Joan Hackett

Slender, gentle-featured lead and supporting actress of the 1960s and 70s, most typically in nonglamorous roles. After experience as a model and acting training under Lee Strasberg and others, Hackett gained notice off-Broadway with her award-winning work in "Call Me by My Rightful Name" (1961). She became prominent in TV work soon thereafter, copping an Emmy nomination for an episode of "Ben Casey" and playing Robert Reed's girlfriend on the first season of the popular father-and-son lawyer drama, "The Defenders." Hackett's quiet intensity suited her well for a TV adaptation of "Rebecca" (1962) in which she played the mousy second Mrs. DeWinter. By 1964 she was playing leads in two feature-length installments of "The Bob Hope Chrysler Theatre," "Echo of Evil" and "The Highest Fall of All."