Kathleen Hughes (born Elizabeth Margaret von Gerkan; November 14, 1928) is an American retired actress who appeared during the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Early life

Hughes was born in Hollywood, California, on November 14, 1928. Her uncle, F. Hugh Herbert, was a playwright who authored Kiss and Tell and The Moon Is Blue. Her desire to act was inspired by a film she saw featuring Donald O'Connor, which gave her the idea that "acting looked like fun." After graduating from Fairfax High School, Hughes attended Los Angeles City College and UCLA.

Motion pictures

Hughes was discovered in a Little Theater production in 1948. Signed to a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox, she made 14 films for the studio. She appeared in five motion pictures for Universal Studios, including the cult film It Came From Outer Space. Hughes co-starred with Edward G. Robinson in a 1953 crime drama, The Glass Web, and opposite Rock Hudson in an adventure film that year, The Golden Blade.

Television

By 1956, Hughes was appearing in television series. She played in episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1956–1957), Telephone Time (1956), The Bob Cummings Show (1958), The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, 77 Sunset Strip (1959), Hotel de Paree (1959), Tightrope! (1959), General Electric Theater (1960–1962), The Tall Man (1961), Bachelor Father (1962), Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1965), and I Dream of Jeannie (1967). In 1962, Hughes played the role of murder victim Lita Krail in the sixth-season 1962 episode of Perry Mason, entitled "The Case of the Double-Entry Mind". She played the recurring role of Mrs. Coburn on the television series The Ghost & Mrs. Muir. She appeared on M as Lorraine Blake, wife of unit commander Henry Blake, in a home movie she sent to him. Hughes portrayed Mitch, a secretary, on the NBC drama Bracken's World (1969–1971).

Stage

Hughes' favorite stage role was in the play The Seven Year Itch.

Personal life

On July 25, 1954, Hughes married Stanley Rubin, the producer of Bracken's World, at the home of her uncle. The couple had one daughter and three sons. The marriage lasted 59 years, until Rubin died on March 2, 2014, at the age of 96.

Filmography

Sources