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Rosemary Prinz

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Rosemary Prinz
Prinz in 1970.
Born (1931-01-04) January 4, 1931 (age 93)
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1947–present
Spouse(s)Michael Thoma (m. 1951–1957; divorced)
Joseph Patti (m. 1966-2014; his death)[citation needed]

Rosemary Prinz (born January 4, 1931)[1][2] is an American actress. She is known for playing the role of Penny Hughes on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns (1956–1968, 1985, 1986–1987, 1998, 2000). She also played Amy on First Love (1954–1955), Amy Tyler on All My Children (1970), and Dr. Julie Franklin on How to Survive a Marriage (1974–1975) . She has performed in many theatrical productions. She appeared on Broadway in The Grey-Eyed People (1952), Tonight in Samarkand (1955), Three Men on a Horse (1969), The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1971), and Tribute (1978). Prinz originated the role of M'Lynn Eatenton in Steel Magnolias during its first production Off-Broadway in 1987.

Early life

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Prinz was born in The Bronx, New York.[citation needed] Her father was cellist Milton Prinz, who performed with the NBC Symphony Orchestra and was the founder of the New York String Quartet.[3] Prinz later taped How to Survive a Marriage in the same studio where her father had performed with Arturo Toscanini.[citation needed]

Career

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1947-1955: Early work

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In 1947, at age sixteen, Prinz made her professional acting debut in Dream Girl at the Craigsmoor Summer Theatre.[3] Her father gave her permission to finish high school early.[4] She was cast in a touring production of Joan of Lorraine, co-starring with Diana Barrymore.[4][3] She later joined touring productions of Kiss and Tell, Glad Tidings, and The Second Man.[3] In 1948, she starred in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Flat Rock Playhouse in North Carolina.[5]

She made her Broadway debut as First Girl Scout in the original production of The Grey-Eyed People, opening on December 17, 1952 at the Martin Beck Theatre.[6] Prinz played Amy on the NBC soap opera First Love from 1954 to 1955.[3] She guest starred on The Mickey Rooney Show.[3] She appeared as Pandore in the original Broadway production of Tonight in Samarkand. The play opened at the Morosco Theatre on February 16, 1955.[7]

1956-1968: As the World Turns

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She was cast in the contract role of Penny Hughes on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns, appearing in the show's first episode on April 2, 1956.[8][9] In the beginning, the show taped a half-hour episode live every day.[10] The character of Penny was paired romantically with Jeff Baker (Mark Rydell). They were daytime's first teen romance, breaking up and reuniting many times. The couple finally married and planned to adopt a child. Their storyline ended when Jeff was killed in a car crash and Penny suffered from amnesia.[11][8]

Prinz as Penny Hughes on As the World Turns, 1958.

Prinz sparred with Irna Phillips, the creator and writer of As the World Turns.[12] She has said that Phillips would become angry when she took roles in theatrical productions. She also didn't want her to smoke or drink, because it was something that Penny wouldn't do. Prinz has said, "I was supposed to be Penny all the time."[10]

After the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, ATWT was preempted by news coverage for four days. When the show began airing again, Prinz asked if she could make a reference to it on the air. She was told not to, but she improvised a line anyway, saying "Grandpa, here we are talking about Tommy, and after all the country's been through for the last four days."[10]

From December 1967 to January 1968, Prinz starred in A Girl Could Get Lucky at The Little Theatre on the Square.[13] The stress of working on ATWT and the conflicts with Irna Phillips caused her to have a nervous breakdown.[12] She sought help from a psychoanalyst and decided to leave the show when her contract ended in 1968. Phillips' last revenge on her was to have the character of Penny steal her brother's child and go to England.[10] The role was briefly recast with actress Phoebe Dorin.[8]

1968-1982: All My Children

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From 1968 to 1969, Prinz played Ella in a touring production of The Apple Tree, co-starring with Tom Ewell.[14] She played Audrey Trowbridge in a Broadway revival of Three Men on a Horse. The play opened at the Lyceum Theatre on October 16, 1969.[15] She returned to television, playing Amy Tyler on the ABC soap opera All My Children. She was an original cast member on the show, which premiered in January 1970. The character was a liberal peace activist.[16] Prinz only agreed to play the role for six months, on the condition that the show's creator, Agnes Nixon, have the character protest the Vietnam War and support Martin Luther King Jr.[4]

In the early 1970s, she appeared in a touring production of Last of the Red Hot Lovers.[3] Prinz played Edna Edison in the original Broadway production of The Prisoner of Second Avenue. She replaced Barbara Barrie in the role.[17] She played Dr. Julie Franklin on the NBC soap opera How to Survive a Marriage from 1974 to 1975.[3] She starred in Mame at The Little Theatre on the Square in 1974.[18] In 1975, she starred in Gypsy at the same venue.[19]

In December 1977, she starred as Doris in Same Time, Next Year at New York's Studio Arena Theater.[20] Prinz appeared as Maggie Stratton in the original Broadway production of Tribute, co-starring with Jack Lemmon.[21] The play opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on June 1, 1978.[22] She guest starred on Laverne & Shirley, Hart to Hart, and Archie Bunker's Place.[3] Prinz had a recurring role on Knots Landing.[23] In 1982, she played Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest at the Sharon Playhouse in Connecticut.[24]

1983-present

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In September 1983, she starred as Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie for The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.[25] Throughout her career, Prinz has starred in five productions of The Glass Menagerie, including one in Japan.[3] She returned to As the World Turns for a brief appearance in 1985. She then returned for a longer stint, airing from March 29, 1986 until April 1987.[8]

In July 1986, Prinz co-starred with Fannie Flagg in a female version of The Odd Couple at the Westport Country Playhouse.[26] In 1987, she played M'Lynn Eatenton in the original Off-Broadway production of Steel Magnolias.[27] The play had an extended run at the WP Theater and reopened at the Lucille Lortel Theatre during the summer of 1987.[28] In 1988, Prinz returned to television, playing the recurring role of Sister Mary Joel on the ABC soap opera Ryan's Hope.[3]

In the Fall of 1989, she co-starred with Ted Lange in a national tour of Driving Miss Daisy.[29] In April 1990, she played Evelyn in Tales of the Lost Formicans at New York's Apple Corps Theater.[30] In December 1996 and January 1997, Prinz played Evelyn in On Deaf Ears at the Martin R. Kaufman Theater in New York.[31] She starred as Lola in The Model Apartment at the La Jolla Playhouse in July 1997.[32] In October 1997, she starred as Agnes in A Delicate Balance at Virginia Stage Company in Norfolk, Virginia.[33]

Prinz played Maria Callas in Master Class at Portland Stage Company in August and September 1998.[34] She returned to As the World Turns for a few episodes in August 1998.[8] In 2000, Prinz made her film debut in the romantic drama A Wedding for Bella (also titled The Bread, My Sweet), co-starring with Scott Baio.[35] She returned to As the World Turns again on December 26, 2000, making her last appearance before the show's cancellation in 2009.[8] In 2017, she appeared in the comedy film Humor Me.[36]

Personal life

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Prinz was married to actor Michael Thoma from 1951–57. (Thoma died in 1982 at the age of 55.) Her second marriage, to jazz drummer Joseph Patti in 1966, ended only upon his death from natural causes in 2014.[citation needed] A lifelong New Yorker, she is a resident of the Upper West Side.[1]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2001 A Wedding for Bella Bella
2004 Extreme Mom Grandma Short film
2017 Humor Me Gert

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1951 Studio One Connie Nelson Episode: "The Dangerous Years"
Lights Out Cora Episode: "The Silent Supper"
1953 The Plainclothesman Episode: "The Heavy Foot"
1954 Colonel Humphrey Flack Episode: "Gambling Fever"
1954–1955 First Love Amy Contract role, 388 episodes
1955 Robert Montgomery Presents Janet Colby Episode: "Late Love"
1956–1968, 1985, 1986–1987, 1998, 2000 As the World Turns Penny Hughes Contract role: 1956–1968, Guest appearances: 1985, 1986–1987 1998, 2000
1970 All My Children Amy Tyler Special guest star: 6 months
1972 The ABC Afternoon Playbreak Elizabeth Thatcher Episode: "This Child is Mine"
1974–1975 How to Survive a Marriage Dr. Julie Franklin Contract role, 333 episodes
1979 Laverne & Shirley Mrs. Latimer Episode: "Fat City Holiday"
Salvage 1 Flora Episodes: "Hard Water: Part 1 & Part 2"
1980 Hart to Hart Esther Goodman Episode: "Cruise at Your Own Risk"
1981 Archie Bunker's Place Gladys Episode: "Weekend Away"
ABC Afterschool Special Mrs. Anderson Episode: "Run, Don't Walk"
1981–1982 Knots Landing Muriel Warren 3 episodes
1982 One of the Boys Violet Shields Episode: "Parents' Weekend"
1988–1989 Ryan's Hope Sister Mary Joel 3 episodes

References

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  1. ^ a b "The New York City Marriage Index, 1950-2017". nycmarriageindex.com. Reclaim the Records.
  2. ^ Newcomb, Roger (January 4, 2018). "Today in Soap Opera History (January 4)". welovesoaps.net. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rout, Nancy E.; Buckley, Ellen (1992). The Soap Opera Book: Who's Who in Daytime Drama. Todd Publications. p. 217. ISBN 978-0-915344-23-9.
  4. ^ a b c Hirsch, Lynda (January 31, 2010). "Exclusive: Rosemary Prinz opens up on advice not taken, ideas stolen, and other daytime secrets". Soap Central. Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  5. ^ "Flat Rock Playhouse: A timeline of people and events". blueridgenow.com. April 5, 2003. Archived from the original on September 25, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  6. ^ "The Grey-Eyed People". Playbill. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  7. ^ "Tonight in Samarkand". Playbill. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Who's Who in Oakdale: Penelope Hughes Baker Wade McGuire Cunningham". Soap Central. Archived from the original on December 10, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  9. ^ Vincent Terrace (1985). Encyclopedia of Television: Series, Pilots and Specials. New York Zoetrope. ISBN 978-0918432612.
  10. ^ a b c d Stewart, Sara (December 13, 2009). "When the World Began". New York Post. Archived from the original on September 22, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  11. ^ Martha Nochimson (1993). No End to Her: Soap Opera and the Female Subject. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0520077713.
  12. ^ a b "Irna Phillips, The Mother of Daytime Drama". CBS News. September 13, 2009. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  13. ^ ""A Girl Could Get Lucky" starring Rosemary Prinz". The Keep - Eastern Illinois University. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  14. ^ "Exciting Scenic Effects for 'Apple Tree,' Coming February 20". The San Bernardino County Sun. February 9, 1969. p. 60. Archived from the original on September 25, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  15. ^ "Three Men on a Horse". Playbill. Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  16. ^ Harrington, Stephanie (February 22, 1970). "Will Amy Work for Peace? Will Phillip Enlist? Will..." The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 25, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  17. ^ "The Prisoner of Second Avenue". Playbill. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  18. ^ "1974 Programs: Mame". The Keep - Eastern Illinois University. Archived from the original on July 27, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  19. ^ "Gypsy starring Rosemary Prinz". The Keep - Eastern Illinois University. Archived from the original on May 31, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  20. ^ "Studio Arena Theatre". The Element. December 6, 1977. p. 8. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  21. ^ "Theater: Lemmon Stars in 'Tribute'". The New York Times. June 2, 1978. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  22. ^ "Tribute". Playbill. Archived from the original on May 8, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  23. ^ "Former As The World Turns Star Rosemary Prinz In Lost In Yonkers". November 19, 2009.
  24. ^ Corry, John (July 16, 1982). "Summer Stage Season Hits its Stride". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  25. ^ "The Glass Menagerie". repstl.org. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  26. ^ Klein, Alvin (June 29, 1986). "A Potpourri of Plays for the Summer". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  27. ^ Gussow, Mel (March 27, 1987). "Stage: 'Steel Magnolias,' a Louisiana Story". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  28. ^ Kaufman, David (September 13, 1987). "Six 'Steel Magnolias' Are Blooming Onstage". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  29. ^ Raidy, William A. (August 27, 1989). "'Driving Miss Daisy' is Going Great Guns". Deseret News. Archived from the original on September 25, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  30. ^ Gussow, Mel (April 29, 1990). "Review/Theater; 80's Suburbia as Seen by Extraterrestrials". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 25, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  31. ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence (January 1, 1997). "Talking and Reading In Place of Listening". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 27, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  32. ^ Winer, Laurie (July 29, 1997). "A Family Trapped in Comic Tragedy". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 25, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  33. ^ Paller, Rebecca (October 31, 1997). "Rosemary Prinz in A Delicate Balance at Virginia Stage". Playbill. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  34. ^ Lefkowitz, David (September 19, 1998). "Last Chance: Rosemary Prinz Heads McNally's Master Class in Maine, To Sept. 20". Playbill. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  35. ^ Kehr, Dave (October 24, 2003). "Film in Review; 'The Bread, My Sweet'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 27, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  36. ^ Farber, Stephen (June 20, 2017). "'Humor Me': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 5, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
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