Diana Bellamy

American actress (1943–2001)

Diana Bellamy

Born	(1943-09-19)September 19, 1943 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	June 17, 2001(2001-06-17) (aged 57) Valley Village, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1970–2001

Diana Alice Bellamy (September 19, 1943 – June 17, 2001) was an American character actress of stage, film, and television, during the 1980s and mid-2000s, who was often cast in both comedic and dramatic roles to great acclaim. Bellamy is known for her starring role as Head Nurse Maggie Poole in the NBC comedy 13 East, as Principal Cecilia Hall in Popular, as Mrs. Pananides in Outbreak, and as Switchboard Operator in Air Force One.

Life and career

Bellamy was born on September 19, 1943, in Los Angeles, California.^[1] Her family had ties to the establishment of Early Virginia and her father, Victor "Vic" Bellamy, was a Juilliard graduate and opera singer who later became a local Western actor.^[2] Diana did her undergraduate work at The University of South Florida in Tampa.She was active in the Theater Department. She attended Southern Methodist University (SMU) from which she graduated with a fine arts master's degree in 1970.^[3]^[4] She began her career with her own puppet theatre in her native Los Angeles and later began working professionally on the stage. Some of her stage work consists of appearances in The House of Blue Leaves at the Pasadena Playhouse, The Skin of Our Teeth at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego and the title role in Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You at Theater Geo in Los Angeles, and the handicapped Mrs. Nichols in Dorothy Parker’s The Ladies of the Corridor at the Tamarind Theater.^[5] In 1986, the Los Angeles Times wrote that she became her character of a snake handler in Talking With... (1986). "This is not an actress," they wrote, "this is a swamp woman holding a box with holes in it."^[6] She was praised in her role of Sister Mary in Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You at Theatre Geo in 1994.^[7] The Los Angeles Times wrote, "When Bellamy is good, she is very, very good."^[7]

In 1986 she was the strong and shapely policewoman who helped the young protagonists to defeat the criminal gang in Tom Trbovich's Free Ride.

Although she suffered from cancer, blindness, and diabetes^[5] she never let her illnesses stop her from pursuing a career in acting and she later went on to appear in over 80 film and TV roles throughout the 1980s up until her death, some of which included Murder, She Wrote; Tall Tales and Legends; Matlock; Alien Nation; Married... with Children; Life Goes On; Family Ties; Murphy Brown; Baywatch; Grace Under Fire; Wings; Seinfeld; Living Single; The Secret World of Alex Mack; and Life with Roger. Her film appearances included Malice, Air Force One, Outbreak, Ghosts of Mississippi, and Outrageous Fortune. Her first regular television role was as Nurse Poole in 13 East, which started in 1989.^[8] Her final role was a guest spot on Diagnosis Murder in the episode Being of Sound Mind which aired on March 2, 2001. Bellamy was a registered Democrat and a lifelong parishioner of the Methodist church.^[9]

She died from cancer at her home in Valley Village, California, three months later on June 17, 2001, at the age of 57.^[10] A memorial service was held for Bellamy on July 7, 2001, at the Court Theater in West Hollywood, California,^[5] and her cremains were scattered in the Pacific Ocean.^[11] Bellamy, in her own words, said of her health in a 1999 interview, "I had tried crying and being in a snit about blindness, but that was real boring. I've learned to live with it as best I can, and I feel very blessed that this has happened."^[12]

Filmography

Cinema

1983 D.C. Cab^[13] as Maudie
1985 Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment^[14] as Nurse
1986 Free Ride^[14] as Woman Guard
1986 My Chauffeur^[14] as Blue Lady
1986 Crossroads^[14] as Hospital Supervisor
1986 Odd Jobs^[14] as Woman In Restaurant
1987 Outrageous Fortune^[14] as Madam
1987 Stripped to Kill^[15] as Shirl
1987 Blind Date^[14] as Maid
1987 Maid to Order^[14] as Woman In Unemployment Office
1987 Born in East L.A. as Harry's Wife
1987 Under Cover (1987) as Lynette Destens
1988 The Nest as Mrs. Pennington
1988 Spellbinder^[14] as Grace Woods
1991 Critters 3^[14] as Rosalie
1992 Passed Away^[16] as "Froggie"
1992 Passed Away as B.J.
1993 Malice^[14] as Ms. Worthington
1995 Outbreak^[14] as Mrs. Pananides
1996 Diabolique as Ms. Vawze
1996 Ghosts of Mississippi^[14] as Barbara Holder
1997 Air Force One^[14] as Switchboard Operator

Television

1983 The Skin of Our Teeth^[14] as Miss E. Muse / Ivy
1985 Condor (TV Movie)^[14] as Opera Singer
1986 Hunter as Waterworks Receptionist
1987 Married... with Children as Shirley
1988 Shootdown (TV Movie)^[14] as Lillian
1989 The Final Days^[17] as Rose Mary Woods
1989 Alien Nation as Betsy Ross
1989-1990 13 East^[18] as Maggie Poole
1992 Baywatch Abigail Kenilworth Season 3 Episode 15, 16 Vacation Part 1 and Part 2
1992 On the Air^[19] as Ethel Thissle
1994 Living Single^[20] as Judge Glazer
1994 Amelia Earhart: The Final Flight (TV Movie)^[14] as Mrs. Atkinson
1994-1995 Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad^[14] as Cha-Cha Rimba Starkey
1996 Married... with Children as Shirley
1996 Wings as Mother (voice)
1997 Desert's Edge (TV Movie)^[14]
1999-2001 Popular as Principal Cecelia Hall

Theater

1981 Funny Girl at Sebastian's/West as Mama Brice^[21]
1984 Creatures at Odyssey Theatre^[22] as Sister Ratissa^[23]
1985 The Serving of Two Masters at Playbill Theatre as Adaptation^[24]
1985 Romeo and Juliet at The Globe Playhouse as The Nurse^[25]
1986 Why Hanna's Skirt Won't Stay Down at Coast Playhouse as Sophie^[26]
1986 Talking With... at the Olio Theater as Snake Handler^[6]
1987 Mensch Meier at the Odyssey Theatre as Mama^[27]
1987 The House of Blue Leaves at the Pasadena Playhouse as Sister Superior^[28]
1992 Lady-Like at the Philadelphia Theatre Company as Mary Carryll^[29]
1994 Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You at Theatre Geo as Sister Mary^[7]
1996 Weekend in Goshen at Theatre Geo as Art's Mother^[30]

References

^ Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons (3rd ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 54. ISBN 9781476625997.
^ Bellamy, Joe David (2005). The Bellamys of Early Virginia. Virginia Beach, Virginia: Bellamy House Publishing. pp. xiv. ISBN 9780595360970.
^ Andres, Holly (June 28, 2001). "Memorial Service Set for Actress Bellamy". Daily News. Archived from the original on September 5, 2017 – via HighBeam Research.
^ "State School Students Joined by College Students for Play". The Mexia Daily News. May 23, 1969. Retrieved August 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Diana Bellamy". Variety. June 29, 2001. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
^ ^a ^b Loynd, Ray (June 6, 1986). "'L'amante Anglaise' At Stages Goes For The Kill". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c "'Sister Mary Ignatius' Is Satisfyingly Silly". Los Angeles Times. October 21, 1994. Retrieved August 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "TalkBack". Los Angeles Times. September 17, 1989. Retrieved August 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ An Interview with Diana Bellamy, Skip E. Lowe, 1994
^ "Diana Bellamy; Character Actress". Los Angeles Times. June 24, 2001. Retrieved August 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Wilson, Scott (August 19, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. ISBN 9781476625997 – via Google Books.
^ Starr, Michael (August 18, 1999). "BLIND 'POPULAR' STAR ISN'T ACTING".
^ Hahn, Fritz (August 9, 2011). "Catch 'D.C. Cab' at MiG Bar". Washington Post. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t Lentz, III, Harris M., ed. (2002). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2011: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 31. ISBN 9780786412785.
^ "Stripped to Kill". Video Hound's Golden Movie Retriever. January 1, 2008. Archived from the original on September 5, 2017 – via HighBeam Research.
^ Maslin, Janet (April 24, 1992). "Review/Film; Carefree Look at Death Reveals Family Conflicts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
^ "Nixon". Daily Record. October 29, 1989. Retrieved August 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Boedeker, Hal (April 14, 1990). "'13 East' In Need of a Prayer". The Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved August 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Best Bets". Tampa Bay Times. June 27, 1992. Retrieved August 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Living Single: Double Indignity". iMDB. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
^ Lowell, Sondra (November 20, 1981). "'Miracle Worker' at Gem Theater". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Sullivan, Dan (March 23, 1984). "'Creatures' Lacking Their Comforts". Los Angeles Times. p. 7. Retrieved August 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Sullivan, Dan (August 31, 2017). "'Creatures' Lacking Their Comforts". Los Angeles Times. p. 8. Retrieved August 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Openings". Los Angeles Times. August 22, 1985. Retrieved August 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Ellis, Kirk (January 30, 1985). "A Winning Juliet Plays the Globe". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Christon, Lawrence (August 14, 1986). "'Hanna's Skirt' Casts its Spiel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Sullivan, Dan (August 27, 1987). "Odyssey Production : 'Mensch Meier': Message Play With Little To Say". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
^ "McClanahan True to 'Blue Leaves'". Los Angeles Times. May 5, 1987. Retrieved August 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Ridley, Clifford A. (January 10, 1992). "Over the Years With Two Female Social Pioneers". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 31, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Collins, Scott (February 16, 1996). "Witty 'Goshen' Examines Art, Commerce". Los Angeles Times – via Newspapers.com.