Kathleen Cody, often credited as Kathy Cody in her childhood years, is an American actress born October, 30, 1954. Best known for her roles as Hallie Stokes and Carrie Stokes on the original 1966-1971 cult classic TV series "Dark Shadows".
Kathleen started performing at the tender age of 6 months old with her first television commercial and continued to work as a successful child actor throughout her adolescence, teens and into adulthood. Her stage career started at age 6, appearing in Summer Stock at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami, Florida. By the time she was 9 she had made it to Broadway for a two years run in Meredith Wilson's Musical "Here's Love", directed and choreographed by Michael Kidd, by age 9.
In 1965, at age 11, she was chosen by author Arthur Miller and producer David Susskinfdd to co-star as Betty Parris, in David Susskind's television production of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible", which starred George C. Scott, Melvyn Douglas, Colleen Dewhurst, and Tuesday Weld. The show was nominated and won three Emmy Awards; Best Actor George C. Scott, Best Actress Colleen Dewhurst, and Best Director Alex Segal.
Upon completion of "The Crucible", Kathleen was cast to co-star with Colleen Dewhurst again in a Televison Special based on novelist and playwright Colette's 1922 play, "My Mother's House", an autobiographical piece based on the novelist' s life with her mother, portrayed by Colleen Dewhurst with Kathleen portraying the playwright, Colette, from adolescence up through the author's teenage years. This TV production was also nominated for three Emmy Awards.
At 14 yrs old, director Bob Fosse auditioned and cast Kathleen in her first film debut in the Musical "Sweet Charity", starring Shirley MacLaine. It was in 1971 that Kathleen left New York to star in her first Hollywood film, "Hot Summer Week" (later entitled "Girls on the Road") with fellow co-stars Ralph Waite and Michael Ontkean.
Kathleen's performance in "Hot Summer Week " prompted Walt Disney Studios to invite her to screen test for the studio. The successful audition resulted in signing Kathleen to a exclusive three picture contract with Walt Disney Studios. She was the last actress signed a multiple film contract with Disney Studios since Annette Funicello.
"Snowball Express", directed by Norman Tokar, was the first film Kathleen completed for Disney Studios and was followed by "Charley and the Angel" directed by Vincent McEveety, starring Fred MacMurray and Cloris Leachman as her parents, as well as Harry Morgan. Kurt Russell portrayed her love interest in the film, as well as in real life. Kathleen completed her three picture contract with Disney by starring in the film "Superdad", again directed by Vincent McEveety and co-starring with Bob Crane as her father and Kurt Russell as Kathleen's love interest for the second time on screen. Kurt and Kathleen's personal relationship lasted well beyond the film's completion for 3 years.
Kathleen has guest-starred in numerous prime time television shows, including 4 episodes of "Gunsmoke" with actors James Arness, James Whitmore, Richard Jaeckel, Buck Taylor, Nicholas Hammond and Louise Latham; "The Partridge Family" with David Cassidy; "Doc Elliot" with James Farentino; "Love, American Style" segment 'Love and the Model Apartment' with Davy Jones as her newlywed husband; "Barbary Coast" with William Shatner and Doug McClure; 'The Ring' episode of "The Walton's" with Richard Thomas, Ralph Waite, and Will Geer; "Cannon" guest-starring in a dual role with William Conrad, Mitch Ryan, and Ralph Meeker; "Three for the Road" with Vincent Van Patten; "Barnaby Jones" with Buddy Ebsen and Kristoffer Tabori; and "Dirty Sally" with Jeanette Nolan.
Kathleen co-starred in three television Movies of the Week. She first appeared in a remake of the 1945 film "Double Indemnity" portraying the character of Lola Dietrickson and co-starring along with Richard Crenna, Lee J. Cobb, and Samantha Eggar. In 1975, she appeared in her second telemovie "Babe", the biographical film about Babe Didrikson directed by Buzz Kulik. The film starred Susan Clark in the title role, for which she won an Emmy for her performance and Alex Karras appeared in the film as Babe's husband.
In 1975 Kathleen appeared in her last film directed by long-time friend and mentor Vincent McEveety, in his made for TV film "The Last Day", starring Richard Widmark, Barbara Rush, Tim Matheson and Robert Conrad, in the role of Julia Johnson, Matheson's love interest.
In 1976 Kathleen was cast in the starring role of "Snowy" in a television series pilot, entitled "The Cheerleaders", directed by Richard Crenna, who had been impressed with Kathleen's work on a previous project they worked on together, the remake of "Double Indemnity". In fact, Crenna was instrumental in Universal Studios offering a seven year exclusive Studio contract to Kathleen, which she ultimately turned down. Starring along side Kathleen in "The Cheerleaders" TV Pilot was Debbie Zipp, Mary Kay Place and Darel Glaser.
Late in 1976 Kathleen moved back to the home she built in Connecticut and married. She had her daughter Megan in 1981 and divorced a couple of years later. In 1983, Kathleen returned to L.A. alone as a single mother of her two year old daughter, Megan. She was cast in the TV Series "The Rouster's" with Chad Everrett. It was not long after the cancellation of the series that Kathleen decided for the last time to leave L.A., and her career, so she could be a full time mom in raising her little girl, Megan, as well as providing her with the love and support of their family and friends back East.
In 1987 she responded to a call from Peter Bogdanovich to appear in her last film, "Illegally Yours", starring Rob Lowe.
All in all, Kathleen's career performing on stage, in film and on television has encompassed a period of over 30 years.
