1. Theatre, Film, and Television Biographies
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Polly Bergen Biography (1930-)

Original name, Nellie Paulina Burgin; born July 14, 1930, in Knoxville, TN; daughter of William Hugh (a construction engineer) and Lucy (maiden name, Lawhorn) Burgin; married Jerome Courtland (an actor), 1949 (divorced, 1955); married Freddie Fields (an agent and motion picture company executive), February13, 1957 (some sources cite 1956; divorced, 1975); married Jeffrey Endervelt,June 25, 1982 (divorced, 1991); children: (second marriage) Pamela K. Fields, Peter Fields; (stepdaughter) Kathy.

Nationality

American

Gender

Female

Occupation

Actress, singer, writer, producer, business executive

Birth Details

July 14, 1930

Knoxville, Tennessee, United States

Famous Works

• CREDITS
• Stage Appearances
• Member of the ensemble, John Murray Anderson's Almanac, Imperial Theatre, New York City, 1953
• Allyn Macy, Champagne Complex, Cort Theatre, New York City, 1955
• Elizabeth Bennett, First Impressions, Alvin Theatre, New York City, 1959
• Melissa Gardner, Love Letters, Edison Theatre, New York City, thenSan Francisco, CA, both 1990
• The Women (staged reading; benefit performance), Lucille Lortel Theatre, New York City, c. 1999
• Sing One, Act Two (cabaret performance), Feinstein's at the Regency, New York City, 2000
• "The Songs of Comden and Green" (tribute), Lyrics and Lyricists, Theatre at the 92nd Street Y, New York City, 2000
• Carlotta Campion, Follies, Roundabout Theatre, New York City, 2000then Belasco Theatre, New York City, 2001
• Nothing Like a Dame (benefit performance), Martin Beck Theatre, New York City, 2001
• Appeared as Joanne in a South Beach benefit performance of Company. As a teenager, appeared with small bands in and around Los Angeles; appeared in cabaret performances at the Thunderbird Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, and the Persian Room, Plaza Hotel, New York City. Also appeared in cabaret performancesin Atlantic City, NJ; Lake Tahoe, CA; and the Coconut Club, Beverly Hills, CA.
• Film Appearances
• (As Polly Burgin) Cantina singer, Across the Rio Grande, 1949
• Voice of radio and jukebox singer, Champion, 1949
• Helen, At War with the Army, Paramount, 1950
• Betty Hunter, That's My Boy, Paramount, 1951
• Molly Quade, Warpath, Paramount, 1951
• Mary Turner, The Stooge, Paramount, 1952
• Alice Owens, Escape from Fort Bravo, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1953
• Carol Maldon, Fast Company, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1953
• Janet Tunner, Cry of the Hunted, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1953
• Ruth Danvers, Arena, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1953
• Half a Hero, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1953
• Peggy Bowden, Cape Fear, Universal, 1962
• Bianca Steele Arden, Move Over Darling, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1963
• Lorna Melford, The Caretakers (also known as Borderlines),United Artists, 1963
• Leslie McCloud, Kisses for My President (also known as Kisses for the President), Warner Bros., 1964
• Technical advisor, A Guide for the Married Man, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1967
• Sotto a chi tocca! (also known as Besos para ella, punetazos para todos and Vier froehliche Rabauken), 1972
• Estelle Stone, Making Mr. Right, Orion, 1987
• Barbara Cutler, Mother, Mother, 1989
• Mrs. Vernon-Williams, Cry-Baby, Universal, 1990
• Mrs. Unterveldt, Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde, Savoy Pictures, 1995
• Miss Maybry, Once upon a Time ... When We Were Colored, Republic Pictures, 1996
• Television Appearances
• Series
• The Alan Young Show, CBS, 1950-1953
• Host, The Best in Mystery, NBC, 1954
• Vocalist, The Blue Angel, CBS, 1954
• Host, Pepsi-Cola Playhouse, ABC, 1954-1955
• Guest host, Upbeat, CBS, 1955
• Panelist, To Tell the Truth, CBS, 1956-1961
• Host, The Polly Bergen Show, NBC, 1957-1958
• Panelist, To Tell the Truth, 1969
• Doris Campbell, Baby Talk (also known as Look Who's Talking), ABC, 1991
• Miniseries
• Vera Keppler, 79 Park Avenue (also known as Harold Robbins' 79Park Avenue), NBC, 1977
• Rhoda Henry, The Winds of War, ABC, 1983
• Rhoda Henry, War and Remembrance: The Final Chapter, ABC, 1989
• Movies
• Title role and performer of songs "Exactly Like You" and "Once I Had a True Love," Belle Sommers, 1962
• Sylvia Carter, Death Cruise, ABC, 1974
• Mona Briarly, Murder on Flight 502, ABC, 1975
• Dorothy Goodwin, Telethon, ABC, 1977
• Dana Greenberg, How to Pick Up Girls, ABC, 1978
• Marion Carmody, Born Beautiful, NBC, 1982
• The Fall of the House of Usher, NBC, 1982
• Laura Lee Webster, She Was Marked for Murder (also known as Deadly Vows and Marked for Murder), NBC, 1988
• Vivien Langford, Addicted to His Love (also known as Sisterhood), ABC, 1988
• Mrs. Thetford (some sources cite Emily Stepford), The Haunting of Sarah Hardy, USA Network, 1989
• Myra Gilbert, My Brother's Wife (also known as Just Good Friends and Middle Ages), ABC, 1989
• Carol Bernard, Lightning Field (also known as The Lightning Incident), USA Network, 1991
• Cleo Storrs, Lady against the Odds (also known as Dol Bonner and Hand in the Glove), NBC, 1992
• Barbara Fox, Perry Mason: The Case of the Skin-Deep Scandal (alsoknown as Perry Mason: The Case of the Unhappy Birthday), NBC, 1993
• Janet, Leave of Absence, NBC, 1994
• Murial, In the Blink of an Eye, 1996
• For Hope, ABC, 1997
• Television Work
• Movies
• Executive producer (with others) and creator, Leave of Absence, NBC, 1994
• Television Appearances
• Specials
• The Maurice Chevalier Show, NBC, 1956
• Spring Holiday, CBS, 1956
• The Rosalind Russell Show, NBC, 1959
• The Bob Hope Show, NBC, 1960
• The Jack Benny Hour, CBS, 1960
• Host (with others), Just Polly and Me, CBS, 1960
• Yves Montand on Broadway, NBC, 1962
• A Special Hour with Dinah Shore, NBC, 1964
• Danny Thomas: America, I Love You, NBC, 1968
• Host, The Polly Bergen Special, syndicated, 1969
• Host (with others), Not for Women Only, syndicated, 1972
• Li'l Abner in Dogpatch Today, NBC, 1978
• Clairee Belcher, Steel Magnolias, CBS, 1990
• Ruby Bee Hanks, Arly Hanks Mysteries, CBS, 1994
• Episodic
• "Autumn in New York," Schlitz Playhouse of the Stars, CBS, 1952
• "The Haunted Heart," Schlitz Playhouse of the Stars, CBS, 1952
• "Falling Star," The Elgin TV Hour, ABC, 1954
• "Fatal in My Fashion," Studio One, CBS, 1954
• "Rendezvous in Paris," Appointment with Adventure, CBS, 1955
• "San Francisco Fracas," The Elgin Hour, ABC, 1955
• "Foundation," Star Stage, NBC, 1956
• "Letter from the Queen," General Electric Theatre, CBS, 1956
• "Spring Holiday," Arthur Godfrey and His Friends, CBS, 1956
• Helen Morgan, "The Helen Morgan Story," Playhouse 90, CBS, 1957
• "The Best House in the Valley," Lux Playhouse, NBC, 1958
• "The Great Gold Mountain," The United States Steel Hour, CBS, 1960
• Crystal Coe, "You Can't Trust a Man," Alfred Hitchcock Presents, NBC, 1961
• Kitty Albright, "The Kitty Albright Story," Wagon Train, NBC, 1961
• "The Dark Side of the Mirror," Dr. Kildare, NBC, 1963
• "Tissue of Hate," The Dick Powell Show, NBC, 1963
• Just Polly and Me, CBS, 1964
• "The Loving Cup," Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theater, NBC, 1965
• The Andy Williams Show (two episodes), NBC, 1965
• The Andy Williams Show, NBC, 1966
• Suzy Hunter, "An Echo of Theresa" (also known as "Anatomy of Terror" and"Thriller: An Echo of Theresa"), Thriller, ABC, 1973
• Dina Carroll-Winer, "The Adventure of the Tyrant of Tin Pan Alley," Ellery Queen, NBC, 1976
• "The Understudy/Married Singles/Lost and Found," Love Boat, ABC, 1977
• "The Spoonmaker Diamond," Love Boat, ABC, 1982
• "Lady of the House," Fantasy Island, ABC, 1984
• Dr. Jocelyn Laird, "School for Scandal," Murder, She Wrote, CBS, 1985
• Hotel, ABC, 1985
• "Joey's Mother-in-Law," My Two Dads, NBC, 1988
• "Robert Mitchum: The Reluctant Star," Crazy about the Movies, Cinemax, 1991
• "Who Killed the Starlet?" Burke's Law, CBS, 1994
• Stella, "Deconstructing Harry," Touched by an Angel, CBS, 1998
• Also appeared in episodes of The Bell Telephone Hour, NBC; TheDean Martin Show, NBC; The Dinah Shore Show, NBC; The Ed Sullivan Show, CBS; The Mike Douglas Show, syndicated; The Perry ComoShow, CBS; The Red Skelton Show, CBS; The Steve Allen Show, NBC; and The Tonight Show, NBC.
• Pilots
• The Guy Mitchell Show, CBS, 1957
• Jo Burns, The Million Dollar Face, NBC, 1981
• Mrs. Vance, Velvet, ABC, 1984
• Other Television Appearances
• Sandy Gilman, The Surrogate, 1995
• RECORDINGS
• Albums
• Polly Bergen, Jubilee, 1951
• Little Girl Blue, Kem, 1951
• Bergen Sings Morgan, Columbia, 1957
• The Party's Over, Columbia, 1958
• Polly Bergen Sings the Hit Songs from Do Re Mi and Annie Get Your Gun, Columbia, 1958
• (With Bill Bergen) Polly and Her Pop, Columbia, c. 1958
• All Alone by the Telephone, Columbia, 1959
• My Heart Sings, Columbia, 1959
• Pop Hit Party, Volume III, Columbia, 1959
• Polly Bergen's Four Seasons of Love, Columbia, 1960
• Country Girl, Harmony, c. 1960
• Act One, Sing Two, Phillips, 1963
• WRITINGS
• Teleplays
• Movies
• Story, Leave of Absence, NBC, 1994
• Nonfiction
• The Polly Bergen Book of Beauty, Fashion, and Charm, Prentice-Hall(Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 1962
• Polly's Principles: Polly Bergen Tells You How You Can Feel and Look as Young As She Does, Peter H. Wyden (New York City), 1974
• (With Kathrin Perutz) I'd Love To, but What'll I Wear?, Wyden Books (New York City), 1977