View source for Elizabeth Hartman

{{short description|American actress (1943–1987)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Elizabeth Hartman
| image              = Elizabeth Hartman (1966 photo).jpg
| caption            = Hartman in 1966
| birth_name         = Mary Elizabeth Hartman
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1943|12|23|mf=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Youngstown, Ohio]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|1987|6|10|1943|12|2|mf=y}}
| death_place        = [[Pittsburgh]], Pennsylvania, U.S.
| alma_mater         = 
| resting_place      = [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Ohio)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]]
| other_names        = 
| occupation         = Actress
| years_active       = 1964–1982
| spouse             = {{marriage|[[Gill Dennis]]|1968|1984|reason=divorced}}
| relatives          = 
}}

'''Mary Elizabeth Hartman''' (December 23, 1943 – June 10, 1987) was an American actress of stage and screen. She debuted in the popular 1965 film ''[[A Patch of Blue]]'', playing a blind girl named Selina D'Arcy, opposite [[Sidney Poitier]], a role for which she was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Actress]] and a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy|Golden Globe Award for Best Actress]], and won the [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress|Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year]].

She appeared in [[Francis Ford Coppola]]'s ''[[You're a Big Boy Now]]'' as Barbara Darling, for which she was nominated for a second [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy|Golden Globe Award]]. She also starred in Don Siegel's 1971 film ''[[The Beguiled (1971 film)|The Beguiled]]'', opposite [[Clint Eastwood]] and [[Geraldine Page]], and in the 1973 film [[Walking Tall (1973 film)|''Walking Tall'']]. 

Hartman voiced [[Mrs. Brisby]] in [[Don Bluth]]'s first animated feature, ''[[The Secret of NIMH]]'' (1982). This proved to be her last Hollywood film and TV role, as well as her only animated role.

On June 10, 1987, Hartman died after jumping from the window of her fifth floor apartment.<ref name="NYT"/> Earlier that morning, she had reportedly called her psychiatrist saying that she felt despondent.<ref>{{cite news |work=The Vindicator [[Youngstown, Ohio]] |date=June 11, 1987|title=Obituaries}}</ref> Hartman was buried at [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Ohio)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]] in the suburb of her hometown.<ref name="vind-yo-06-14-87">{{cite news |title=No film stars attend Miss Hartman rites |work=The Youngstown Vindicator |page=D-19 |date=June 14, 1987}}</ref>

== Early life ==
Mary Elizabeth Hartman was born December 23, 1943,{{sfn|Frasier|2005|p=135}} in [[Youngstown, Ohio]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Elizabeth Hartman Obituary • United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages |url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV54-38S4 |website=familysearch.org |publisher=Intellectual Reserve, Inc. provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints / NewsBank, Inc. / Fred Bell, Coroner |access-date=11 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Mary Elizabeth Hartman Female 23 December 1943 – 10 June 1987 • 9M9W-8C2 |url=https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/9M9W-8C2 |website=familysearch.org |publisher=Intellectual Reserve, Inc. provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (8 Sources for Birthplace) |access-date=11 February 2024}}</ref> the daughter of Claire ([[née]] Mullaly) and B.C. Hartman.<ref>[https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VK2J-5BH Claire Hartman death record] Retrieved September 12, 2016</ref> She had a sister, Janet, and a brother, William.<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-11-22-ca-23600-story.html People Magazine Hartman Profile] Retrieved September 12, 2016</ref><ref name="steely-yo-11-22-64">{{cite news |title=Biff Hartman of Playhouse Roles Has Broadway Lead |work=The Steel Valley News |page=24 |date=November 22, 1964}}</ref> She was a standout dramatic student at [[Boardman High School]], where she graduated in 1961.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://wkbn.com/2016/02/26/boardman-woman-remembered-for-oscar-worthy-performance/|title=Boardman woman remembered for Oscar-worthy performance|author=Boney, Stan|date=February 26, 2016|access-date=July 9, 2017|work=WKBN27}}</ref> She won a statewide award for best actress in a high school production for her performance as Laura in ''[[The Glass Menagerie]]''. She performed in several productions at the [[Youngstown Playhouse]] during her youth, including ''A Clearing in the Woods'' by [[Arthur Laurents]] and ''Our Town''. She attended [[Carnegie Mellon University]] in [[Pittsburgh]], where she met her future husband, [[Gill Dennis]], and spent her summers acting with the [[Kenley Players]].{{sfn|Frasier|2005|pages=135–36}}

Hartman also performed at the [[Cleveland Playhouse]] in several productions, including ''[[The Madwoman of Chaillot]]'' and ''[[Bus Stop (William Inge play)|Bus Stop]]''. She was encouraged to move to [[New York City]] and begin auditioning for plays there. In 1964, Hartman was signed to play the ingénue lead in the comedy ''Everybody Out, the Castle is Sinking'', which was not a success, however her performance was again positively received, and film producers took notice.<ref name="ot">{{cite web |title=Our Town Broadway |url=http://www.playbill.com/production/our-town-anta-playhouse-vault-0000005280 |access-date=July 9, 2017 |work=Playbill}}</ref>

== Career ==
{{quote box|quote= All this has happened so fast, I'm kind of misplaced. I'm just drifting around. I'm in a very strange state of mind. I used to know who Biff was, but I don't, now. I'm suddenly in a different kind of world. |source= – Elizabeth Hartman, 1965<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hansen Konte|first1=Sandra|title=The Short Life Of Elizabeth Hartman |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/29595895/?locale=en-AU|year=1987|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>|width=25%|align=right|style=padding:8px;}}
In 1964, Hartman was screen-tested by [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] and [[Warner Brothers]].<ref name="steely-yo-11-22-64"/> In the early autumn of 1964, she was cast in the  leading role in ''[[A Patch of Blue]]'', opposite [[Sidney Poitier]] and [[Shelley Winters]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/watchtcm/titles/1040|title=A Patch of Blue|author=Fristoe, Roger|website=Turner Classic Movies|publisher=[[Turner Classic Movies]]|access-date=14 September 2018}}</ref> Hartman won widespread critical acclaim for her performance, a fact proudly noted by the news media in her hometown, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. During this time, her father, who worked in construction, died.<ref name="vind-yo-12-16-654">{{cite news |first=Fred |last=Childress |title=Elizabeth Hartman Wins Praise As "Patch of Blue" Opens |work=The Youngstown Vindicator |page=44 |date=December 16, 1965}}</ref> At the time of her nomination in 1966, Hartman (who was 23 years old) was the [[List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees|youngest nominee ever in the Best Actress category]]. That same year, she received an achievement award from the [[National Association of Theatre Owners]].<ref name="nyt-09-30-66">{{cite news |title=Elizabeth Hartman Given Award of Theater |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 30, 1966}}</ref> Hartman also won a [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress|Golden Globe for New Star of the Year]] for her performance.{{sfn|Frasier|2005|p=135}}<ref name=gg>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/elizabeth-hartman|title=Winners and Nominees : Elizabeth Hartman|website=GoldenGlobes.com|publisher=[[Golden Globe Awards]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916105907/https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/elizabeth-hartman|archive-date=September 16, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1966, she starred as Laura opposite [[Mercedes McCambridge]] as Amanda in a production of ''[[The Glass Menagerie]]'' in Pittsburgh.<ref name=glass>[https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/149549768/ The Pittsburgh Press 1962] Retrieved September 12, 2016</ref>

In January 1967, columnist Dorothy Manners reported that Hartman had been cast in the role of Neely O'Hara in the movie version of ''[[Valley of the Dolls (film)|Valley of the Dolls]]'', beating out some more famous Hollywood actresses. She had allegedly made a successful screen test winning over director [[Mark Robson (film director)|Mark Robson]] and producer [[David Weisbart]], the former already enthralled with her performance in ''[[You're a Big Boy Now]]''. However, the following month, it was announced that Oscar-winner [[Patty Duke]] had signed on to play Neely, albeit against her agent's advice. Duke's over the top performance almost ruined her career.{{Citation needed |date=February 2024}} 

Between the mid-1960s and early 1970s, Hartman appeared in three well-received films, two of which starred Broadway and Hollywood legend [[Geraldine Page]], ''[[The Group (film)|The Group]]'' (1966),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://streamline.filmstruck.com/2009/09/16/in-the-loop-with-the-group-1966/|title=IN THE LOOP WITH ''THE GROUP'' (1966)|author=Finnie, Moira|website=Streamline : The Filmstruck Blog|access-date=16 September 2009|archive-date=September 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915042326/http://streamline.filmstruck.com/2009/09/16/in-the-loop-with-the-group-1966/|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[You're a Big Boy Now]]'' (1966),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/youre-a-big-boy-now-1966|author=Ebert, Roger|title=YOU'RE A BIG BOY NOW|website=RogerEbert.com|publisher=Chicago Sun-Times|date=17 July 1968}}</ref> and ''[[The Beguiled (1971 film)|The Beguiled]]'' (1971).<ref>{{cite web|title=THE BEGUILED (1971)|url=http://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/54029|publisher=[[American Film Institute]]|website=AFI.com|access-date=18 August 2018}}</ref> Portraying Pauline Mullins, the wife of former [[Sheriff Buford Pusser]], she starred in the cult classic and major box office hit ''[[Walking Tall (1973 film)|Walking Tall]]'' (1973).<ref>{{cite web|title=Walking Tall (1973)|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/24319/walking-tall|publisher=[[Turner Classic Movies]] (TCM)|website=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=16 August 2018}}</ref> In 1975, Hartman starred in the premiere of [[Thomas Rickman]]'s play ''Balaam'', a play about political intrigue in [[Washington, D.C.]] The production was mounted in [[Old Town Pasadena]], California, by the Pasadena Repertory Theatre located in [[The Hotel Carver]]. It was directed by Hartman's husband, [[Gill Dennis]]. In 1981, she starred in a touring production of ''[[Morning's at Seven]]'', but left the tour due to declining mental health.<ref name="hansen"/> Her last on-screen performance was in 1981's horror-spoof, ''[[Full Moon High]]'', where she appeared as Miss Montgomery. In 1982, she appeared in Don Bluth's ''[[The Secret of NIMH]]'', where she portrayed the film's protagonist, [[Mrs. Brisby]].{{sfn|Frasier|2005|p=136}} She was highly praised for the performance;{{Citation needed |date=February 2024}} however, this proved to be her last Hollywood film role, as well as her only animated role.

==Later years and death==
Throughout much of her life, Hartman suffered from [[clinical depression|depression]].<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |title=Elizabeth Hartman, 'Patch of Blue' Star, Is Suspected Suicide |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE7DD103FF931A25755C0A961948260 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 12, 1987}}</ref> In 1978, she was treated at [[The Institute of Living]] in Hartford, Connecticut.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://people.com/archive/elizabeth-hartman-vol-28-no-10/|work=People|volume=28|number=10|title=Elizabeth Hartman|author=Ryan, Michael|date=September 7, 1987|access-date=July 12, 2017}}</ref> In 1984, she divorced her husband, screenwriter Gill Dennis, after a five-year separation.{{cn|date=February 2024}} In the last few years of her life, she quit acting and worked at a museum in Pittsburgh while receiving treatment for her condition at an outpatient clinic. In 1981, she returned to theater, portraying Myrtle Brown in a regional stage production of ''[[Morning's at Seven]]''.<ref name=hansen/> Her sister and caretaker, Janet, told the ''Los Angeles Times'':

{{blockquote|She was very suicidal...&nbsp; As soon as I arrived, she took an overdose of sleeping pills and was rushed to intensive care. But, the next night, she appeared on stage and she was wonderful. I spent two weeks with her to try to get her to the theater every night. She was frightened of everyone and everything. We'd go to breakfast, and she'd get up and dash out as though somebody was after her.<ref name="hansen">{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-11-22-ca-23600-story.html|title=The Short Life of Elizabeth Hartman : Instant Stardom in 'Patch of Blue,' Then Unemployment, Then Suicide|author=Konte, Sandra Hansen|date=November 22, 1987|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|location=Los Angeles, California|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151011231313/http://articles.latimes.com/1987-11-22/entertainment/ca-23600_1_elizabeth-hartman/5|archive-date=October 11, 2015}}</ref>}}

On June 10, 1987, Hartman died by [[suicide]], leaping to her death from the window of her fifth-floor [[Pittsburgh]] apartment. She was 43 years old.<ref name="NYT"/> Earlier that morning, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office, she had reportedly called her psychiatrist saying that she felt despondent.<ref>{{cite news |work=The Vindicator [[Youngstown, Ohio]] |date=June 11, 1987|title=Obituaries}}</ref> Hartman was buried at [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Ohio)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]] in the suburb of her hometown.<ref name="vind-yo-06-14-87">{{cite news |title=No film stars attend Miss Hartman rites |work=The Youngstown Vindicator |page=D-19 |date=June 14, 1987}}</ref>

== Filmography ==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Director(s)
! class="unsortable" | Notes
! class="unsortable" | {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
! scope="row"| 1965
|''[[A Patch of Blue]]''
|Selina D'Arcey
| {{sortname|Guy|Green|Guy Green (filmmaker)}}
|
| style="text-align:center;"| <ref name=afi>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Person/46514-Elizabeth-Hartman?sid=bc56de5e-47ae-4563-884f-ad88ff5fa26e&sr=13.021887&cp=1&pos=2&isMiscCredit=false|work=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]]|location=Los Angeles, California|publisher=[[American Film Institute]]|title=Elizabeth Hartman Filmography|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031053126/https://catalog.afi.com/Person/46514-Elizabeth-Hartman?sid=bc56de5e-47ae-4563-884f-ad88ff5fa26e&sr=13.021887&cp=1&pos=2&isMiscCredit=false|archive-date=October 31, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row" | 1966
|''[[The Group (film)|The Group]]''
|Priss Hartshorn
|{{sortname|Sidney|Lumet}}
|
| style="text-align:center;"| <ref name=afi/>
|-
|''[[You're a Big Boy Now]]''
|Barbara Darling
| {{sortname|Francis Ford|Coppola}}
|
| style="text-align:center;"| <ref name=afi/>
|-
! scope="row"| 1968
|''[[The Fixer (1968 film)|The Fixer]]''
|Zinaida Lebedev
| {{sortname|John|Frankenheimer}}
|
| style="text-align:center;"| <ref name=afi/>
|-
! scope="row"| 1971
|''[[The Beguiled (1971 film)|The Beguiled]]''
|Edwina Dabney
|{{sortname|Don|Siegel}}
|
| style="text-align:center;"| <ref name=afi/>
|-
! scope="row"| 1972
|''In Pursuit of Treasure''
|
| {{sortname|Stanton|Kaye|nolink=yes}}
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 1973
|''[[Walking Tall (1973 film)|Walking Tall]]''
|Pauline Pusser
|{{sortname|Phil|Karlson}}
|
| style="text-align:center;"|  <ref name=afi/>
|-
! scope="row"| 1981
|''[[Full Moon High]]''
|Miss Montgomery
|{{sortname|Larry|Cohen}}
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 1982
|''[[The Secret of NIMH]]''
|[[Mrs. Brisby]]
|{{sortname|Don|Bluth}}
|Voice; final film role
| style="text-align:center;"| <ref name=afi/>
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
! class="unsortable" | {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
! scope="row"| 1971
|''[[Night Gallery]]''
|Judith Timm 
|Episode: "The Dark Boy"
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 1973
|''[[Love, American Style]]''
|Wilma More 
|Segment: "Love and the Locksmith"<br>Uncredited
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row" | 1975
|''[[ABC's Wide World of Entertainment|Wide World Mystery]]''
|Camilla
|Episode: "A Little Bit Like Murder"
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|''[[Doctors' Hospital]]''
|Bobbie Marks
|Episode: "Come at Last to Love"
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 1980
|''[[Willow B: Women in Prison]]''
|Helen 
|{{sortname|Jeff|Bleckner}}
|Also known as: ''A Matter of Survival''<br/>Television movie
|}

==Stage credits==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
! class="unsortable" | {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
! scope="row"| 1966
| ''[[The Glass Menagerie]]''
| Laura Wingfield
| [[Pittsburgh]]
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref name=glass/>
|-
! scope="row"| 1969
| ''[[Our Town]]''
| Emily Webb
| [[August Wilson Theatre|ANTA Playhouse]]
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|work=Internet Broadway Database|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/elizabeth-hartman-96440|title=Elizabeth Hartman|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031053758/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/elizabeth-hartman-96440|archive-date=October 31, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| 1975
| ''Balaam''
| Female lead 
| Pasadena Repertory Theatre (world premiere)
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref name=hansen/>
|-
! scope="row"| 1981
| ''[[Morning's at Seven]]''
| Myrtle Brown 
| the national touring company
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref name=hansen/>
|}

==Accolades==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Year
! Category
! Nominated work
! Outcome
! class="unsortable" | {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[Academy Award]]s
| rowspan="3"| 1965
| [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| rowspan="3"| ''[[A Patch of Blue]]''
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;"| <ref name=hansen/>
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="3"| [[Golden Globe Awards]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress|Golden Globe for New Star of the Year]]
| {{won}}
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| <ref name=gg/>
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama|Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| 1966
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy|Best Actress –&nbsp;Motion Picture Musical or Comedy]]
| ''[[You're a Big Boy Now]]''
| {{nom}}
|}

== See also ==
* [[List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees]]

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book|last=Frasier|first=David K.|year=2005|title=Suicide in the Entertainment Industry: An Encyclopedia of 840 Twentieth Century Cases|publisher=McFarland|isbn= 978-1-476-60807-5}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Elizabeth Hartman}}
* {{IMDb name|0366946}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{TCMDb name | 82288%7C46514 }}
* {{Find a Grave|2242}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes person|elizabeth_hartman}}

{{Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year Actress}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartman, Elizabeth}}
[[Category:1943 births]]
[[Category:1987 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:Actresses from Pittsburgh]]
[[Category:Actresses from Youngstown, Ohio]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American stage actresses]]
[[Category:American voice actresses]]
[[Category:Female suicides]]
[[Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players]]
[[Category:New Star of the Year (Actress) Golden Globe winners]]
[[Category:Suicides by jumping in the United States]]
[[Category:Suicides in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:People from Boardman, Ohio]]
[[Category:1987 suicides]]
[[Category:Actors and actresses who died by suicide]]