Nydia Westman

Nydia Westman
File:Nydia Westman.jpg
Born	(1902-02-19)February 19, 1902 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	Burbank, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Cancer
Resting place	Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Chatsworth, California
Years active	1932–1970
Spouse(s)	Robert Sparks (1930–1937) (divorced) 1 child
Children	Kate Williamson

Nydia Eileen Westman (February 19, 1902 – May 23, 1970) was an American actress and singer of stage, screen and television.

Career

Westman's career ranged from episodic appearances on TV series such as That Girl and Dragnet and uncredited bit roles in movies to appearances in groundbreaking films (such as Craig's Wife, which starred Rosalind Russell, and the first film version of Little Women which starred Katharine Hepburn in her first great movie success).

She appeared as the housekeeper Mrs. Featherstone in the 1962–1963 ABC series, Going My Way, which starred Gene Kelly and Leo G. Carroll as Roman Catholic priests in New York City.

She also broke ground on stage, debuting the role of Nell off-Broadway in Samuel Beckett's Endgame, for which she won one of the first Obie awards.

Personal life

Westman's parents, Theodore and Lily (Wren) Westman were actors in vaudeville in her native New York City. Her sisters, Lolita and Neville were actresses, and her brother, Theodore (d. November 20, 1927), was an actor and playwright.

She was married to Robert Sparks, a producer, from 1930 until 1937; they had a daughter, actress Kate Williamson (1930–2013).

Westman died of cancer at the age of sixty-eight in Burbank, California.

Filmography

• Rabbit, Run (1970)
• Silent Night, Lonely Night (1969)
• The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit (1968)
• The Reluctant Astronaut (1967)
• The Swinger (1966)
• The Chase (1966)
• The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966)
• For Love or Money (1963)
• Don't Knock the Twist (1962)
• The Velvet Touch (1948)
• The Late George Apley (1947)
• Her Primitive Man (1944)
• Princess O'Rourke (1943)
• Hers to Hold (1943)
• They All Kissed the Bride (1942)
• The Remarkable Andrew (1942)
• The Chocolate Soldier (1941)
• The Bad Man (1941)
• Hullabaloo (1940)
• Forty Little Mothers (1940)
• The Cat and the Canary (1939)
• When Tomorrow Comes (1939)
• Bulldog Drummond's Peril (1938)
• The First Hundred Years (1938)
• The Goldwyn Follies (1938)
• Bulldog Drummond's Revenge (1937)
• Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937)
• When Love Is Young (1937)
• Pennies from Heaven (1936)
• Rose Bowl (1936)
• Craig's Wife (1936)
• The Gorgeous Hussy (1936)
• The Invisible Ray (1936)
• Three Live Ghosts (1936)
• A Feather in Her Hat (1935)
• Dressed to Thrill (1935)
• Sweet Adeline (1934)
• One Night of Love (1934)
• Ladies Should Listen (1934)
• Success at Any Price (1934)
• Manhattan Love Song (1934)
• The Trumpet Blows (1934)
• Two Alone (1934)
• Cradle Song (1933)
• Little Women (1933)
• The Way to Love (1933)
• Bondage (1933)
• King of the Jungle (1933)
• From Hell to Heaven (1933)
• Should Crooners Marry (1933)
• Manhattan Tower (1932)
• Strange Justice (1932)

Television work

• The Murdocks and the McClays (1970)
• Bewitched (1 episode, 1970)
• Dragnet 1967 (6 episodes, 1967–1970)
• That Girl (episode "Rain, Snow, Ice" 1967)
• Adam-12 (1 episode, 1969)
• Lancer (1 episode, 1969)
• Out of the Blue (1968)
• Family Affair (1 episode, 1967)
• My Favorite Martian (1 episode, 1965)
• F Troop (1 episode, 1965)
• Please Don't Eat The Daisies (1 episode, 1965)
• The Munsters (1 episode, 1965)
• The Donna Reed Show (1 episode, 1965)
• Ben Casey (1 episode, 1964)
• Bonanza (1 episode, 1964)
• Perry Mason (1 episode, 1964)
• The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1 episode, 1964)
• The Addams Family (1 episode, 1964)
• Route 66 (1 episode, 1963)
• Going My Way (1962)
• Play of the Week (1 episode, 1960)
• The United States Steel Hour (1 episode, 1957)
• Kaiser Aluminum Hour (1 episode, 1957)
• Producers' Showcase (1 episode, 1956)
• Ford Television Theatre (1 episode, 1955)
• Studio One (1 episode, 1955)
• Kraft Television Theatre (5 episodes, 1954–1955)
• Philip Morris Playhouse (1 episode, 1954)
• Broadway Television Theatre (1 episode, 1953)
• Robert Montgomery Presents (1 episode, 1952)
• Young Mr. Bobbin (1951) TV Series
• Philco Television Playhouse (2 episodes, 1949–1951)
• The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre (1 episode, 1950)
• Actors Studio (1 episode, 1948)
• Mary Kay and Johnny (unknown episodes, 1947–1950)

External links

• Nydia Westman at the Internet Movie Database
• Nydia Westman at the Internet Broadway Database
• filmsandtv.com bio
• Nydia Westman at AllMovie
• Nydia Westman at Find a Grave