carats (1973) – Mrs. Adams The Day of the Locust (1975) – Audrey Jennings Beverly Hills Brats (1989) – Lillian I'm Dangerous Tonight (1990) – Grandmother