Pamela Payton-Wright
Pamela Payton-Wright | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 1, 1941 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | December 14, 2019 (aged 78) Brookville, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Years active | 1964–2012 |
| Spouse | David Arthur Butler (1978-1989; divorced) |
| Children | Oliver Dickon Hedley Butler [1] |
Pamela Payton-Wright (November 1, 1941 – December 14, 2019) was an American actress.
Life and work
One of four children born to Gordon Edgar Payton-Wright and his wife, Eleanor (née McKinley), she attended Tuscaloosa High School,[2]
Payton-Wright graduated from Birmingham–Southern College in 1963, and from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where she received the Special Medal and the Edmund Gray Prize for High Comedy.[1]
Payton-Wright appeared in numerous Broadway and off-Broadway productions,[1] notably receiving praise for her portrayal of Laura Wingfield in the 1976 production of The Glass Menagerie.[3]
She began her film career in 1972 as Rhonda on Corky. Following numerous film roles and television appearances, Payton-Wright joined the cast of the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live, in 1991, and was the first to play the role of sweet natured, but simple-minded Agatha "Addie" Cramer. She played this part recurringly on the show. She later joined the cast of Another World in 1979 in the role of Hazel Parker, a role she played for one year.[4]
Death
Payton-Wright died on December 14, 2019 at the McKinley Health Center in Brookville, Pennsylvania, aged 78.[1][5][6]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Corky | Rhonda | |
| 1979 | Going in Style | Kathy | |
| 1980 | Resurrection | Margaret | |
| 1981 | The Dark End of the Street | Mary Ann | |
| 1986 | My Little Girl | Delly Bettinger | |
| 1987 | Ironweed | Mother | |
| 1988 | Starlight: A Musical Movie | ||
| 1990 | The Freshman | Liz Armstrong | |
| 1993 | Me and Veronica | Agnes | |
| 1999 | In Dreams | Ethel | |
| 2004 | Saving Face | Dr. Morgan |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | NET Playhouse | Electra | "The Prodigal" |
| 1971 | Cannon | Ginger | "Fool's Gold" |
| 1971 | Mannix | Lisa Stabler | "Murder Times Three" |
| 1971 | Medical Center | Jessie | "Idolmaker" |
| 1972 | Medical Center | Lori | "Cycle of Peril" |
| 1972 | Young Dr. Kildare | Ruth | "Deaf Heart" |
| 1972 | Gunsmoke | Emma Donavan | "Yankton" |
| 1972 | Bonanza | Zeena Harris | "Search in Limbo" |
| 1972 | Look Homeward, Angel | Laura James | TV film |
| 1973 | ABC's Wide World of Entertainment | Rosalind | "The Haunting of Rosalind" |
| 1974 | Movin' On | Francie Simms | "Grit" |
| 1975 | Great Performances | Laetitia Lewis | "Brother to Dragons" |
| 1976 | The Adams Chronicles | Louisa Adams | TV miniseries |
| 1979–80 | Another World | Hazel Parker | TV series |
| 1987 | Spenser: For Hire | Karen Fuller | "I Confess" |
| 1991–2012 | One Life to Live | Addie Cramer | Recurring role |
| 1993 | Law & Order | Katherine McKinnon | "Pride and Joy" |
| 1994–1997 | Homicide: Life on the Street | Sister Magdalena Weber | "Nearer My God to Thee", "Fits Like a Glove", "Extreme Unction", "Kaddish" |
| 1999 | Law & Order | Vivian McBride | "Sideshow" |
Theater
Broadway
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967–68 | The Show Off | Amy | |
| 1968 | Exit the King | Juliette | |
| 1968 | The Cherry Orchard | Anya | |
| 1968–69 | Jimmy Shine | Constance Fry | |
| 1972 | The Crucible | Abigail Williams | |
| 1972 | Mourning Becomes Electra | Lavinia Mannon | |
| 1974–75 | All Over Town | Millie | |
| 1975–76 | The Glass Menagerie | The Daughter | |
| 1977 | Romeo and Juliet | Juliet | |
| 1988 | A Streetcar Named Desire | Blanche Du Bois | |
| 1988 | The Night of the Iguana | Miss Judith Fellowes | |
| 1988–1990 | M. Butterfly | Helga | |
| 1995 | Garden District | Grace | |
| 2003 | Long Day's Journey into Night | Mary Cavan Tyrone |
Off-Broadway
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds | Tillie | Mercer Arts Center |
| 1975 | Jesse and the Bandit Queen | Belle | Joseph Papp Public Theater/Susan Stein Shiva Theater |
| 1980 | The Seagull | Mash | Joseph Papp Public Theater/Newman Theater |
| 1982 | Don Juan | Dona Elvire | Delacorte Theater |
| 1984 | Young Playwrights Festival | Mary | Joseph Papp Public Theater/Martinson Theater |
| 1998 | Richard III | Margaret | Theater at St. Clement's Church |
| 1998 | Richard II | Margaret | Theater at St. Clement's Church |
| 1998 | Til the Rapture Comes Home | Althea Dale | Delacorte Theater |
| 2000 | What You Get and What You Expect | Louise Erkenter | New York Theatre Workshop |
| 2003 | Fifth of July | Sally Friedman | Peter Norton Space |
| 2003 | Duet | Eleonora Duse | Greenwich Street Theatre |
| 2004 | The Day Emily Married | 59E59 Theater A | |
| 2006 | Indian Blood | Eddie's Grandmother | 59E59 Theater A |
| 2008 | Some Americans Abroad | Harriet Baldwin | Second Stage Theatre |
| 2009 | Vieux Carré | Carrie | Theater 80 St. Marks |
| 2009 | The Orphans' Home Cycle Part I | Mrs. Coons | Peter Norton Space |
| 2009 | The Orphans' Home Cycle Part II | Sarah Vaughn / Ruth Amos | Peter Norton Space |
| 2010 | The Orphans' Home Cycle Part III | Inez (Thornton) Kirby | Peter Norton Space |
References
- ^ a b c d Biodata, tributearchive.com. Accessed November 10, 2025.
- ^ Tyree, Neilan (July 11, 1989). "Actresses Earn Acclaim On Nation's Stages". The Montgomery Advertiser. Alabama, Montgomery. p. 12. Retrieved February 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Profile, time.com. Accessed November 10, 2025.
- ^ Pamela Payton-Wright at IMDb
- ^ Eades, Chris (December 30, 2019). "OLTL's Pamela Payton-Wright Dead at 78". Soapsindepth.com. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Gans, Andrew. "Drama Desk Award Winner Pamela Payton-Wright Dies at 78", Playbill.com, December 26, 2019.
External links
- Pamela Payton-Wright at IMDb
- Pamela Payton-Wright at the Internet Broadway Database
- Pamela Payton-Wright at Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Pamela Payton-Wright interview: Performance Working in the Theatre CUNY-TV video by the American Theatre Wing, September 1989