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Kipp Hamilton

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Kipp Hamilton
Hamilton in the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1964)
Born
Rita Marie Hamilton

(1934-08-16)August 16, 1934
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedJanuary 29, 1981(1981-01-29) (aged 46)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeHoly Cross Cemetery, Culver City
Other namesRita Rosenfeld
OccupationActress
Years active1953–1967
Spouses
David Geisel
​
​
(m. 1963; div. 1965)​
Donald Thorman Rosenfeld
​
​
(m. 1968)​
Children2
RelativesJoe Hamilton (brother)
Carrie Hamilton (niece)
Erin Hamilton (niece)

Kipp Hamilton (born Rita Marie Hamilton; August 16, 1934 – January 29, 1981) was an American actress. She was the younger sister of producer Joe Hamilton and the sister-in-law of Carol Burnett.

Early life and family

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She was born Rita Marie Hamilton on August 16, 1934, in Los Angeles, California, the youngest of six children of Joseph and Marie Hamilton.[1] One of her older brothers was producer and actor Joe Hamilton, who later married comedian Carol Burnett.[2]

Career

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Hamilton made her film debut in a supporting role in the RKO Radio Pictures drama On Our Very Own (1950). In March 1953, she was named "Miss Optometry" by the New York State Association of Optometrists.[3] In mid-1955, Hamilton signed a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox.[4] Shortly after signing with Fox, Hamilton (along with nine other up-and-coming actresses, including Anita Ekberg and Lori Nelson) was named a "Deb Star of 1955".[5] That same year, Hamilton was cast in her first major role in the drama Good Morning, Miss Dove, playing Jincey Baker.[4]

The following year, Hamilton asked to be released from her contract with Fox.[6] Throughout the remainder of the 1950s, Hamilton appeared in guest roles on Perry Mason, Meet McGraw, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, The Texan, and 77 Sunset Strip. In 1959, Hamilton appeared in a supporting role in Never So Few.

Later that same year, she signed with Hecht Hill Lancaster (the production company partially owned by actor Burt Lancaster) and was cast in the Western The Unforgiven (1960).[6] She also had a nightclub act that she performed at Lou Black's Living Room, a club in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.[7] This followed with a starring role in Finian's Rainbow at the Cocoanut Grove.[8]

In November 1963, Hamilton began touring in the road production of the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. She remained with the production until mid-1964.[2] In 1965, she returned to television with the guest-starring role on the Bewitched episode "Pleasure O'Reilly" as the title character.[9] The following year, Henry G. Saperstein cast Hamilton in what was her final film role, a singer in The War of the Gargantuas, a Japanese kaiju movie. Billed as a "special guest star", Hamilton performs the song "The Words Get Stuck in My Throat", which later was covered by Devo.[10] Hamilton's final onscreen role was in a 1967 episode of The Virginian.

Personal life

[edit]

In 1958, Hamilton dated and later became engaged to film mogul Adolph Zukor's grandson Adolph Zukor II, a worker in the publicity and foreign departments at Paramount Pictures. Hamilton called off the engagement in March 1959 while she was filming The Unforgiven in Durango, Mexico.[11]

In February 1962, Hamilton married director Dave Geisel, whom she had met on the set of The Garry Moore Show, which her brother Joe produced. They had a daughter, Marie, in 1963 and separated the following year. They were divorced in June 1965.[3] Geisel died in 1969.

Later years and death

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After retiring from acting, Hamilton married Beverly Hills lawyer Donald Thorman Rosenfeld in February 1968. They had a daughter, Dana, in October 1968. She continued to act in regional theater until her death from breast cancer on January 29, 1981, aged 46.[3][12] She is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.[13] In July 2022, Kipp was profiled in Classic Images, in which her daughters and co-stars discussed her onscreen career.

Filmography

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Film
Year Title Role Notes
1950 Our Very Own Gwendolyn Credited as Rita Hamilton
1955 Good Morning, Miss Dove Virginia "Jincey" Baker
1956 Bigger Than Life Pat Wade
1959 Never So Few Margaret Fitch Alternative title: Campaign Burma
1960 The Unforgiven Georgia Rawlins
1965 Harlow Marie Tanner
1967 War of the Gargantuas Singer
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1955–1957 The 20th Century Fox Hour Susie Hagget
Christina Bradley 		Episodes: "Christopher Bean"
"The Marriage Broker"
1958 Perry Mason Elaine Barton Episode: "The Case of the Cautious Coquette"
1958 Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Katie O'Donnell Episode: "Dead Men Don't Dream"
1958 Meet McGraw Helen Maddon Episode: "The Setup"
1958 Richard Diamond, Private Detective Yvette Greener Episode: "One Foot in the Grave"
1959 The Lineup Episode: "The Murdered Blonde Case"
1959 77 Sunset Strip Lili Episode: "Vacation with Pay"
1959 The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp Miss Doreen Episode: "Dodge Is Civilized"
1959–1960 The Texan Steve 5 episodes
1960 Rawhide Shezoe Episode: "Incident of the Dancing Death"
1961 Westinghouse Playhouse Sylvia Morrow Episode: "I Seen the Saw"
1965 Bewitched Priscilla "Pleasure" O'Reilly Episode: "Pleasure O'Reilly"
1965 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Lavinia Brown Episode: "The Girls of Nazarone Affair"
1965 Burke's Law Silkie Episode: "Steam Heat"
1965 The Wild Wild West Cluny Ormont Episode: "The Night of the Glowing Corpse"
1965 The Smothers Brothers Show Danielle Episode: "Boys Will Be Playboys"
1966 My Three Sons Maxine Episode: "Call Her Max"
1967 Family Affair Meg Episode: "Fancy Free"
1967 The Pruitts of Southampton Greta Episode: "Goddess of Love"
1967 Dragnet Jana Altman Episode: "The Bank Jobs"
1967 The Virginian Gloria Episode: "The Fortress", (final appearance)

References

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  1. ^ Clemens, Samuel (July 2022). "Kipp Hamilton: Hollywood's Irish Lass". Classic Images. pp. 13–15, 59–60.
  2. ^ a b Cloud, Barbara (May 6, 1964). "Kipp Hamilton Dislikes Being Called 'Starlet'". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. p. 27. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "Kipp Hamilton Bio". glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com.
  4. ^ a b Scott, Vernon (August 16, 1955). "Kipp Hamilton's Allergic, Of All Things, Mink". Schenectady Gazette. Schenectady, New York. p. 8. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  5. ^ "Makeup Artists Pick 10 Stars of Future". Motion Picture Daily. 78 (65). New York City: Quigley Publishing Co.: 2 October 3, 1955. ISSN 0027-1594.
  6. ^ a b "Rising Actress Admits She Is Now a Spinster". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. July 1, 1959. pp. 8–C. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  7. ^ "Get Career Out Of Your System Actress Tells Marriage-Bound". The Montreal Gazette. Montreal, Quebec, Canada. July 7, 1961. p. 18. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  8. ^ Glazer, Barney (August 17, 1962). "Finian's Rainbow Makes Local Debut at the Cocoanut Grove". The Van Nuys News and Valley Green Sheet. p. 22. Retrieved July 11, 2024.(subscription required)
  9. ^ Pilato, Herbie J. (2013). The Essential Elizabeth Montgomery: A Guide to Her Magical Performances. Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 44. ISBN 978-1-58979-825-0.
  10. ^ Macias, Patrick (2001). Tokyo Scope. Cadence Books. p. 22. ISBN 1-56931-681-3.
  11. ^ Parsons, Louella (March 20, 1959). "Louella Parsons In Hollywood: Niven Favored". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. p. 3. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  12. ^ "Beverly Hills Attorney Donald T. Rosenfeld Dies". Los Angeles Times. September 22, 1986. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  13. ^ Clemens, Samuel. "Hollywood's Irish Lass", Classic Images. p.13. July 2022
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