Claudette Nevins Passes On

Actress Claudette Nevins, who had recurring roles on Headmaster, Melrose Place and JAG as well as guest starring on such shows as The Defenders and M*A*S*H, died on February 20 2020 at the age of 82.

Claudette Nevins was born Claudette Weintraub on April 10 1937 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Her parents were both Austrian immigrants. She graduated from the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City and graduated from New York University with a degree in English.

Claudette Nevins made her debut on Broadway in The Wall in 1960. In the Sixties she appeared on Broadway in Danton's Death, Wait Until Dark, and Plaza Suite. She made her film debut in The Mask in 1961. She made her television debut in a guest appearance on The Nurses in 1964. She guest starred on The Defenders. In 1970 she played Margaret Thompson, the wife of the title character Andy Thompson (played by Andy Griffith) on the short-lived TV  series Headmaster.

In the Seventies she had regular roles on the short-lived series Husbands, Wives & Lovers and Married: The First Year. She guest starred on the shows The F.B.I., The Bob Newhart Show, Police Story, Barnaby Jones, The Magicians, Petrocelli, Archer, Harry O, Rich Man, Poor Man - Book II. Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, The Rockford Files, Lou Grant, Rafferty, The Fitzpatricks, Switch, Three's Company, Mrs. Columbo, M*A*S*H, Shirley, The Lazarus Syndrome, Knot's Landing, and Family. She was a regular voice on the animated series Return to the Planet of the Apes.

In the Eighties Miss Nevins guest starred on the TV shows Behind the Screen, Hart to Hart, CHiPs, Cassie & Co., Police Squad!, One Day at a Time, The Mississippi, Legmen, Hardcastle and McCormick, Lime Street, The Tortellis, Brothers, Hotel, Head of the Class, L.A. Law, Out of This World, Snoops, Macuso F.B.I., Free Spirit, Dallas, and Lifestories. She appeared in the movies ...All The Marbles (1981), Over Here, Mr. President (1983), Tuff Turf  (1985), and Jake's M.O. (1987).

In the Nineties Claudette Nevins had recurring roles on Melrose Place and JAG. She guest starred on the TV shows Designing Women, The Antagonists, The Young Riders, Veronica Clare, Civil Wars, Picket Fences, Beverly Hills 90120, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Thunder Alley, Coach, ER, 7th Heaven, Ally McBeal, Judging Amy and The District. She appeared in the movies Sleeping with the Enemy (1991), Final Vendetta (1996), The Doyles (1997), and Star Trek: Insurrection (1998).

In the Naughts she guest starred on the television shows Providence, The Agency, Without a Trace, and Strong Medicine. She appeared in the movie Eulogy  (2004).

Claudette Nevins was a remarkable actress. I particularly remember her from the M*A*S*H episode "Mr. and Mrs. Who?", in which she played Donna Marie Parker, whom Winchester thought he had married while drunk. Throughout her career she played a wide variety of roles, including a nun on The Young Riders, a judge on Hardcastle and McCormick, and even Jacqueline Kennedy in the 1981 TV movie Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Claudette Nevins was very versatile and always gave a good performance.