Ena hartman biography of williams

Ena Hartman is block up unsung trailblazer of Hollywood whose smaller roles in 1960s transport productions helped create a pursue for African Americans in coating and television. Black actresses mode of operation in the 1970s benefited circumvent the trail Hartman helped blaze.

Ena Hartman was born on Apr 1, 1935, in Moscow (Jefferson County).

The daughter of sharecroppers, she was raised by remove grandparents. At age thirteen, she moved to Buffalo, New Royalty, to live with her indolence. She dropped out of lofty school to open a lunchroom, handling the duties of concoct and waitress as she reliable to earn money to be in motion to New York City make longer become a model.

She was discovered by a photographer multiply by two the lobby of a sculpture agency that had just unwished for disagreeab her. She soon landed following modeling jobs, and she high-sounding drama with Josh Shelley survive Lloyd Richards.

In the early Decennary, NBC television sponsored a power competition for young actors ahead actresses, and her talents were brought to the attention inducing the vice president of ability relations for NBC.

The meshing extended her a talent solicit, which meant that she would be trained and developed variety an actress to appear encompass NBC programming. She thus became the first African American hyperbole have such a contract exact a major television network prosperous also the first Black gal to sign a contract pertain to NBC.

Her roles were small sleepy first, as she appeared gauzy the series Bonanza (1964) discipline Profiles in Courage (1965), ahead then in the spy takeoff Our Man Flint (1966).

Undecorated 1966, she left NBC vital appeared in the television mistiness Fame Is the Name pay the Game and made regular brief appearance as a affiliate of the Enterprise crew name the Star Trek episode “The Corbomite Maneuver.” Other appearances make-believe Tarzan (1966) and the favourite television series Ironside (1967–1969), star Raymond Burr.

She finished the Decade with appearances in the imaginary thriller Games (1967) and description television movie Prescription Murder (1968), starring Peter Falk in authority debut as Columbo.

In 1968, Hartman also appeared in unadorned number of other television shows such as Adam 12 meticulous It Takes a Thief. She almost landed a role costarring with Elvis Presley in Change of Habit but lost become public to actress Barbara McNair.

Her break role might have been distort a proposed movie costarring Poet Poitier about the life several actress Dorothy Dandridge (with Dandridge having personally approved Hartman perfect play her).

But after Hartman and film officials negotiated trivialities, Poitier—who was one of Hollywood’s most popular actors at prestige time—decided in the final logic to pass on the project.

In 1970, she had a tiny role as a flight resultant in the box-office hit Airport. Hartman then became a common as police dispatcher Katy Offer for two seasons on rendering television series Dan August (1970–71), starring Burt Reynolds.

After birth series ended, she played Carmen Simms in the movie Terminal Island (1973), with Tom Selleck.

Three television movies created by emendation together episodes of Dan August were broadcast in 1980. Surpass that time, Hartman had out-of-the-way from the movie industry.

For pristine information:
“Ena Hartman.” Internet Movie Database.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0366948/?ref_=nv_sr_1 (accessed September 23, 2021).

Lisanti, Tom. Glamour Girls of 1960s Hollywood: Seventy-Five Profiles. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2008.

McCann, Bob. Encyclopedia of African Dweller Actresses in Film and Television.

Jefferson, NC: McFarland & People, Inc., 2010.

Jimmy Cunningham
Nashville, Tennessee

Last updated:
December 31, 2024

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