# Edith Atwater

Edith Atwater (April 22, 1911 – March 14, 1986) was an American stage, film, and television actress.

## Career

Born in Chicago, Atwater made her Broadway debut in 1933. In 1939, she starred in The Man Who Came to Dinner. Her film career included roles in The Body Snatcher (1945), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), It Happened at the World's Fair (1963), Strait-Jacket (1964), Strange Bedfellows (1965), True Grit (1969), The Love Machine (1971), Die Sister, Die! (1972), Mackintosh and T.J. (1975), and Family Plot (1976).
From 1964 to 1965, Atwater appeared in several episodes of the television series Peyton Place in the role of Grace Morton, wife of Dr. Robert Morton, who was played by her real-life husband Kent Smith. During the 1966–1967 television season, she appeared in the series Love on a Rooftop. She was also a regular on the television series Kaz during the 1978–1979 season. Her other television work included appearances on The Rockford Files, Hazel, Knots Landing, and numerous other series.
Atwater's work on Broadway included performances in Flahooley (1951), King Lear (1950), Metropole (1949), The Gentleman From Athens (1947), Parlor Story (1947), State of the Union (1945), R.U.R. (1942), Broken Journey (1942), Johnny on a Spot (1942), Retreat to Pleasure (1940), The Man Who Came to Dinner (1939), Susan and God (1937), The Masque of Kings (1937), The Country Wife (1936), This Our House (1935), Brittle Heaven (1934), Are You Decent (1934), and Springtime for Henry (1931).
Atwater was a member of the governing board of Actors' Equity Association.

## Personal life and death

In November 1941, Atwater married actor Hugh Marlowe; they divorced in 1946. She was married to actor Kent Smith from 1962 until his death in 1985. She died of cancer in 1986 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at age 74. She had no children.

## Legacy

Atwater's likeness was drawn in caricature by Alex Gard for Sardi's, the theatre-district restaurant in New York City. The picture is now part of the collection of the New York Public Library.

## Filmography

Film :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1936 | We Went to College | Nina | Alternate title: The Old School Tie |
| 1936 | The Gorgeous Hussy | Lady Vaughn | Uncredited |
| 1945 | The Body Snatcher | Meg Cameron | |
| 1949 | C-Man | Lydia Brundage | |
| 1951 | Teresa | Mrs. Lawrence | Uncredited |
| 1957 | Sweet Smell of Success | Mary | |
| 1961 | Mr. Sardonicus | Nurse | Uncredited |
| 1962 | Sweet Bird of Youth | Minor Role | Uncredited |
| 1963 | It Happened at the World's Fair | Miss Steuben | |
| 1964 | Strait-Jacket | Mrs. Alison Fields | |
| 1965 | Strange Bedfellows | Mrs. Stevens | |
| 1969 | Daddy's Gone A-Hunting | Hospital Desk Nurse | Uncredited |
| 1969 | True Grit | Mrs. Floyd | |
| 1970 | Pieces of Dreams | Mrs. Lind (Gregory's Mother) | |
| 1970 | Norwood | Angry Bus Passenger | |
| 1971 | The Love Machine | Mary | |
| 1972 | Call Me by My Rightful Name | Mrs. Watkins | |
| 1972 | Stand Up and Be Counted | Sophie | |
| 1974 | Our Time | Mrs. Margaret Pendleton | |
| 1975 | Mackintosh and T.J. | Mrs. Webster | |
| 1976 | Family Plot | Mrs. Clay | |
| 1978 | Mean Dog Blues | Linda's Mother | |
| 1978 | Die Sister, Die! | Amanda Price | |
| Television ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1948 | The Philco Television Playhouse | Marian Burnett | Episode: "Parlor Story" |
| 1949 | NBC Presents | | Episode: "Concerning a Lady's Honor" |
| 1950 | Suspense | Louise Lord | Episode: "The Man Who Talked in His Sleep" |
| 1951 | Somerset Maugham TV Theatre | | Episode: "The Outstation" |
| 1955 | Armstrong Circle Theatre | | Episode: "The Honorable Mrs. Jones" |
| 1958 | Decoy | Lily Conway Flagler | Episode: "High Swing" |
| 1960 | The Witness | | Episode: "Police Lt. Charles Becker" |
| 1961 | Festival | Mrs. Moreen | Episode: "The Pupil" |
| 1962 | Stoney Burke | Ruth Coles | Episode: "A Matter of Pride" |
| 1962 | The Eleventh Hour | Ann Tabor | 2 episodes |
| 1964 | Dr. Kildare | Miss Thorton | Episode: "A Day to Remember" |
| 1964–65 | Peyton Place | Grace Morton | 11 episodes |
| 1965 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Mrs. Brenner | Episode: "Thou Still Unravished Bride" |
| 1965 | Profiles in Courage | Mrs. Andrews | Episode: "Judge Benjamin Barr Lindsey" |
| 1965 | Hazel | Edith Stoneham | Episode: "Do Not Disturb Occupants" |
| 1965 | The Legend of Jesse James | Sarah Todd | Episode: "One Too Many Mornings" |
| 1966–67 | Love on a Rooftop | Phyllis Hammond | 15 episodes |
| 1967 | Judd, for the Defense | Mrs. Buckley | Episode: "To Love and Stand Mute" |
| 1969 | Ironside | Miss Bryan | Episode: "Up, Down and Even" |
| 1969 | Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color | Mrs. Addy Mason | Episodes: "Ride a Northbound Horse" (Parts 1 & 2) |
| 1969 | The Flying Nun | Mother General | Episode: "The New Habit" |
| 1970 | Nanny and the Professor | Miss Dunbar | Episode: "Nanny Will Do" |
| 1970 | Bonanza | Roberta | Episodes: "The Night Virginia City Died", "The Weary Willies" |
| 1973 | Room 222 | Mrs. Travis | Episode: "Can Nun Be One Too Many?" |
| 1974 | Doc Elliot | Emma Johnson | Episode: "The Gold Mine" |
| 1975 | The Rockford Files | Kate Banning | Episode: "The Four Pound Brick" |
| 1975 | Insight | Alice Jeffries | Episode: "The Pendulum" |
| 1976 | Switch | Mrs. Wood | Episode: "Round Up the Usual Suspects" |
| 1976 | Family | Judge Harmon | Episode: "Coming Apart" |
| 1976 | Baretta | Mrs. Youngstein | Episode: "Dear Tony" |
| 1977 | The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries | Aunt Gertrude Hardy | 7 episodes |
| 1978–79 | Kaz | Illsa Fogel | 22 episodes |
| 1981 | CBS Afternoon Playhouse | Mrs. Rutherford | Episode: "The Great Gilly Hopkins" |
| 1982 | Knots Landing | Dr. Lillian McCary | Episode: "The Best Kept Secret" |
| 1983 | Hart to Hart | Dr. Jane Barrett | Episodes: "Pounding Harts", "Harts on the Scent" |
| 1985 | Family Ties | Gertrude "Aunt Trudy" Harris | Episode: "Auntie Up" |