View for person of id: 7643
Natalie Schafer
Born: 5th Nov 1900 Red Bank, New Jersey, USA - Died 10th Apr 1991
Dept: Acting
Natalie Schafer (November 5, 1900 – April 10, 1991) was an American actress, best known today for her role as Lovey Howell on the sitcom Gilligan's Island (1964–1967).
Schafer began her career as an actress on Broadway before moving to Los Angeles in 1941 to work in films. She appeared on Broadway in 17 plays between 1927 and 1959, often playing supporting roles. Most of those appearances were in short-run plays, with the exceptions of Lady in the Dark (1941–42), The Doughgirls (1942–44), and Romanoff and Juliet (1957–58). She was seen in a revival of Six Characters in Search of an Author, directed by Sir Tyrone Guthrie (1955–56). She also appeared in stock and regional productions, including the off-Broadway production The Killing of Sister George with Claire Trevor in the title role. She also guest-starred in TV productions beginning in the 1950s, such as an episode (“The Shy Ballerina”) of Sherlock Holmes, and in "The Charm School" episode of I Love Lucy, both in 1954.
Schafer performed in many films, usually portraying sophisticates. On TV, her roles included "Lovey Howell" on Gilligan's Island from 1964–67. She reprised her role in three made-for-television spin-off films after the show ended: Rescue from Gilligan's Island (1978), The Castaways on Gilligan's Island (1979), and The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981). She also voiced Lovey Howell on the animated spinoffs, The New Adventures of Gilligan from 1974–77 and Gilligan's Planet from 1982–83.
In 1969, Schafer appeared in The Survivors—a high-profile prime time soap opera aired by the ABC television network. Despite the presence of movie stars like Lana Turner, Kevin McCarthy and George Hamilton, the show was a ratings failure and lasted only one season. For the 1971–1972 television season, Schafer joined the cast of the CBS daytime serial, Search for Tomorrow, portraying Helen Collins, mother of Wade and Clay Collins. Immediately following that role, she played Augusta Roulland on another daytime soap, Love of Life. Her final performance was in the 1990 made-for-television horror film I'm Dangerous Tonight.
She guest-starred as well on many other television series, including Goodyear Playhouse/Philco Playhouse ("The Sisters", with Grace Kelly, 1951), I Love Lucy (1954), Producers' Showcase ("The Petrified Forest", 1955), Guestward, Ho! (1960), The Beverly Hillbillies (1964), Mayberry RFD (1970), Mannix (1972), The Brady Bunch (1974), Phyllis (1976), Three's Company (1978), and The Love Boat (1979).
[ToDo] Show list of extra photos here.
Film and Tv Credits
Total number of credits listed: 74
Film: 39 (53%)
Television: 35 (47%)
Remaining genres not in graph: Documentary, Animation, Adventure, Horror, Talk, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Western
Filmography
Feb 2022 (first aired)
Take a deeper look into everybody’s favorite movies and TV shows, from I Love Lucy to Jurassic Park! ... view
Character:
Self - archive footage (1 ep.)
1990
An ancient Aztec cloth with a curse accidentally finds its way into the possession of a young woman. She decides to make a dress from the cloth. Whoev ... view
Character:
Grandmother
1989
A rich young boy arranges to be kidnapped so he'll get more attention from his parents. ... view
Character:
Lillian
Dec 1984 (first aired)
Crazy Like a Fox is an American television series set in San Francisco, California, that aired on CBS from December 30, 1984 to May 3, 1986. ... view
Character:
Leonna Felspar (1 ep.)
Sep 1982 (first aired)
Matt Houston is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1982 to 1985. Created by Lawrence Gordon, the series was produced by Aaron Spell ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
Sep 1982 (first aired)
Gilligan's Planet is a Saturday morning cartoon produced by the Filmation animation studio and MGM/UA Television which aired during the 1982-1983 seas ... view
Character:
Eunice "Lovey" Wentworth Howell (voice) (13 ep.)
Nov 1981 (first aired)
A.J. Simon is a polished fellow with a taste for classic cars and tailored suits. Rick Simon is his less refined (but still pleasant) older brother wh ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
Sep 1981 (first aired)
Here's Boomer is an American adventure/drama series produced by Paramount that premiered on the NBC network on March 14, 1980. A television movie call ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
1981
The Harlem Globetrotters' chartered plane crash lands on the atoll inhabited by the happily marooned Gilligan and fellow castaways, and they all must ... view
Character:
Lovey Wentworth Howell
Sep 1979 (first aired)
Trapper John, M.D. is an American television medical drama and spin-off of the film MASH, concerning a lovable doctor who became a mentor and father f ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (2 ep.)
1979
In the second of three additional Gilligan's Island movies following the series, the gang finds a way of getting rescued from the "uncharted desert is ... view
Character:
Lovey Howell
1978
When a decaying Russian satellite crashes on the island, the Professor uses a key component for a barometer. With that device, he learns that a massiv ... view
Character:
Lovey Wentworth Howell
Sep 1978 (first aired)
Flying High is an American comedy-drama series that aired on CBS from August 28, 1978 until January 23, 1979. Created by Dawn Aldredge and Martin Coha ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
Sep 1978 (first aired)
Vega$ is an American detective television drama series that aired on ABC between 1978 and 1981. It was produced by Aaron Spelling. The series was film ... view
Character:
Charlotte Hunt (2 ep.)
Sep 1977 (first aired)
Passengers who search for romantic nights aboard a beautiful ship travelling to tropical or mysterious countries, decide to pass their vacation aboard ... view
Character:
Mrs. Hartnett (2 ep.)
Sep 1977 (first aired)
Lighthearted look at the adventures of two Highway Patrol officers in Los Angeles. The main characters are Jon Baker and Frank Poncherello, two motorc ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
Mar 1977 (first aired)
When two single girls, Janet and Chrissy, need a roommate to share their Santa Monica apartment, they decide to offer a room to Jack, a man they find ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
1975
Hollywood, 1930s. Tod Hackett, a young painter who tries to make his way as an art director in the lurid world of film industry, gets infatuated with ... view
Character:
Audrey Jennings
Sep 1974 (first aired)
The New Adventures of Gilligan is an animated series produced by Filmation and was aired on ABC during the 1974–1977 seasons. In 1977, the show ente ... view
Character:
Eunice Wentworth 'Lovey' Howell (voice) (32 ep.)
1973
After an overnight fling with a man nearly 20 years her junior while vacationing in Greece, Ann Stanley returns to New York assuming she'll never see ... view
Character:
Mrs. Adams
Sep 1971 (first aired)
McMillan & Wife is a lighthearted American police procedural that aired on NBC from September 17, 1971 to April 24, 1977. Starring Rock Hudson and Sus ... view
Character:
Mrs. Roberts (1 ep.)
Sep 1969 (first aired)
When widower Mike Brady marries a lovely lady widow Carol Ann, their two families become one. These are the misadventures of this new couple, their si ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
Sep 1968 (first aired)
Mayberry R.F.D. is an American television series produced as a spin-off and direct continuation of The Andy Griffith Show. When star Andy Griffith dec ... view
Character:
Cornelia Willoughby (1 ep.)
Sep 1967 (first aired)
Mannix is an American television detective series that ran from 1967 through 1975 on CBS. Created by Richard Levinson and William Link and developed b ... view
Character:
Bunny Mason (1 ep.)
1966
An American ambassador moves his family into a haunted English castle. ... view
Character:
Mrs. Otis
Sep 1966 (first aired)
ABC Stage 67 is the umbrella title for a series of 26 weekly shows that included dramas, variety shows, documentaries, and original musicals.
It prem ... view
Character:
Mrs. Otis (1 ep.)
Sep 1964 (first aired)
The slapstick adventures of hapless Gilligan, long-suffering Skipper and their gang of mismatched castaways, all stranded on an uncharted desert isle ... view
Character:
Eunice "Lovey" Wentworth Howell (98 ep.)
Sep 1962 (first aired)
Jed Clampett's swamp is loaded with oil. When a wildcatter discovers the huge pool, Jed sells his land to the O.K. Oil Company and at the urging of co ... view
Character:
Madame Renee (1 ep.)
Dec 1961 (first aired)
The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much ... view
Character:
Self (1 ep.)
1961
A pregnant teen allows her mother to pass her secret baby off as her own. ... view
Character:
Marian Corbett
1961
Ambitious but thwarted, Rae Smith meets handsome Marine Paul Saxon, (of the Saxon department store chain), as he passes through Lincoln, Nebraska, on ... view
Character:
Mrs. Evans
Oct 1960 (first aired)
After discovering that his late father has gone through most of the family fortune, Tod Stiles hits the title trans-America highway in his Corvette in ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
Sep 1960 (first aired)
Guestward, Ho! is an American situation comedy which aired on the ABC network in the 1960-1961 television season, based on the 1956 book of the same t ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
Sep 1960 (first aired)
Thriller is an American anthology television series that aired during the 1960–61 and 1961–62 seasons on NBC. The show featured host Boris Karloff ... view
Character:
Beatrice Graves (1 ep.)
Oct 1958 (first aired)
Stu Bailey and Jeff Spencer are the wisecracking, womanizing private-detective heroes of this Warner Brothers drama. They work out of an office locate ... view
Character:
Ellie Fraser (1 ep.)
Character:
Madge Beaumont
1957
Arthur Turner's bored housewife Mildred seeks psychiatric help from Dr. Alan Coles who also has his own emotional problems to solve. ... view
Character:
Mrs. Day
1956
Russian exiles in Paris plot to collect ten million pounds from the Bank of England by grooming a destitute, suicidal girl to pose as heir to the Russ ... view
Character:
Irina Lissemskaia / Nini
1956
Susan and Lorenzo have been married for over five years and they are starting to drift apart. So into her life comes an angel, which only Susan can se ... view
Character:
Millie Opdyke
1955
Lynn Markham moves into her late husband's beach house the morning after former tenant Eloise Crandall fell from the cliff. To her annoyance, Lynn fin ... view
Character:
Queenie Sorenson
1955
Gabrielle Maple works in a dusty desert gas station-café, but yearns for the life of an artist in France, knowing there must be something finer than ... view
Character:
Mrs. Chisholm
Oct 1954 (first aired)
The first American television series of Sherlock Holmes adventures aired in syndication in the fall of 1954. The 39 half-hour mostly original stories ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
Oct 1954 (first aired)
Climax! is an American anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Cos ... view
Character:
Lucrece Durhurst (1 ep.)
1954
Italy 1757, Pippo Popolino, a lowly tailor, disguises himself as the great Casanova in order to romance the attractive widow Francesca. He little susp ... view
Character:
Signora Foressi
Oct 1953 (first aired)
Topper is an American fantasy sitcom based on the 1937 film of the same name. The series was broadcast on CBS from October 9, 1953 to July 15, 1955, a ... view
Character:
Mrs. Vance (1 ep.)
Sep 1953 (first aired)
Letter to Loretta is an American anthology drama series telecast on NBC from September 1953 to June 1961 for a total of 165 episodes. The filmed show ... view
Character:
Mary (1 ep.)
Mrs. Hayes (1 ep.)
1953
Stage-and-night club star Jeannie Laird buys her first home, and everyone who is anyone comes to her first garden party only to be blinded by smoke fr ... view
Character:
Evelyn the maid
Oct 1952 (first aired)
Mr. & Mrs. North is an American comedy/mystery television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1952 to May 25, 1954. The series centers on Jerry N ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
Oct 1952 (first aired)
This show started in New York City, with Broadway actors and actresses. It then moved to Hollywood, California, where Hollywood actors and actresses h ... view
Character:
Beatrice Trent (1 ep.)
1952
A plumber's secretary poses as the daughter of a prominent society couple. ... view
Character:
Gertrude Medford
1951
Two smart marketing people resurrect some old films starring cowboy Smoky Callaway and put them on television. The films are a big hit and the star is ... view
Character:
Martha Lorrison
Oct 1951 (first aired)
Cuban Bandleader Ricky Ricardo would be happy if his wife Lucy would just be a housewife. Instead she tries constantly to perform at the Tropicana whe ... view
Character:
Phoebe Emerson (1 ep.)
1951
A former housemaid teams up with an English gentleman thief and works a confidence game to bilk the wealthy but their plans for a big job in Californi ... view
Character:
Pamela Pemberson
1951
A young woman enters college and learns some hard truths about sorority life, including snobbery and the cruelty of hazing. ... view
Character:
Mother Cookie Clark
1951
David gives his wife, Joyce, an unexpected—and unpleasant—surprise when he suddenly demands a divorce. When she then learns that David has taken u ... view
Character:
Mrs. Edna Blanton
Oct 1950 (first aired)
Lux Video Theatre is an American anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1959. The series presented both comedy and drama in original telep ... view
Character:
Blanche (1 ep.)
Gertrude Medford (1 ep.)
Julie (1 ep.)
1949
Wide-eyed and poor young Leonora weds an obsessive millionaire named Ohlrig, but the marriage is loveless. Even worse, Ohlrig seems to have manic, vio ... view
Character:
Dorothy Dale
1948
Virginia Cunningham is confused upon finding herself in a mental hospital, with no memory of her arrival at the institution. Tormented by delusions an ... view
Character:
Mrs. Stuart
Oct 1948 (first aired)
The Philco Television Playhouse is an American anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
1948
Joe spends a lot of his time at Nick's Pacific Street Saloon. Tom, who credits Joe with once saving his life, stops by regularly to run errands for Jo ... view
Character:
Society Lady
1947
After a whirlwind romance in Mexico, a beautiful heiress marries a man she barely knows with hardly a second thought. She finds his New York home full ... view
Character:
Edith Potter
1947
On New Year's Eve 1946, Sheila Page kills her husband Barney. She wishes that she could relive 1946 and avoid the mistakes that she made throughout th ... view
Character:
Eloise Shaw
1947
Art editor Madeleine Damian carries on numerous loveless affairs. After a failed relationship with advertiser Felix Courtland, the increasingly depres ... view
Character:
Ethel Royce
1947
Seriously ill, concert pianist Karen Duncan is admitted to a Swiss sanitorium. Despite being attracted to Dr Tony Stanton she ignores his warnings of ... view
Character:
Dora Shelton
May 1947 (first aired)
Kraft Television Theater is an American, well-received anthology series presenting live television dramas. ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
1945
An American singer stranded in Mexico is hired by a banker to distract a Mexican matador who is making a play for the banker's wife. They hatch a sche ... view
Character:
Irene Denny
1945
Boisterous nightclub entertainer Buzzy Bellew was the witness to a murder committed by gangster Ten Grand Jackson. One night, two of Jackson's thugs k ... view
Character:
Mrs. Hume
1945
A vivacious actress needing work becomes a housekeeper for a crusty retired politician, and gives his life the shaking-up that it needs. ... view
Character:
Kitty Goode-Burroughs
1945
A debutante, a serviceman's bride and a girl from a military family join the Women's Army Corps. ... view
Character:
Harriet Corwin
1944
Theo has had many boyfriends who wanted to marry her. Since her mother, Mrs. Selworth, has been married many times, Theo is unsure of commitment. With ... view
Character:
Irene Selworth
1942
Frenchwoman Michele de la Becque, an opponent of the Nazis in German-occupied Paris, hides a downed American flyer, Pat Talbot, and attempts to get hi ... view
Character:
Frau Amy Schroeder (uncredited)
1941
Wealthy scion Peter DeHaven, about to marry socialite Christine Lunceford, wakes up after bachelor party revelry to find he's been turned invisible by ... view
Character:
Mrs. Lunceford
1930
Harry comes home unexpectedly and overhears his wife calling another man 'sweetheart' on the telephone. It turns out that both men are avid fishermen. ... view
Character:
Daisy