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Nan MartinAmerican stage, film and television actress
Date of Birth: 15.07.1927
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Nan Martin
Nan Clow Martin was born on July 15, 1927, in Decatur, Illinois, and grew up in Santa Monica, California. She was an American actress in theater, film, and television, and played 130 roles throughout her five-decade-long career.
Early Life and Career
Nan studied drama at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she caught the attention of Joseph Papp, a renowned theater director. In the early 1960s, Martin regularly appeared in Shakespearean productions directed by Papp. Additionally, Nan worked as a model for the famous fashion designer Adrian, showcasing her slim and beautiful appearance. It was during this time that she met Robert Emmett Dolan, a Broadway producer, conductor, and composer who was 21 years older than her. They got married on March 17, 1948, and had a son named Casey Martin Dolan. However, the marriage ended in divorce. On February 14, 1970, Nan married Harry Gesner, and they welcomed their second son, Zen Gesner, in July.
Acting Career
Although Dolan asked Nan to sign a contract with Fox Studios, she followed her passion for theater and went to New York instead. She continued to refine her acting skills at the Max Reinhardt Theater School. Her Broadway debut came in 1950 when she appeared in the play "A Story for a Sunday Evening," which unfortunately lasted only 11 performances before closing.
In 1955, Nan made her television debut on the show "Studio 57," and a year later, she landed her first film role in the drama "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" (1956). Throughout her career, Nan Martin appeared in various films, including the crime drama "The Mugger" (1958), the film adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy "Hamlet" (1964), the drama "The Other Side of the Mountain," the comedies "Doctor Detroit" (1983) and "All of Me" (1984), and the horror film "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" (1987), where she portrayed Amanda Krueger, the mother of Freddy Krueger. Nan often played motherly roles in a wide range of genres.
Besides her film work, Nan Martin continued to perform on Broadway and appeared regularly in television series such as "The Twilight Zone," "The Untouchables," "Mr. Sunshine," "The Thorn Birds," "Santa Barbara," "The Drew Carey Show," "Ben Casey," "ER," "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Columbo," "The Golden Girls," and "Nip/Tuck." Her final work was the television thriller "Mrs. Harris" in 2005.
Death
Nan Martin passed away on March 4, 2010, at her home in Malibu, California, at the age of 82. She died from complications of emphysema.
