Veronica Cartwright Biography

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Veronica A. Cartwright (born 20 April 1949) is an English-born American actress who has worked mainly in American film and television. As a child actress she appeared in supporting roles in The Children's Hour and The Birds. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the science fiction films Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) and Alien (1979), for which she won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Early years

Cartwright was born in Bristol, Gloucestershire, and grew up in Toronto and Los Angeles. Her career as a child actress began in 1958 with a role in In Love and War. Among her early appearances was a semi-regular part in the television series Leave It to Beaver (as Beaver's classmate Violet Rutherford) and an episode of The Twilight Zone "I Sing the Body Electric" (1962). She guest starred twice in 1963 in NBC's medical drama about psychiatry, The Eleventh Hour, in the episodes "The Silence of Good Men" and "My Name is Judith, I'm Lost, You See." Cartwright appeared in the films The Children's Hour (1961) and Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963), which were both highly successful. She was cast as daughter Jemima Boone in the first two seasons of NBC's Daniel Boone from 1964 until 1966, with co-stars Fess Parker, Patricia Blair, Darby Hinton, Ed Ames, and Dallas McKennon. She was the youngest actress to win an Emmy for Tell Me Not in Mournful Numbers.

Mid-1960s to present day

Cartwright's career slowed down during the late 1960s. She continued to work and achieved two of her biggest successes with Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) and Alien (1979), the latter performance winning her a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. She was originally cast as Alien's heroine Ellen Ripley, but director Ridley Scott switched her role with Sigourney Weaver's just prior to shooting the film.

Other film roles include: Spencer's Mountain with Henry Fonda and Kym Karath (1963), Inserts (1976), Goin' South (1978), The Right Stuff (1983), Flight of the Navigator (1986), The Witches of Eastwick (1987), Money Talks (1997), Scary Movie 2 (2001), Kinsey (2004) and Straight-Jacket (2004).

A frequent performer in television, she has played guest roles in such series as The Mod Squad, Miami Vice, Baywatch, L.A. Law, ER, The X-Files, Chicago Hope, Will & Grace, Touched by an Angel, Judging Amy, Six Feet Under, The Closer, and Law & Order: SVU. Cartwright has received three Emmy Award nominations, one for her work in ER in 1997, and two for her work on The X-Files in 1998 and 1999. Veronica Cartwright also starred as Mrs. Olive Osmond in the made for TV film Inside the Osmonds.

She co-starred in the fourth version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Invasion (2007). She appears on the cover art for the Scissor Sisters' 2006 single "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" as well as on their second album Ta-Dah.

Family

Veronica Cartwright's sister is the actress Angela Cartwright, who appeared in The Sound of Music (1965) and as a regular in the television series Lost in Space and Make Room for Daddy.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1958	In Love and War	Allie O'Neill (uncredited)
1961	'	Rosalie Wells
1963	'	Cathy Brenner
1963	Spencer's Mountain	Becky Spencer (uncredited)
1964	One Man's Way	Mary
1974	Inserts	Harlene
1978	'	Corinne
1978	Goin' South	Hermine
1978	Invasion of the Body Snatchers	Nancy Bellicec
1979	Alien	Joan Lambert	Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
1983	Nightmares	Claire Houston	Segment: "Night of the Rat"
1983	'	Betty Grissom
1985	My Man Adam	Elaine Swit
1986	Flight of the Navigator	Helen Freeman
1987	Wisdom	Samantha Wisdom
1987	'	Felicia Alden	Nominated-Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
1989	Valentino Returns	Patricia 'Pat' Gibbs
1990	False Identity	Vera Errickson
1991	Walking the Dog		Short film
1992	Man Trouble	Helen Dextra
1994	Two Over Easy	Molly	Short film
1994	Mirror, Mirror 2: Raven Dance	Sister Aja
1994	On Hope	Woman in Grocery	Short film
1995	Candyman 2: Farewell to the Flesh	Octavia Tarrant
1996	Shoot the Moon	Mrs. Thomas
1997	Money Talks	Connie Cipriani
1997	Sparkler	Dottie Delgato
1998	My Engagement Party	Sarah Salsburg
1999	'	Mrs. Casey
1999	Trash	Principal Evans
2001	In the Bedroom	Minister on Television
2001	Critic's Choice	Watkins	Short film
2001	Scary Movie 2	Mother
2002	Mackenheim	Eleanor	Short film
2003	Just Married	Mrs. 'Pussy' McNerney (uncredited)
2004	Twisted	Landlady (uncredited)
2004	Straight-Jacket	Jerry Albrecht
2004	Kinsey	Sara Kinsey
2005	Barry Dingle	Eleanor Dingle
2007	Mommy's House	Mommy	Short film
2007	'	Wendy Lenk
2009	Call of the Wild	Sheriff Taylor
2010	Neowolf	Mrs. Belakov	Video
2011	Montana Amazon	Margaret
2011	InSight	Patricia
2012	'	Catherine Sayer
2012	Adventures of the Dunderheads	Margaret
2013	'	Francine	Post-production
2014	The Town That Dreaded Sundown	Lillian	Post-production
2014	Non-Stop	Rose	Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1959	Zane Grey Theater	Sarah Butler	Episode: "The Lone Woman"
1959	Make Room for Daddy	Girl in Play	Episode: "Bob Hope and Danny Become Directors"
1959"1960	Leave It to Beaver	Violet Rutherford	Episode: "The Tooth" Episode: "Beaver and Violet"
1960	Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond	Gillian	Episode: "The Haunting"
1960		Fake Foster Child (uncredited)	Episode: "Gullible Goldie"
1960"1961	Alfred Hitchcock Presents	Judy Davidson	Episode: "The Schwartz-Metterklume Method" Episode: "Summer Shade"
1961	Make Room for Daddy		Episode: "Teacher for a Day"
1961	Leave It to Beaver	Violet Rutherford	Episode: "Beaver's Rat"
1962	Route 66	Miriam (age 9)	Episode: "Love Is a Skinny Kid"
1962	Twilight Zone	Anne Rogers - age 11	Episode: "I Sing the Body Electric"
1963	'		Episode: "The Third Side of a Coin"
1963	Leave It to Beaver	Peggy MacIntosh	Episode: "Don Juan Beaver"
1963	'	Judith Cameron Jan Ellendale	Episode: "My Name Is Judith, I'm Lost, You See" Episode: "The Silence of Good Men"
1964	Tell Me Not in Mournful Numbers		TV film
1964"1966	Daniel Boone	Jemima Boone	36 episodes
1965	Dr. Kildare	Nancy Hiller	Episode: "Take Care of My Little Girl"
1965	Who Has Seen the Wind?	Kiri Radek	TV film
1968	Mannix	Mrs. Goldberg (uncredited)	Episode: "Edge of the Knife"
1968	'	Nancy Robins	Episode: "High on a Rainbow"
1969	Family Affair	Jo-Ann	Episode: "Flower Power"
1969	Dragnet 1967	Melissa Stevens	Episode: "Personnel: The Shooting"
1969	Mod Squad	Gail Whitney	Episode: "The Girl in Chair Nine"
1970	Death Valley Days		Episode: "Simple Question of Justice"
1970	'	Mary	Episode: "Point of Honor"
1970	Then Came Bronson	Petey Traine	Episode: "Still Waters"
1970	My Three Sons	Ruth Fletcher	Episode: "The Honeymoon"
1973	Here We Go Again	Nancy	Episode: "Sunday, Soggy Sunday"
1976	Bernice Bobs Her Hair	Marjorie	TV film
1976	Serpico	Lucy	Episode: "Dawn of the Furies"
1980	Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones	Marceline 'Marcy' Jones	TV film
1981	'	Sister Theresa	TV film
1982	Prime Suspect	Janice Staplin	TV film
1985	'	Violet Rutherford	Episode: "Violet Rutherford Returns"
1985	Robert Kennedy & His Times	Ethel Skakel Kennedy	TV miniseries
1986	Intimate Encounters	Emily	TV film
1987	Miami Vice	Society Dame	Episode: "By Hooker by Crook"
1988	Tanner '88	Molly Hark	10 episodes
1989	Desperate for Love	Betty Petrie	TV film
1989	Baywatch	Mrs. Harris (uncredited)	Episode: "Panic at Malibu Pier"
1989"1992	L.A. Law	A.D.A. Margaret Flanagan	9 episodes
1990	'	Dorothy Donaldson	TV film
1990	Hitler's Daughter	Patricia Benedict	TV film
1991	CBS Schoolbreak Special	Caroline Morris	Episode: "Abby, My Love"
1991	Dead in the Water	Victoria Haines	TV film
1992	Lincoln & Seward		TV film
1992	Lincoln and the War Within		TV film
1993	It's Nothing Personal	Barbara	TV film
1993	Triumph Over Disaster: The Hurricane Andrew Story	Carla Hulin	TV film
1994	Dead Air	The Caller	TV film
1995	My Brother's Keeper	Pat	TV film
1996	American Gothic	Angela	Episode: "Dr. Death Takes a Holiday"
1996	'	Maggie Dunbar	TV film
1996	Sliders	The Flame (voice)	Episode: "The Fire Within"
1997	ER	Norma Houston	Episode: "Whose Appy Now?" Episode: "Faith" Nominated-Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
1997	Boston Common	Betty	Episode: "Here's to You, Mrs. Byrnes"
1997	Quicksilver Highway	Myra	TV film
1997	George & Leo	Anna	Episode: "The Wedding"
1998	George & Leo	Anna	Episode: "The Nine Wives of Leo Wagonman"
1998	'	Rocky Cooper	TV film
1998"1999	'	Cassandra Spender	4 episodes Nominated-Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (1998-1999)
1999	'	Director Elizabeth Riggs	TV film
1999	Chicago Hope	Karen Flanders	Episode: "Team Play"
1999	Will & Grace	Judith McFarland	Episode: "Homo for the Holidays"
2001	Inside the Osmonds	Olive Osmond	TV film
2001	Touched by an Angel	Shirlee Gibbons	Episode: "Famous Last Words"
2002	Family Law	Norma Benson	Episode: "Arlene's Choice"
2002	Judging Amy	Dorothea Mitchell	Episode: "A Pretty Good Day"
2003	Without a Trace	Mrs. Beckworth	Episode: "There Goes the Bride"
2004	Dr. Vegas	Evelyn	Episode: "All In"
2004	Six Feet Under	Peg Kimmel	Episode: "Falling into Place" Episode: "The Black Forest"
2005	Six Feet Under	Peg Kimmel	Episode: "A Coat of White Primer"
2005	'	Vera Mathers	Episode: "Good Housekeeping"
2005	Without a Trace	Susan	Episode: "John Michaels"
2005	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Virginia Kennison	Episode: "Starved"
2005	Nip/Tuck	Mother Mary Claire	Episode: "Quentin Costa"
2005"2006	Invasion	Valerie Shenkman	5 episodes
2006	Boston Legal	Judge Peggy Zeder	Episode: "Helping Hands"
2006	Cold Case	Mary Ryan	Episode: "Dog Day Afternoons"
2006	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Diane Chase	Episode: "Rashomama"
2006	7th Heaven	Ms. Fitzhenry	Episode: "A Pain in the Neck"
2006	'	Barbara Dalton	Episode: "Brother's Keeper"
2007	'	Barbara Dalton	Episode: "Confessions" Episode: "The Inside Man"
2007	October Road	Lynn Farmer	Episode: "Deck the Howls"
2009	Eastwick	Bun Waverly	11 episodes
2010	Drop Dead Diva	Marian Porter	Episode: "Back from the Dead"
2010	Memphis Beat	Miranda	Episode: "I Shall Not Be Moved"
2010"2012	Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil	Ms. Dominic (voice)	3 episodes
2012	Revenge	Judge Elizabeth Blackwell	Episode: "Scandal" Episode: "Justice"