Actor Priscilla Pointer Has Died at 100
Ms. Pointer was one of the last surviving legends from Tennessee Williams' cavalcade, having performed in the original tour of A Streetcar Named Desire.
She was not on the list.
Actor Priscilla Pointer died April 28, after a well-lived
life of 100 years. She died in her sleep, just short of her 101st birthday.
News of her passing was confirmed by her daughter, Amy Irving.
Ms. Pointer was one of the last surviving legends from Tennessee
Williams cavalcade, having performed in the original tour of A Streetcar Named
Desire. An ever-reliable interpreter of Williams' work, she performed in
countless productions of his plays, including the 1970 Broadway revival of
Camino Real, and the 1973 revival of Streetcar.
Ms. Pointer was born May 18, 1924 in New York City. For much
of Ms. Pointer's professional career, she worked alongside her first husband,
Jules Irving, with whom she co-founded the San Francisco Actors' Workshop (with
Herbert Blau and Beatrice Manley also joining in). The company was immensely
successful, and for a time it controlled the Vivian Beaumont theatre in New
York—prior to the establishment of Lincoln Center Theater.
On Broadway, Ms. Pointer starred in 13 total productions,
including the original Broadway productions of The Caucasian Chalk Circle, The
Condemned of Altona, Yerma, and The East Wind. Following the death of Mr.
Irving in 1979, she married director Robert Symonds, who had co-led the
Repertory Theatre of Lincoln Center alongside Mr. Irving. Mr. Symonds
predeceased Ms. Pointer in 2007.
Offstage, Ms. Pointer was a familiar face on film and
television, including the original film of Carrie, Mommie Dearest, David
Lynch's Blue Velvet, and more. Her daughter, Amy Irving, is an Academy Award
nominee, having playing alongside her mother in numerous films, including the
aforementioned Carrie, Honeysuckle Rose, and Carried Away. Additionally, Ms.
Pointer appeared in three films directed by her son David: the 1987 musical
adaptation of Rumpelstiltskin, Good-bye, Cruel World, and C.H.U.D. II: Bud the
C.H.U.D.
Ms. Pointer is survived by her three children, David, Katie,
and Amy. Pointer was the mother of actress and singer Amy
Irving, making her the former mother-in-law of filmmakers Steven Spielberg and
Bruno Barreto.
Actress
Blue Velvet Lost Footage (2014)
Blue Velvet Lost Footage
7.1
Mrs. Beaumont
2014
Sweet Nothing in My Ear (2008)
Sweet Nothing in My Ear
6.6
TV Movie
Sally (voice)
2008
Union Station (2007)
Union Station
5.1
Short
2007
Cold Case (2003)
Cold Case
7.6
TV Series
Lillian Vine - 2006
2006
1 episode
Judging Amy (1999)
Judging Amy
7.1
TV Series
Margaret Palmer
2001
1 episode
Jean-Claude Van Damme in Inferno (1999)
Inferno
5.2
Mrs. Henry Howard
1999
Alone (1997)
Alone
5.6
TV Movie
Susan Hight
1997
Dennis Hopper and Amy Irving in Carried Away (1996)
Carried Away
6.3
Lily Henson
1996
Roma Downey, John Dye, and Della Reese in Touched by an
Angel (1994)
Touched by an Angel
6.1
TV Series
Elizabeth Carpenter
1996
1 episode
Picket Fences (1992)
Picket Fences
7.8
TV Series
Dr. Ellen Smithie
1995
1 episode
Anthony Edwards, Julianna Margulies, Ming-Na Wen, Noah Wyle,
Laura Innes, Alex Kingston, Eriq La Salle, Kellie Martin, Paul McCrane, Michael
Michele, Erik Palladino, Maura Tierney, and Goran Visnjic in ER (1994)
ER
7.9
TV Series
Mrs. Abernathy
1994
1 episode
Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics (1994)
Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics
6.2
TV Movie
Woman in cinema (segment "The Theatre")
1994
The Painted Desert (1993)
The Painted Desert
7.6
Barbara
1993
Traveler's Rest
9.1
TV Short
Annie
1993
George Clooney and Diane Louise Salinger in Unbecoming Age
(1992)
Unbecoming Age
4.2
Grandma
1992
Runaway Father (1991)
Runaway Father
6.3
TV Movie
Mary Bennett
1991
Tom Irwin in My Life and Times (1991)
My Life and Times
7.6
TV Series
Phyllis Eastman
1991
1 episode
Dane Farwell and John Wesley Shipp in The Flash (1990)
The Flash
7.1
TV Series
Nora Allen
1990–1991
3 episodes
Disturbed (1990)
Disturbed
5.1
Nurse Francine
1990
A Show of Force (1990)
A Show of Force
5.3
Alice Ryan
1990
Nancy McKeon in A Cry for Help: The Tracey Thurman Story
(1989)
A Cry for Help: The Tracey Thurman Story
7.8
TV Movie
Tracey's Mother
1989
C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud (1989)
C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud
4.1
Doctor Berlin
1989
Stacy Keach in Hemingway (1988)
Hemingway
6.6
TV Mini Series
Grace Hemingway
1988
4 episodes
Still Frame
Short
1988
L.A. Law (1986)
L.A. Law
7.1
TV Series
Judge Dorothy M. Pehlman
1986–1988
4 episodes
Mary Frann, Jennifer Holmes, Steven Kampmann, Bob Newhart,
and Tom Poston in Newhart (1982)
Newhart
7.8
TV Series
Clara Whitscomber
1987
1 episode
Rags to Riches (1987)
Rags to Riches
7.6
TV Series
Ruby
1987
1 episode
Billy Barty, Amy Irving, and Priscilla Pointer in
Rumpelstiltskin (1987)
Rumpelstiltskin
5.3
Queen Grizelda
1987
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
6.7
Dr. Elizabeth Simms
1987
From the Hip (1987)
From the Hip
6.1
Mrs. Martha Williams
1987
Kevin Costner, Harvey Keitel, Charlie Sheen, Christopher
Lloyd, and John Lithgow in Amazing Stories (1985)
Amazing Stories
7.4
TV Series
Older Charlie
Lady on Train
1985–1987
2 episodes
Isabella Rossellini and Kyle MacLachlan in Blue Velvet
(1986)
Blue Velvet
7.7
Mrs. Beaumont
1986
Craig T. Nelson in Call to Glory (1984)
Call to Glory
7.8
TV Series
Lillie
1984–1985
6 episodes
Generation (1985)
Generation
5.2
TV Movie
Ellen Breed
1985
Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn in The Falcon and the Snowman
(1985)
The Falcon and the Snowman
6.8
Mrs. Lee
1985
Micki + Maude (1984)
Micki + Maude
6.0
Diana Hutchison
1984
Lydia Cornell, Jim J. Bullock, Nancy Dussault, Ted Knight,
and Deborah Van Valkenburgh in Too Close for Comfort (1980)
Too Close for Comfort
6.6
TV Series
Betty Farnsworth
1984
1 episode
Stacy Keach in The New Mike Hammer (1984)
The New Mike Hammer
6.8
TV Series
Edna Grundy
1984
1 episode
Denzel Washington, Ed Begley Jr., David Morse, Howie Mandel,
Cynthia Sikes, Ellen Bry, William Daniels, and Ed Flanders in St. Elsewhere
(1982)
St. Elsewhere
8.0
TV Series
Marie Halloran
1984
1 episode
Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
Twilight Zone: The Movie
6.4
Miss Cox (segment "Kick the Can")
1983
George Peppard, Mr. T, Dirk Benedict, and Dwight Schultz in
The A-Team (1983)
The A-Team
7.5
TV Series
Tracy Richter's Mother
1983
1 episode
Jack Klugman in Quincy, M.E. (1976)
Quincy, M.E.
7.3
TV Series
Nurse Kathy Benson
Mrs. Neilson
1978–1983
3 episodes
Victoria Principal, Barbara Bel Geddes, Patrick Duffy, Larry
Hagman, Charlene Tilton, Jim Davis, Linda Gray, and Steve Kanaly in Dallas
(1978)
Dallas
7.1
TV Series
Rebecca Barnes Wentworth
1981–1983
44 episodes
Good-bye Cruel World (1982)
Good-bye Cruel World
4.4
Myra
1982
Mysterious Two (1982)
Mysterious Two
4.2
TV Movie
She
1982
The Gift of Life (1982)
The Gift of Life
6.3
TV Movie
Rosalee Boyer
1982
Judgment Day (1981)
Judgment Day
4.6
TV Movie
Mrs. Miller
1981
Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest (1981)
Mommie Dearest
6.6
Mrs. Chadwick
1981
Edward Asner in Lou Grant (1977)
Lou Grant
7.3
TV Series
Elizabeth Driscoll
1981
1 episode
Belinda Bauer in The Archer: Fugitive from the Empire (1981)
The Archer: Fugitive from the Empire
5.3
TV Movie
1981
Richard Dreyfuss and Amy Irving in The Competition (1980)
The Competition
6.6
Mrs. Donellan
1980
Dyan Cannon, Amy Irving, and Willie Nelson in Honeysuckle
Rose (1980)
Honeysuckle Rose
6.3
Rosella Ramsey
1980
Natalie Wood and William Devane in From Here to Eternity
(1979)
From Here to Eternity
7.1
TV Series
Mrs. Amelia Austin
1980
1 episode
Donna Mills, Joan Van Ark, Michele Lee, Constance McCashin,
John Pleshette, and Ted Shackelford in Knots Landing (1979)
Knots Landing
7.0
TV Series
Beatrice Handleman
1980
1 episode
Stone (1979)
Stone
6.5
TV Series
Mary Poulton
1980
1 episode
The Onion Field (1979)
The Onion Field
6.8
Chrissie Campbell
1979
Meredith Baxter, Kristy McNichol, James Broderick, Gary
Frank, and Sada Thompson in Family (1976)
Family
7.7
TV Series
Pat Wills
Joan Schiller
1977–1979
2 episodes
Kate Mulgrew in Mrs. Columbo (1979)
Mrs. Columbo
5.6
TV Series
Mrs. Prior
1979
1 episode
ABC Afterschool Specials (1972)
ABC Afterschool Specials
7.1
TV Series
Ruth Meredith
1978
1 episode
What Really Happened to the Class of '65? (1977)
What Really Happened to the Class of '65?
7.0
TV Series
Dr. Maurice
1977
1 episode
Diane Keaton in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977)
Looking for Mr. Goodbar
6.7
Mrs. Dunn
1977
Susan Dey and Natasha Ryan in Mary Jane Harper Cried Last
Night (1977)
Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night
7.2
TV Movie
Laura Atherton
1977
Elizabeth Montgomery and Dean Stockwell in A Killing Affair
(1977)
A Killing Affair
6.1
TV Movie
Judge Cudahy
1977
The 3,000 Mile Chase (1977)
The 3,000 Mile Chase
5.7
TV Movie
Emma Dvorak
1977
Buddy Ebsen in Barnaby Jones (1973)
Barnaby Jones
6.9
TV Series
Mrs. Cunningham
Sandra Lorenzo
Nancy Moore
1974–1977
3 episodes
Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years (1977)
Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years
7.9
TV Movie
Missy LeHand
1977
Nickelodeon (1976)
Nickelodeon
6.2
Mabel
1976
Sissy Spacek in Carrie (1976)
Carrie
7.4
Mrs. Snell
1976
Phyllis (1975)
Phyllis
6.4
TV Series
Lucille
1976
1 episode
Barnard Hughes in Doc (1975)
Doc
6.9
TV Series
Marge Pike
1976
1 episode
The Great Texas Dynamite Chase (1976)
The Great Texas Dynamite Chase
5.9
Miss Harris
1976
The Keegans (1976)
The Keegans
7.0
TV Movie
Helen Hunter McVey
1976
City of Angels (1976)
City of Angels
7.7
TV Series
Mrs. Macklin
1976
1 episode
Bert D'Angelo/Superstar (1976)
Bert D'Angelo/Superstar
5.9
TV Series
Helen
1976
1 episode
Angie Dickinson in Police Woman (1974)
Police Woman
6.6
TV Series
Adele French (as Pricilla Pointer)
1976
2 episodes
David Janssen in Harry O (1973)
Harry O
7.5
TV Series
Constance Faraday
1976
1 episode
Collision Course: Truman vs. MacArthur (1976)
Collision Course: Truman vs. MacArthur
7.0
TV Movie
Jean MacArthur
1976
William Conrad in Cannon (1971)
Cannon
6.8
TV Series
Edith Cunningham
Dr. Janet Cochran
1975
2 episodes
Kate McShane (1975)
Kate McShane
6.2
TV Series
Mrs. Inerson
1975
1 episode
McCoy (1975)
McCoy
6.3
TV Series
Lucy Meredith
1975
1 episode
Telly Savalas in Kojak (1973)
Kojak
7.1
TV Series
Regina
1975
1 episode
Noah Beery Jr. and James Garner in The Rockford Files (1974)
The Rockford Files
8.2
TV Series
Helen Morris
1974
1 episode
Sons and Daughters (1974)
Sons and Daughters
8.4
TV Series
Janet Coburn
1974
1 episode
Natalie Wood and Jacques Sernas in Camera Three (1954)
Camera Three
7.3
TV Series
1973
1 episode
Kent McCord and Martin Milner in Adam-12 (1968)
Adam-12
7.7
TV Series
Jacqueline Carey
1973
1 episode
Where the Heart Is (1969)
Where the Heart Is
7.8
TV Series
Adrienne Rainey
1973
3 episodes
The Failing of Raymond (1971)
The Failing of Raymond
6.6
TV Movie
History Teacher
1971
Dennis Weaver in McCloud (1970)
McCloud
6.9
TV Series
Shirley
1971
1 episode
Death Takes a Holiday (1971)
Death Takes a Holiday
7.2
TV Movie
Marion Chapman
1971
The Name of the Game (1968)
The Name of the Game
7.6
TV Series
Miss Dalton
1970
1 episode
Leif Erickson, Linda Cristal, Henry Darrow, Cameron
Mitchell, and Mark Slade in The High Chaparral (1967)
The High Chaparral
7.6
TV Series
Mrs.Colton
1970
1 episode
Vince Edwards in Matt Lincoln (1970)
Matt Lincoln
6.5
TV Series
1970
1 episode
N.Y.P.D. (1967)
N.Y.P.D.
7.3
TV Series
Woman
1969
1 episode
The New Adventures of China Smith
7.1
TV Series
Iris Clark
Carla Tilson
1954
2 episodes
Self
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010)
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy
8.5
Video
Self
Dr. Elizabeth Simms
2010
School's Out: Self-taught Artists
Short
Grandma Moses
2002
Acting 'Carrie' (2001)
Acting 'Carrie'
7.4
Video
Self
2001
Intimate Portrait (1990)
Intimate Portrait
7.4
TV Series
Self
1999
1 episode
Archive Footage
Jaume Figueras in Cinema mil (2005)
Cinema mil
7.1
TV Series
Mrs. Beaumont (archive footage)
2005
1 episode
Emily Bergl in The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)
The Rage: Carrie 2
4.8
Mrs. Snell (archive footage, uncredited)
1999