Diana Bellamy Explained

Birth Date:September 19, 1943
Birth Place:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Death Place:Valley Village, Los Angeles, 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-90s 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."

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 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, Los Angeles, 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, 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

Television

Theater

Notes and References

  1. Book: Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. 2016. 9781476625997. 3rd. Jefferson, North Carolina. 54.
  2. Book: Bellamy, Joe David. The Bellamys of Early Virginia. Bellamy House Publishing. 2005. 9780595360970. Virginia Beach, Virginia. xiv.
  3. Andres. Holly. 2001-06-28. Memorial Service Set for Actress Bellamy. https://web.archive.org/web/20170905230929/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-83599165.html. dead. 2017-09-05. Daily News . HighBeam Research.
  4. News: State School Students Joined by College Students for Play. 23 May 1969. The Mexia Daily News. 31 August 2017. Newspapers.com.
  5. News: Diana Bellamy. 2001-06-29. Variety. 2017-08-30. en-US.
  6. News: 'L'amante Anglaise' At Stages Goes For The Kill. Loynd. Ray. 1986-06-06. Los Angeles Times. 2017-08-31. en-US. 0458-3035.
  7. News: 'Sister Mary Ignatius' Is Satisfyingly Silly. 21 October 1994. Los Angeles Times. 31 August 2017. Newspapers.com.
  8. News: TalkBack. 17 September 1989. Los Angeles Times. 31 August 2017. Newspapers.com.
  9. An Interview with Diana Bellamy, Skip E. Lowe, 1994
  10. News: Diana Bellamy; Character Actress. 24 June 2001. Los Angeles Times. 31 August 2017. Newspapers.com.
  11. Book: Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.. August 19, 2016. McFarland. 9781476625997. Google Books.
  12. Web site: BLIND 'POPULAR' STAR ISN'T ACTING. Michael. Starr. August 18, 1999.
  13. News: Catch 'D.C. Cab' at MiG Bar. Hahn. Fritz. 9 August 2011. Washington Post. 2017-08-31.
  14. Book: Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2011: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. 2002. 9780786412785. Lentz, III. Harris M.. Jefferson, North Carolina. 31.
  15. 2008-01-01. Stripped to Kill. https://web.archive.org/web/20170905233737/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-2505924886.html. dead. 2017-09-05. Video Hound's Golden Movie Retriever. HighBeam Research.
  16. News: Review/Film; Carefree Look at Death Reveals Family Conflicts. Maslin. Janet. 1992-04-24. The New York Times. 2017-08-31. en-US. 0362-4331.
  17. News: Nixon. 29 October 1989. Daily Record. 31 August 2017. Newspapers.com.
  18. News: '13 East' In Need of a Prayer. Boedeker. Hal. 14 April 1990. The Akron Beacon Journal. 31 August 2017. Newspapers.com.
  19. News: Best Bets. 27 June 1992. Tampa Bay Times. 31 August 2017. Newspapers.com.
  20. "Living Single: Double Indignity". iMDB. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  21. News: 'Miracle Worker' at Gem Theater. Lowell. Sondra. 20 November 1981. Los Angeles Times. 31 August 2017. Newspapers.com.
  22. News: 'Creatures' Lacking Their Comforts. Sullivan. Dan. 23 March 1984. Los Angeles Times. 31 August 2017. 7. Newspapers.com.
  23. News: 'Creatures' Lacking Their Comforts. Sullivan. Dan. 31 August 2017. Los Angeles Times. 31 August 2017. 8. Newspapers.com.
  24. News: Openings. 22 August 1985. Los Angeles Times. 31 August 2017. Newspapers.com.
  25. News: A Winning Juliet Plays the Globe. Ellis. Kirk. 30 January 1985. Los Angeles Times. 31 August 2017. Newspapers.com.
  26. News: 'Hanna's Skirt' Casts its Spiel. Christon. Lawrence. 14 August 1986. Los Angeles Times. 31 August 2017. Newspapers.com.
  27. News: Odyssey Production : 'Mensch Meier': Message Play With Little To Say. Sullivan. Dan. 1987-08-27. Los Angeles Times. 2017-08-31. en-US. 0458-3035.
  28. News: McClanahan True to 'Blue Leaves'. 5 May 1987. Los Angeles Times. 31 August 2017. Newspapers.com.
  29. News: Over the Years With Two Female Social Pioneers. Ridley. Clifford A.. 10 January 1992. The Philadelphia Inquirer. 31 August 2017. Newspapers.com.
  30. News: Witty 'Goshen' Examines Art, Commerce. Collins. Scott. 16 February 1996. Los Angeles Times. Newspapers.com.

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