Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Naomi Stevens Passes On

Naomi Stevens, the actress who played Mrs. Dreyfuss in The Apartment (1960) and had recurring roles on shows from The Flying Nun to The Doris Day Show, died on January 13 2018 at the age of 92.

Naomi Stevens was born on November 29 1925 in Trenton, New Jersey. She made her television debut in 1956 on an episode of Medic. In the Fifties she appeared on such TV shows as Lux Video Theatre, Cheyenne, Whirlybirds, Playhouse 90, The Californians, Bronco, The Twilight Zone, and Bonanza. She made her movie debut in The Black Orchid in 1958. In 1960 she appeared as Mrs. Mildred Dreyfuss, the wife of Dr. Dreyfuss and C. C. Baxter's neighbour, in The Apartment.

In the Sixties Naomi Stevens had recurring roles on Dr. Kildare, The Flying Nun, The Doris Day Show, and My Three Sons. She guest starred on The Lawless Years, The Detectives, Have Gun - Will Travel, McHale's Navy, Rawhide, 77 Sunset Strip, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Wagon Train, The Jack Benny Program, The Big Valley, My Favourite Martian, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Hogan's Heroes, That Girl, Adam-12, and Room 222. In the Sixties she appeared in such films as Convicts 4, The Art of Love (1965), Frankie and Johnny(1966), Valley of the Dolls (1967), The Shakiest Gun in the West, and The Hawaiians (1970).

 In the Seventies Naomi Stevens was a regular on The Montefuscos and Vega$. She guest starred on such shows as The Odd Couple; Nanny and the Professor; The Partridge Family; Love, American Style; The F.B.I.; Cannon; Ironside; Kolchak: The Night Stalker; and Barney Miller. She appeared in such films as Fly Me (1973), Superdad (1973), Hard Times (1975), and Hustle (1977).  In the Eighties she guest starred on such shows as Taxi, Hotel, Trapper John M.D., and Duck Factory.

Naomi Stevens was a wonderful actress. Through the years she mostly played ethnic mothers or motherly types, although she did on occasion play other sorts of roles. She was Sister Teresa on The Flying Nun and police Sgt. Bella Archer on Vega$. In the TV movie The Old Man Who Cried Wolf she played a woman who is convinced that a man whose friend was killed in an attack is crazy. While Naomi Stevens mostly played mother figures in her career, she was quite capable at playing other roles as well.

No comments: