Penelope Windust obit

 

Penelope Windust Obituary

She was not on the list.

Penelope Marjorie Windust was born on July 13, 1945, in New York City and passed away peacefully after a long illness at home in Guilford, Connecticut, on February 2, 2022.

She was the daughter of stage and film director Bretaigne Windust and actress Irene Windust. Penelope, known by many as Penny, attended Beverly Hills High School and The Brearley School, and graduated from Carnegie Tech, later known as Carnegie Mellon University in 1967 with a BFA in Acting.

Penny will be remembered for her distinctive, infectious laugh and for the gracious and professional way she touched the lives of those she worked with as an actress. Even those with whom she shared one day on a set remember her warmth, humor, and giving nature. She always said that when moving to a new place, a library should be one of your first stops. She imparted her love of literature and the arts into her children and grandchildren through play - reading, storytelling, music, and crafts. She was an animal lover, an avid horsewoman, a writer, and an educator, working with people with intellectual and learning differences. She was passionate about the history of film and enjoyed many hours of robust dialogue about her favorite motion pictures. She was certified in flower arrangement, loved gardening, and was an accomplished cook and wonderful hostess who loved preparing and eating great food. She loved the beach and all things ocean, crochet and crafts, giving gifts, and spending time with her family. She followed the teachings of Science of Mind and maintained a rich spiritual practice.

Penny had a long career as a working actress. She began her career as a teenager in summer stock, appearing in Irene, Under the Yum Yum Tree, and The Enchanted. She toured as Marilyn in Silverplate, appeared in the national tour of America Hurrah, and as Christine Marlowe in Room Service with the Loretto-Hilton Repertory Company in St. Louis and Charlotte in Horatio at the Arena Stage, Washington DC. She was a silent partner on the production team of the original Godspell, which opened off-Broadway in 1971.

She made her Broadway debut in Spofford, fresh out of college, and was nominated for a Tony Award in 1972 for the title role in Elizabeth I. More theatrical roles included work with the 1973 San Diego Shakespeare Festival, playing Portia in The Merchant of Venice, Julia in Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Cordelia in King Lear. Other stage credits include Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream at Denver Center Rep, Closely Related, The Elephant Man and You Can't Take It With You at South Coast Rep and A Perfect Ganesh at the Arizona Theatre Company. She also appeared in projects at Los Angeles's well-known small theatres, Theatre Forty and Theatre West, as well as East Hampton's Hamptons Shakespeare Festival.

Penny's many guest appearances on television included Guiding Light, Wonder Woman, Hawaii Five-O, The Six Million Dollar Man, Falcon Crest, Dallas, Mannix, Matlock, Murder She Wrote, Macgyver, Nero Wolfe, Criminal Minds, ER, Third Watch and Boston Legal. She was known as Bernadine Norris on the TV special Mothers Day on Walton's Mountain and Kathleen Maxwell in the original miniseries V. Her best-known film roles included Grace in Ghost Town and Maggie Stone in Disney's Iron Will in 1994. Her most recent movie was You Don't Mess with the Zohan.

Penny is survived by her daughters Arcadia Conrad and Brittany Jones, and her beloved grandchildren Emily, Grady, and Luna. She will be tremendously missed.

Filmography

Film

Year        Title        Role       Notes

1976     The Keegans       Pamela Voorhees Keegan              Television film

1976     The Call of the Wild         Rosemary           

1977     Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo      Gloria Beasley    Television film

1981     Death Ray 2000 Emma Blessing  Television film

1982     Mother's Day on Waltons Mountain         Nurse Norris       Television film

1982     Johnny Belinda  Dr. Harris              Television film

1982     The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet                Lady Capulet      [4]

1984     Children in the Crossfire TV Newswoman               Television film

1985     Scandal Sheet    —           Television film

1988     Bird        Bellevue Nurse 

1988     Ghost Town        Grace    

1989     Flying Blind         Blonde Teacher  Television film

1989     Naked Lie             Alison Browning               Television film

1992     A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story      Dr. Miller              Television film

1992     The Nightman    Mrs. Fordyce      Television film

1993     Cooperstown     Receptionist       Television film

1994     Iron Will                Maggie Stoneman           

2008     McBride: Requiem           Celeste Clayton Television film

2008     You Don't Mess with the Zohan  Second Woman in Cab  

Television

Year        Title        Role       Notes

1975     Mannix Ruth O'Neill        1 episode

1975     Hawaii Five-O     Dr. Sheila Cramer              1 episode

1975     Ellery Queen       Anita Leslie/Cousin Lindsay          1 episode

1975     Emergency! S5Ep8           Jane Larson         1 episode

1976     The Six Million Dollar Man            Marlene Bekey  2 episodes

1977     Delvecchio           Estelle Richards 1 episode

1978     Husbands, Wives & Lovers            Mrs. Howard/Flo              2 episodes

1978     Wonder Woman               Dr. Sylvia Stubbs               1 episode

1978     Nero Wolfe         Laura Fromm     1 episode

1981     The Waltons       Bernadine Norris              1 episode

1982     Lou Grant            Josephine Bowers            1 episode

1983     V             Kathleen Maxwell             2 episodes

1983     Hotel     Elizabeth Stanton             1 episode

1985     Cover Up             Model   1 episode

1985     Finder of Lost Loves        Mrs. Murdock    1 episode

1982–85              Falcon Crest        Doctor  4 episodes

1986     Dallas    Mrs. Crane          2 episodes

1987     MacGyver            Connie Thornton              1 episode

1988     Matlock                Donna Stewart  1 episode

1989     1st & Ten: The Championship      Rebecca                1 episode

1990     China Beach        Jean Winslow     1 episode

1992     Doogie Howser, M.D.      Dr. Joanna Fields               1 episode

1992     Civil Wars            Rita Sawyer         1 episode

1992     Married... with Children Sales Lady            1 episode

1993     Reasonable Doubts         Elaine Curtis       1 episode

1993     Murder, She Wrote          Laura Bennett    1 episode

1996     High Incident      —           1 episode

1997     ER           Mrs. Martineau 1 episode

2002     Third Watch        Crazy Lady           1 episode

2004     Boston Legal       Martha Silver     1 episode

2005     Criminal Minds  Lynette Giles       1 episode

2006     Smith    Dental Receptionist         1 episode