Lee Purcell
Lee Purcell | |
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 | |
| Born | Lee Jeune Williams June 15, 1947 Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, United States |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Spouse(s) | Robert Gibson (1968-1972) (divorced)
Kenneth Gerbino (1975-1981) (divorced) Gary A. Lowe (1982-1995) (divorced) |
| Website | http://www.leepurcell.com |
Lee Purcell (nee Lee Jeune Williams on June 15, 1947) is an American actress who appeared in both motion pictures and television.
Contents
Early life[edit]
Purcell was born at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina.[1] Her birth father, an aviator and Marine major, died when Purcell was a young child. She then lived with her grandparents[2] until her mother, Lee McKnight Purcell, married Navy doctor Donald Purcell, who formally adopted Lee as a child.[3] She has a sister, Paige Wooldridge.[4] Purcell and her family moved multiple times to different states and military bases.[2]
After the military service ended, they eventually settled in Paragould, Arkansas, where Purcell spent most of her youth. She graduated from their high school in 1965[4] and attended Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri as a dance and theatre student.[5][6][7] [8]
Career[edit]
Purcell made her debut as a performer at five years of age, appearing on a Memphis, Tennessee TV show.[9] After being expelled from Stephens College, Purcell[5] arrived in California in 1967[10] and studied acting. Casting off her southern accent was another goal she successfully worked on.[11] Purcell supported herself by working in commercials[8] and selling clothes at a disco.[11]
In 1969 Purcell was personally chosen for her first feature film by Steve McQueen in his company's production of Adam at Six A.M., co-starring Michael Douglas.[12] Asked to explain why he picked Purcell among nearly 500 other available actresses, McQueen said, "It wasn't easy. We kept narrowing down the field over a period of weeks until it came to giving screen tests to six of them. All of them were good, but Lee seemed to jump right out of the screen."[13]
In the early 1970s Purcell temporarily moved to England, studying acting in London[14] under the private training of Professor Margot Lister.[15] During this time she frequently returned to the United States to act in American movies and TV shows.[16] Years later, she told a reporter, "I had a great time. I thought it was a permanent move. But I wasn't allowed to work there and it became difficult to go elsewhere to work."[11]
Her television work included roles as Billie Dove and Olivia de Havilland in two biopic TV movies: The Amazing Howard Hughes (1977)[17] and My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend of Errol Flynn (1985).[18]
She was nominated for two Emmy Awards. In 1991, she was nominated as Outstanding Lead Actress for Long Road Home.[19] and in 1994 as Outstanding Supporting Actress for Secret Sins of the Father.[20] She was co-producer, and starred in the 1998 low-budget cable-TV movie Malaika (alternate title Tons of Trouble).[21][22]
Personal life[edit]
Purcell has performed narrations of poetry and fiction in front of live audiences.[23][24][25] She is a former NRA (National Rifle Association) director[26][27] and has been involved with Scientology.[28]
In December 2010 Purcell launched an interactive fashion and beauty website, BoomerBabes, that is geared towards women over 40 and Baby Boomer women born between 1946 and 1964.[29]
Charity work[edit]
Purcell is on the board of directors for Heart of a Horse, a non profit organization which seeks to rescue and rehabilitate abused and neglected horses.[30]
Filmography[edit]
Feature films[edit]
| Year | Film | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Adam at Six A.M. | Jerri Jo Hopper | Robert Scheerer |
| 1972 | Dirty Little Billy | Berle | Stan Dragoti |
| Stand Up and Be Counted | Karen Hammond | Jackie Cooper | |
| Necromancy | Priscilla | Bert I. Gordon | |
| 1973 | Kid Blue | Molly Ford | James Frawley |
| 1974 | Mr. Majestyk | Wiley | Richard Fleischer |
| 1978 | Big Wednesday | Peggy Gordon | John Milius |
| Almost Summer | Christine Alexander | Martin Davidson | |
| 1980 | Stir Crazy | Susan | Sidney Poitier |
| 1982 | Airplane II: The Sequel | Mrs. Seluchi (Deleted Scene) | Ken Finkleman |
| Homework | Ms. Jackson | James Beshears | |
| 1983 | Eddie Macon's Run | Jilly Buck | Jeff Kanew |
| Valley Girl | Beth Brent | Martha Coolidge | |
| 1985 | Space Rage | Maggie | Conrad E. Palmisano |
| 1996 | Movies, Money, Murder | Lilah | Stephen Eckelberry, Arthur Webb |
| 1998 | Dizzyland | Dennis Hackin | |
| 2005 | The Unknown aka Clawed: The Legend of Sasquatch | Doris Winslow | Karl Kozak |
| 2015 | Kids vs Monsters | Francine Gingerfield |
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Marcus Welby, M.D. | Cathy Cullen | Made a second appearance in 1972, as 'Carol Lockett' |
| Bonanza | Angie | ||
| The Young Rebels | Maggie Todd | ||
| 1972 | Medical Center | Liza | |
| 1973 | Cannon | Marian Luke | Made two additional appearances in 1975, various characters |
| Hijack | Eileen Noonan | TV movie | |
| 1974 | Wide World Mystery | Donna | |
| The Rockford Files | Susan Parsons | ||
| 1975 | The Waltons | Bobby Storm | |
| Insight | Tracy | ||
| Barnaby Jones | Kathy Cooper | Made a second appearance in 1977, as 'Peggy Giroux' | |
| 1976 | Hawaii Five-O | Molly Taggert | Made a second appearance in 1977, same character |
| Jigsaw John | Virginia Sand | ||
| 1977 | The Amazing Howard Hughes | Billie Dove | TV movie |
| The Streets of San Francisco | Carol Revson | ||
| 1978 | Stranger in Our House aka Summer of Fear | Julia Trent | TV movie |
| 1979 | Murder in Music City aka The Country Western Murders | Samantha Hunt | TV movie |
| A Man Called Sloane | Michele Blake | ||
| 1980 | Kenny Rogers as the Gambler | Jennie Reed | TV movie |
| My Wife Next Door | Lisa Pallick | Pilot for proposed TV series | |
| The Secret War of Jackie's Girls | Casey McCann | TV movie | |
| 1981 | The Girl, the Gold Watch & Dynamite | Bonnie Lee Beaumont | TV movie and pilot for proposed TV series |
| Killing at Hell's Gate | Jane Pasco | TV movie | |
| 1982 | The Phoenix | Cindy Houghton | |
| 1985 | Magnum, P.I. | Goldie Morris | |
| Murder, She Wrote | Joanna Benson | Made four additional appearances in 1986, 1989 and 1994, various characters | |
| My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend of Errol Flynn | Olivia de Havilland | TV movie | |
| Hollywood Beat | Maggie | ||
| 1986 | Betrayed by Innocence | Sharon DeLeon | TV movie |
| 1987 | Matlock | Andrea Colter | |
| MacGyver | Shadow | ||
| 1988 | To Heal a Nation | Sandie | TV movie |
| The Incredible Hulk Returns | Dr. Margaret Shaw | TV movie | |
| Jake and the Fatman | Pamela Parker | ||
| 1989 | Simon & Simon | Colleen Huntley/Missy Taylor | |
| 1990 | Shades of LA | Alex Taylor | |
| 1991 | Long Road Home | Bessie Robertson | TV movie. Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress |
| 1994 | Secret Sins of the Father | Ann Thielman | TV movie. Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress |
| 1995 | Due South | Louise St. Laurent | Made five additional appearances in 1995 and 1996, same character |
| Dazzle | Red | TV movie | |
| The Magic of Christmas | Herself | Holiday special | |
| 1998 | Promised Land | Beth Hixon | |
| Malaika aka Tons of Trouble | Molly DeMornay | TV movie | |
| 2010 | Persons Unknown | Eleanor Sullivan | Mini-series. Five appearances |
| 2016 | JL Ranch | Mable Ritter | TV film |
Special projects[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Road to Freedom: L. Ron Hubbard and Friends | Herself (singer) | Video short and record album |
| 1987 | A Woman's Guide to Firearms | Herself | Instructional video |
| Your First Gun- A Family Guide To Shooting | The mother | Instructional video | |
| 1988 | The Married Couple | Video short | |
| 1992 | The Joke | Jane | 35mm short |
| 1997 | This World, Then the Fireworks | ADR work (additional dialogue recording) | |
| 2006 | White Picket Fence | Bonnie Durley | Super 16mm short |
References[edit]
- ^ Willis, John A. (1 January 1981). "John Willis' Screen World". Crown – via Google Books.
- ^ a b "Read what Lee".
- ^ "Dr. Donald I. Purcell".
- ^ a b "Paragould Took Hat Off For Lee Purcell".
- ^ a b "Schenectady Gazette - Google News Archive Search".
- ^ "Columbia Missourian Newspaper 1967-01-15 :: Columbia Missourian (1967 -- Oct 1968)".
- ^ “Adam Travels to Excelsior Springs”, Columbia Missourian, September 21, 1969; accessed June 14, 2015.
- ^ a b Columbia Missourian November 26, 1972 “Success for Lee Purcell”, cdm.sos.mo.gov; accessed June 14, 2015.
- ^ Filmreference.com--Lee Purcell Biography
- ^ The Sumter Daily Item-Dec 26, 1969
- ^ a b c Profile, Daily News (Bowling Green, KY), May 8, 1981.
- ^ 30 Years Ago Today: Actress Lee Purcell Remembers Her Mentor, Steve McQueen (2010 Internet interview)
- ^ Profile, Beaver County Times, September 25, 1969.
- ^ Sun Sentinel-Fort Lauderdale February 26, 1985
- ^ Spotlight: Lee Purcell Archived 2011-03-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Class Actress: An Interview with Lee Purcell (2009 Internet interview)
- ^ Profile, Times Daily, April 11, 1977.
- ^ Profile, Lakeland Ledger, January 20, 1985.
- ^ Profile, Sun Sentinel, July 19, 1991.
- ^ Profile, Los Angeles Times, July 22, 1994.
- ^ inbaseline-Lee Purcell Credits[permanent dead link]
- ^ Profile, New York Times; accessed April 8, 2015.
- ^ Saint Hill International Arts Festival
- ^ "Los Angeles Times: Archives - Poetic Preservation A group of actors will perform traditional and contemporary cowboy writings at the Gene Autry museum".
- ^ The Golden Age Theater Archived 2011-07-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Crossfire: The War Behind the Closed Doors of the NRA - FrankSmyth.com". 3 June 1994.
- ^ DeanSpeir@TheGunZone.com. "The Gun Zone -- SHOT Show Bimbos". Archived from the original on 2011-02-10.
- ^ Richardson, John (September 11, 1993). "The Scientology church of Hollywood". The Globe and Mail (Thomas Canada Limited): p. D5.
- ^ "BoomerBabes".
- ^ About Heart of a Horse
External links[edit]
Media related to Lee Purcell at Wikimedia Commons
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