Natalie Schafer

She died from cancer in Los Angeles, California. Kim Stanley died of uterine cancer in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Miss Wells has admitted to something of a daughter-type relationship with Miss Schafer, but has never publicly admitted to receiving anything from her estate. She received an Emmy for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in the episode A Cardinal Act of Mercy on the TV series Ben Casey (1963) and an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special for playing Big Mama in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1985). Differing sources state that most of this fortune was bequeathed to either her "Gilligan's Island" co-star Dawn Wells, or her cat. And she played Pancho Barnes in The Right Stuff (1983). Her astute investments, particularly in real estate made her a millionaire. Other movies include Frances (1982), playing the mother of movie star Frances Farmer opposite Jessica Lange, in which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Motion Picture.

In real life, she was far removed from the dizzy "Lovey Howell" she had played. In 1964, she starred in Seance on a Wet Afternoon and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Her most notable film appearance in later life was in The Day of the Locust (1975). Her first movie was The Goddess (1958), playing an unstable movie star, Rita Shawn. She continued acting until the age of ninety and was a guest star on many TV series. She had three children, one by Conway, one by Brooks Clift (brother of Montgomery Clift) while she was married to Conway, and one by Ryder. She appeared in the television series Gilligan's Island from 1964 until 1967 playing the role of millionaire's wife "Lovey Howell", and reprised her role in the made-for-TV "Gilligan's Island" movies that were made after the show's demise. Stanley had four husbands, Bruce Hall (married 1945-divorced 1946), Curt Conway (married 1949-divorced 1956), Alfred Ryder (married 1958-divorced 1964) and Joseph Siegel (married 1964-divorced 1967).

She played several supporting roles during the forties and fifties and appeared most notably in The Snake Pit (1948) and Anastasia (1956) while returning to New York City to live and work between film roles.. A savaging by English critics after her London performance of Masha in The Actor's Studio production of Chekhov's play The Three Sisters (1964) made her vow never to perform on stage again, a vow she kept for the rest of her life. Born in Red Bank, New Jersey, Schafer began her career as an actress on Broadway before moving to Los Angeles in 1941 to work in films. Stanley was also the leading lady of live television drama, which flourished in New York during the 1950s. Among her many starring roles was Wilma, a star-struck 15-year-old girl from the Gulf Coast of Texas in Horton Foote's A Young Lady of Property, which aired on the Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse April 5, 1953. Natalie Schafer (November 5, 1900 - April 10, 1991) was an American actress. She received the 1952 Theatre World Award for her performance of Anna Reeves in The Chase; and was nominated for the 1959 Tony for Best Actress in a Play for A Touch of the Poet and the 1962 Tony for Best Actress in a Play for A Far Country. She starred in such Broadway hits as Picnic (1953), playing Millie Owens, and Bus Stop (1955), playing Cherie.

She eventually attended The Actor's Studio, studying under Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg. She was singled out by the New York Times critic Brooks Atkinson for her early work. Stanley was a successful Broadway actress with only a few motion picture roles. She was a drama major at the University of New Mexico and later studied at the Pasadena Playhouse.

She was born Patricia Beth Reid in Tularosa, New Mexico. Kim Stanley (February 11, 1925 – August 20, 2001) was an American actress.