Dorothy Bridges

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For Dorothy Brydges, lady-in-waiting, see Dorothy Bray, Baroness Chandos.

Dorothy Bridges
Born
Dorothy Louise Simpson

(1915-09-19)September 19, 1915
Actress, poet
Years active1921-2009
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1938; died 1998)​
Children4, including Beau and Jeff
RelativesJordan Bridges (grandson)

Dorothy Louise Bridges (née Simpson; September 19, 1915[citation needed]– February 16, 2009) was an American actress and poet. Bridges was the matriarch of an acting family, which included her husband, Lloyd Bridges, two of their three sons, Beau Bridges and Jeff Bridges, and her grandson, Jordan Bridges.[1] Bridges was sometimes credited as Dorothy Dean.[1]

Early life

Bridges was born Dorothy Louise Simpson[2] in Worcester, Massachusetts.[2] Her father was an immigrant from the United Kingdom, born and raised in Liverpool, England.[3] Her mother was of Irish and Swiss-German ancestry.[2] Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was two years old.[2] Bridges made her film debut in the movie Finders Keepers.[1]

She attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where she met her future husband, Lloyd Bridges, while acting in a small theatrical play on campus.[1] Lloyd Bridges, who was a UCLA upperclassman at the time, appeared in the production as her "leading man."[2]

The couple married in 1938 in New York City.

sudden infant death syndrome on August 3, 1948.[citation needed
]

Bridges and her husband moved to New York City, where they continued to pursue their acting studies and careers. Dorothy and Lloyd Bridges both studied under the acting teacher Michael Chekhov.[2]

They returned to Hollywood in the early 1940s when Lloyd Bridges was signed to Columbia Pictures.[1][2]

Career

Bridges occasionally returned to acting throughout her life, often in roles where she was able to work with members of her family. She was sometimes credited as Dorothy Dean. She appeared in

television movie directed by her son, Beau Bridges, and the 1989 film, See You in the Morning, which co-starred her son, Jeff Bridges.[1] Dorothy Bridges credits also included the 1993 television movie, Secret Sins of the Father, which was directed by Beau Bridges, who cast other members of the Bridges family in main and supporting roles.[1]

In addition to raising her children, Bridges also introduced them to the acting profession as their first

drama teacher.[2] She encouraged each of her children to "pretend" for an hour each day.[2] Her son, Jeff Bridges, later said that the playtime "pretend" games were "basically the basis of acting."[2] Jeff Bridges notes that both his parents studied under Michael Chekhov and that "and a lot of things my mom learned with him were passed down to all of us."[2] Two of Dorothy Bridges' sons, Jeff and Beau, and grandson, Jordan, ultimately became actors while her daughter, Lucinda, is an artist.[2]

Bridges also wrote

love poems to her husband every Valentine's Day during their 59-year marriage.[2] Dorothy and Lloyd exchanged vows again for their 50th wedding anniversary.[citation needed
]

Dorothy Bridges released her

memoirs, You Caught Me Kissing: A Love Story, in 2005.[2] Much of the book centered on her marriage to Lloyd Bridges. It included commentary from her children and family photos. Bridges was 89 years old at the time of the book's release.[2]

Death

Dorothy Bridges died of "age-related causes" in

Holmby Hills, Los Angeles on February 16, 2009, in the same home where she and her husband raised their children.[4]
She was 93 years old.

Her son, Jeff Bridges, called her the "hub" of their family in an interview with the Los Angeles Times following her death.[2]

She was survived by her brother Frederick Simpson, Jr.; sons, Beau Bridges and Jeff Bridges; and her daughter, Lucinda. Her eleven grandchildren include actors Jordan Bridges, Casey, Dylan and Emily.[1] She was also survived by two great-grandchildren Lola and Orson Bridges.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Actress Dorothy Bridges dies, Mother of Beau and Jeff Bridges was 93". Variety. February 20, 2009. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Ancestry of the Bridges family". Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  3. ^ "Jeff Bridges, Hollywood's quiet family man is happiest at home in Santa Barbara with wife Susan, Their Three Daughters". www.suerussellwrites.com.
  4. ^ McLellan, Dennis (February 21, 2009). "Dorothy Bridges dies at 93; 'the hub' of an acting family". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 23, 2009.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dorothy_Bridges&oldid=1199077437"