Lynne Carter

Born in New York City, Ms. Carter's acting, directing and producing career has spanned the Atlantic, performing in England and France, on Broadway numerous times, on national tours as well as in California and Arizona. After winning the "Anne Baxter Scholarship" at Theodore Irvine's School of Theatre in New York City awarded previously to Anne Bancroft and Clark Gable, and already interested in directing and producing, Ms. Carter started her own theatre company, The Professional Experimental Guild at the Hotel Des Artistes. Betsy Blair, John Dahl and John Forsythe were members of the avant-garde young group, which disbanded after the first season when Ms. Carter rapidly became a member of that rare breed, a working actress and could no longer devote all her efforts to the Company she founded. She was selected as the resident ingénue at the Ivoryton, Connecticut Playhouse in the tradition of her childhood stage heroine, Katherine Hepburn. On Broadway, Lynne was seen in Vicki directed by Jose Ferrer, starring Uta Hagen, Red Buttons and Jose Ferrer and written by Around the World in 80 Days' renowned Sig Herzig; A Young Man's Fancy; Hear that Trumpet; Round Trip; The Legal Grounds; Panama Hattie revival starring Ethyl Merman and Victor Moore; and Sea Legs. National Tours include Native Son, directed by Orson Welles and starring Canada Lee; A Goose for the Gander directed by Harold J. Kennedy, and starring Gloria Swanson and Ralph Forbes; and Ladies of the Corridor starring Maureen O'Sullivan, Arlene Francis, and Lilia Skala; Good Night Ladies starring Stu Irwin and Skeets Gallagher. Her films include Port of New York starring Yul Brynner, Richard Rober, K.T. Stevens, and Scott Brady; and Experiment Alcatraz starring John Howard and Joan Dixon. She performed for Warner Brothers in a series of Vitaphone short musical films as a contract player. TV credits include Sunday with Lynne, As the World Turns, Weekly Newscasts, and General Hospital. Ms. Carter directed and produced Lead Me Gently by Marjorie Ralson-Metz, featuring the Lynne Carter Company with a cast of twenty, starring Peggy Thorpe Bates and Brian Quilton at the New Lindsey Theatre, Nottingham Gate, London. In Hollywood, Lynne and Bill Talman co-produced Honest John directed by Bill Talman, written by Buddy Ebsen, co-starring Buddy and Lynne. Among those actors with whom Miss Carter appeared or directed are Orson Welles, John Carradine, Yul Brynner, John Forsythe, Craig Stevens, Buddy Ebsen, Maureen O'Sullivan, Ralph Forbes, Paul Robeson, Ethel Barrymore, William Talman, Elka Chase and Jose Ferrer. Lynne was represented in Hollywood by her agent the late Lou Sherell and her press representative Sir Richard Gully. Lynne Carter was married to the late William Talman, while acting on Broadway with him. Bill later appeared in the Perry Mason TV series for many years as Hamilton Burger while Lynne continued to act, direct and produce in TV and theatre. Bill appeared in nine "film noir" movies. Miss Carter died in the Equity Actrors' Home in Englewood, New Jersey in 2015 at the age of 96.