Morgan Brittany (born Suzanne Cupito;[1] December 5, 1951[2]) is an American actress. She began her career as a child appearing in films Gypsy (1962), Stage to Thunder Rock (1964) and Yours, Mine and Ours. In 1970s, Brittany began work as a model joining Ford Models. She played Vivien Leigh in films The Day of the Locust (1975), Gable and Lombard (1976) and The Scarlett O'Hara War (1980). Brittany is best-known for portraying Katherine Wentworth, the scheming younger half-sister of Pamela Ewing and Cliff Barnes, on the primetime soap opera Dallas (1981–1985, 1987).
Morgan Brittany | |
|---|---|
 Brittany at the 2023 WonderCon | |
| Born | Suzanne Cupito December 5, 1951 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1957–present |
| Spouse | Jack Gill (1981–present) |
| Children | 2 |
Career
editEarly child career
editLos Angeles–born Suzanne Cupito began her acting career as a child under her real name.[3][1] She appeared on many programs in the 1950s and 1960s, beginning at age five in a 1957 episode of the CBS television network anthology series Playhouse 90 (or at that same age in an episode of Sea Hunt).[4] In January 1960, Cupito displayed her talent as a ballet dancer on The Dinah Shore Chevy Show. Three months later, she followed that up with her first of three Twilight Zone episodes, appearing as a little girl in "Nightmare as a Child", for which she remained uncredited on-screen despite having dialogue. Cupito also portrayed Sissy Johnson in the season-four episode "Valley of the Shadow" and the vicious brat Susan in the season-five episode "Caesar and Me" (as Susanne Cupito).
Cupito was featured in the musical film Gypsy (1962), as Baby June.[5] She appeared in the episode "Daughter for a Day" on ABC's My Three Sons (1962) as Jeannie Hill. Cupito appeared in the episode "Daddy Went Away" on CBS's Gunsmoke (May 11, 1963) as Jessica Damon. She appeared uncredited in the birthday party and schoolhouse scenes in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963).[5]
In 1963, Cupito played Winter Night in the episode "Incident of the Hostages" of Rawhide. In 1964, she starred as a blind girl named Minerva Gordon in a two-part episode of The Outer Limits, "The Inheritors", and appeared in the Western film Stage to Thunder Rock.
In 1966, Cupito appeared in the series finale of the Western Branded, playing an orphan named Kellie in the episode of the same name. She was part of the ensemble cast in the film Yours, Mine and Ours (1968), which is led by Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda. Cupito also appeared in the season-eight premiere episode of The Andy Griffith Show titled "Opie's First Love" as Mary Alice.
Cupito appeared in two episodes of Lassie, "Lassie and the Swamp Girl" and "Little Dog Lost" as Mattie in the mid-1960s. She followed that up with appearances on Gunsmoke and other shows. At the age of 15, after appearing in Yours, Mine and Ours, Cupito's childhood career came to an end and she concentrated on getting her education at Cleveland High School, Reseda, California.[5]
Adult career
editAt age 18, Cupito changed her name to Morgan Brittany and then appeared with Gene Kelly in his Las Vegas show, Gene Kelly's Wonderful World of Girls, as a dancer. She then moved to New York City, where she modeled for the Ford modeling agency, and appeared in several TV commercials and print ads (including a three-year stint as "The Ultra Brite Toothpaste Girl"), and was spokesmodel for brands such as L'Oreal, Maybelline, Ford, Levi's, and Camay. In December 1972, she played Cynthia, a childhood friend of Bridget's (Meredith Baxter), in episode 12, "The Homecoming" on Bridget Loves Bernie. In 1974, Brittany was hired by Japanese cosmetics company Kanebo to be the "face" of their product, Ireine, so moved to Tokyo from 1974 to 1976 and traveled around the world as the image of Kanebo Cosmetics.
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Brittany portrayed actress Vivien Leigh in Gable and Lombard (1976) a biography of Clark Gable and Carole Lombard.[5] She also appeared in the John Schlesinger film The Day of the Locust (1975) as Leigh in the climax of the film. That was followed by TV movies and series, such as The Amazing Howard Hughes (1977), The Initiation of Sarah (1978), Death Car on the Freeway (1979), The Dream Merchants (1980), and LBJ: The Early Years (1987). In 1980, while filming an episode of The Dukes of Hazzard, Brittany met her future husband, stuntman Jack Gill.[citation needed]
Brittany appeared again as Vivien Leigh in the climax of the made-for-TV movie about the search for an actress to star in Gone with the Wind's film adaptation, The Scarlett O'Hara War (1980).[3]
This caught the attention of the producers of Dallas, who were searching for an actress to play Katherine Wentworth, the scheming half-sister of Pamela Ewing and Cliff Barnes. Brittany debuted on Dallas in the 1981–82 season and her role as Katherine continued, on and off, until 1987. In 1985, she returned in that season's finale, where her character killed Bobby Ewing by striking him with a car, killing herself in the process. She made a brief, final appearance on the series in 1987, which was plausible storyline-wise because Bobby's death and Katherine's turned out to be part of Pamela's 31-episode dream (i.e., season 9).
In 1984, Brittany co-starred in the short-lived ABC drama series, Glitter, as Kate Simpson,[6] a reporter for an entertainment magazine. This was one of several collaborations with producer Aaron Spelling throughout her career. Her first show with him had been an appearance in Burke's Law, in 1964 when Brittany was a child. Later, as an adult, she appeared in seven episodes of The Love Boat, Hotel, Fantasy Island, Melrose Place, and the 1990s revival of Burke's Law. Brittany appeared in The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch (1982).
Brittany co-hosted the syndicated sports show Star Games.[6]: 1010 and later hosted more than 100 episodes of the magazine show Photoplay, produced by Jack Haley Jr.
Brittany guest-starred on such other series as Married... with Children, Murder, She Wrote, The Perry Mason Mysteries, Dear John, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and The Nanny. In film, Brittany starred in Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1989).
Later years
edit
In the 1990s, Brittany appeared in independent films, including Riders in the Storm (1995), Legend of the Spirit Dog (1997), The Protector (1997), The Biggest Fan (2002), Mothers and Daughters (2006), and Americanizing Shelley (2007). She also appeared in the docudrama, 1 a Minute (2010).[7]
Personal life
editBrittany married stuntman Jack Gill in 1981. They have two children, daughter Katie and son Cody.[8]
As of 2014, Brittany is a conservative political commentator and author. She writes a weekly column for WorldNetDaily.[9]
Her first book, with co-authors Ann-Marie Murrell and Dr. Gina Loudon, What Women Really Want, was released September 2, 2014.[10] She is a recurring guest on Hannity (FOX News), and The Rick Amato Show (One America) and has appeared on The Kudlow Report (CNBC), Fox & Friends, The Dennis Miller Show, and Huckabee.
She is a co-owner and anchor for PolitiChicks, an online news site with a conservative perspective.[11] Her second book, with co-author Ann-Marie Murrell, was released in 2017. PolitiChicks: A Clarion Call to Political Activism is a compilation book of essays from "PolitiChicks" writers. Brittany now travels the country speaking at major venues including The Heritage Foundation and other conservative organizations.[citation needed]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Gypsy | Baby June | |
| 1963 | The Birds | Brunette Girl at Birthday Party | Uncredited |
| 1964 | Stage to Thunder Rock | Sandy Swope | |
| 1968 | Yours, Mine and Ours | Louise Beardsley | |
| 1975 | The Day of the Locust | Vivien Leigh | Uncredited |
| 1976 | Gable and Lombard | Vivien Leigh | |
| 1979 | In Search of Historic Jesus | Mary | |
| 1983 | The Prodigal | Sheila Holt-Browning | |
| 1989 | Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat | Sarah | |
| 1995 | Riders in the Storm | Rita | |
| 1997 | The Protector | Sloane Matthews | |
| 1997 | Legend of the Spirit Dog | Elizabeth | |
| 2005 | The Biggest Fan | Mrs. Francis | |
| 2006 | Mothers and Daughters | Abbey | |
| 2007 | Americanizing Shelley | Georgina | |
| 2010 | 1 a Minute | Herself |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Playhouse 90 | Little Girl | Episode: "The Shape of the River" |
| 1960 | The Twilight Zone | Little Girl | Episode: "Nightmare as a Child" |
| 1960 | Sea Hunt | Cindy | Episode: "Cindy" |
| 1961 | Gunslinger | Sally Gannet | Episode: "The Hostage Fort" |
| 1961 | Thriller | Doris Carlisle | Episode: "The Fingers of Fear" |
| 1961 | Window on Main Street | Small Girl | Episode: "The Letter" |
| 1962 | The Detectives | Leslie Martell | Episode: "Saturday Edition" |
| 1962 | The Lloyd Bridges Show | Rene-Sue Apple | Episode: "My Child Is Yet a Stranger" |
| 1962 | My Three Sons | Jeannie Hill | Episode: "Daughter for a Day" |
| 1963 | The Lloyd Bridges Show | Wanda | Episode: "The Wonder of Wanda" |
| 1963 | The Dick Powell Show | Josie | Episode: "The Third Side of a Coin" |
| 1963 | Rawhide | Winter Night | Episode: "Incident of the Hostages" |
| 1963 | Gunsmoke | Jessica | Episode: "Daddy Went Away" |
| 1963 | The Richard Boone Show | Sally McNeil | Episode: "All the Comforts of Home" |
| 1963 | The Twilight Zone | Girl | Episode: "Valley of the Shadow" |
| 1964 | Ben Casey | Lisa Beldon | Episode: "I'll Get on My Ice Floe and Wave Goodbye" |
| 1964 | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | Madeline Foy | Episode: "The Seven Little Foys" |
| 1964 | The Twilight Zone | Susan - Agnes' Niece | Episode: "Caesar and Me" |
| 1964 | Daniel Boone | Naomi Fluellen | Episode: "The Family Fluellen" |
| 1964 | Special for Women: A Child in Danger | Mary Clark | Television special |
| 1964 | The Outer Limits | Minerva Gordon | Episode: "The Inheritors" |
| 1964 | The Tycoon | Nellie Adams | Episode: "No Place Like Home" |
| 1965 | Burke's Law | Lolita | Episode: "Who Killed Mother Goose?" |
| 1965 | Lassie | Mattie Dawes | Episode: "Lassie and the Swamp Girl" and "Little Dog Lost" |
| 1965 | Dr. Kildare | Harriet Kirsh | Episode: "A Little Child Shall Lead" |
| 1965 | My Three Sons | Audrey | Episode: "Mary-Lou" |
| 1966 | Branded | Kellie | Episode: "Kellie" |
| 1966 | Meet Me in St. Louis | Agnes | Television film |
| 1967 | My Three Sons | Melinda Hendricks | Episode: "Melinda" |
| 1967 | The Andy Griffith Show | Mary Alice Carter | Episode: "Opie's First Love" |
| 1968 | Land's End | Jeannie Crawford | Television pilot |
| 1971 | Love, American Style | Episode: "Love and the Heist/Love and the Love Potion/Love and the Teddy Bear" | |
| 1972 | Bridget Loves Bernie | Cynthia Hamilton | Episode: "The Homecoming" |
| 1976 | The Quest | Annabelle | Episode: "Portrait of a Gunfighter" |
| 1977 | The Amazing Howard Hughes | Ella Hughes | Television film |
| 1977 | Delta County, U.S.A. | Doris Ann | Television film |
| 1978 | The Initiation of Sarah | Patty Goodwin | Television film |
| 1979 | Samurai | Cathy Berman | Television film |
| 1979 | The Fantastic Seven | Elena Sweet | Television film |
| 1979 | Death Car on the Freeway | Becky Lyons | Television film |
| 1979 | California Fever | Connie | Episode: "Hardrock Rally" |
| 1980 | Buck Rogers in the 25th Century | Raylyn Derren | Episode: "Happy Birthday, Buck" |
| 1980 | When the Whistle Blows | Helen | Episode: "God's Country" |
| 1980 | The Scarlett O'Hara War | Vivien Leigh | Television film |
| 1980 | The Dukes of Hazzard | Mary Lou Pringle | Episode: "The Hazzardville Horror" |
| 1980 | The Dream Merchants | Astrid James | Miniseries |
| 1981 | Faeries | Princess Niamh | Television film |
| 1981 | Fantasy Island | Tessa Brody | Episode: "My Late Lover/Sanctuary" |
| 1982 | The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch | Lannie | Television film |
| 1983 | Fantasy Island | Gina | Episode: "Operation Breakout/Candy Kisses" |
| 1983 | The Fall Guy | Rita Garrick | Episode: "Inside, Outside" |
| 1983 | Masquerade | Buffy Huntington | Episode: "Diamonds" |
| 1984—1985 | Glitter | Kate Simpson | Series regular, 14 episodes |
| 1985 | Half Nelson | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 1985 | Murder, She Wrote | Tiffany Harrow | Episode: "Footnote to Murder" |
| 1981—1986 | The Love Boat | Various characters | 6 episodes |
| 1986 | The Wizard | Whitney Ross | Episode: "Born to Run" |
| 1984—1986 | Hotel | Various characters | 3 episodes |
| 1987 | LBJ: The Early Years | Alice Glass | Television film |
| 1981—1985, 1987 | Dallas | Katherine Wentworth | 56 episodes |
| 1987 | Perry Mason: The Case of the Scandalous Scoundrel | Marianne Clayman | Television film |
| 1989 | L.A. Law | Tamara Jacobs | Episode: "Izzy Ackerman or Is He Not" |
| 1989 | Dear John | Liz | Episode: "Friends and Lovers" |
| 1989 | Married with Children | Marilyn Beamis | Episode: "Life's a Beach" |
| 1990 | The Saint: The Big Bang | Verity | Television film |
| 1990 | Murder, She Wrote | Candice Ashcroft | Episode: "How to Make a Killing Without Really Trying" |
| 1990 | B.L. Stryker | Donna Whitehall | Episode: "Night Train" |
| 1992 | Silk Stalkings | Carol Patrick | Episode: "Witness" |
| 1994 | Burke's Law | Laura Gardner | Episode: "Who Killed Skippy's Master?" |
| 1995 | The Nanny | Judy Silverman | Episode: "Kindervelt Days" |
| 1995 | Melrose Place | Mackenzie Hart | Episodes: "The Big Bang Theory" and "Postmortem Madness" |
| 1997 | Silk Stalkings | Beverly Drake | Episode: "Dirty Little Secrets" |
| 2001 | Sabrina the Teenage Witch | Mrs. Scott | Episodes: "My Best Shot" |
| 2002 | V.I.P. | Jeweller | Episode: "Kiss the Val" |
| 2002 | Son of the Beach | Marcia Clark | Episode: "Witness for the Prostitution" |
| 2001—2004 | Doc | Dr. Gwen Hall | Episodes: "Some Gave All: Part 1" and "Wake Up Call" |
References
edit- ^ a b Sanello, Frank (July 30, 1984). "What's in a Name?". United Press International. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
- ^ "Celebrity Birthdays". Tallahassee Democrat. December 5, 2023. p. 4B. ProQuest 2754890703.
Actor Jeroen Krabbe ("The Fugutive") is 78. Opera singer Jose Carreras is 76. Singer Jim Messina (Loggins and Messina) is 75. Actor Morgan Brittany ("Dallas") is 71.
See also:- "Today in History; Today's Birthdays". Asbury Park Press. December 5, 1984. p. 22. ProQuest 2010868775.
U.S. Senate President Pro Tem Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., is 82. Movie director Otto Preminger is 78. Author Joan Didion is 50. Actress Morgan Brittany is 33.
- "Today in History; Today's Birthdays". Asbury Park Press. December 5, 1984. p. 22. ProQuest 2010868775.
- ^ a b Floyd, Meg (December 5, 2023). "Her Vivien Leigh face is her fortune". Tallahassee Democrat. p. 4B. ProQuest 1124981001.
Morgan Brittany is calling from her home in Los Angeles to talk about her role in the mini-series Moviola, based on the book of the same name by Garson Kanin (Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday on NBC and CTV). In the second episode, entitled The Scarlett O'Hara War, she portrays the late Vivien Leigh, the actress who was eventually (after a nationwide talent search) granted the leading role in Gone With the Wind. Actually, this is the third time that Brittany has played Vivien Leigh. [...] Born in Los Angeles as Suzanne Cupito, Brittany was a successful child actress at 6 and appeared in a string of movies—Gypsy; The Birds; Yours, Mine and Ours—before reaching the awkward teen years.
- ^ Hughes, Mike (September 13, 1984). "Sexy Morgan Brittany takes on saintly role". The Courier-News. New Jersey, Bridgewater. Gannett News Service. p. 26. Retrieved December 5, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Suzanne Cupito". www.tcm.com.
- ^ a b Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 397. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
- ^ "Indian Star Rallies Celebrity Support For Cancer Movie". ContactMusic. December 20, 2016.
- ^ Scott, Vernon (October 9, 1989). "Morgan Brittany: This Genuine Beauty Is Happy with 'New' Career". Deseret News.
- ^ Loudon, Gina; Murrell, Ann-Marie; Brittany, Morgan (2014). What Women Really Want: Morgan Brittany, Gina Loudon, Ann-Marie Murrell. ISBN 9781938067143.
- ^ "Politichicks: Morgan Brittany". PolitiChicks. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
External links
edit
- Morgan Brittany at IMDb
- Morgan Brittany at the TCM Movie Database (as Suzanne Cupito)
- Morgan Brittany at AllMovie
