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.

Diana Bellamy
Born(1943-09-19)September 19, 1943
DiedJune 17, 2001(2001-06-17) (aged 57)
OccupationActress
Years active1970–2001

Life and career

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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."[7]

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[5] 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,[5] 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

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Cinema

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Television

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Theater

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References

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