Margaret Myrtle "Mitzi" Hoag(September 25, 1932 – February 26, 2019)[1]was an American actress. Over the course of her career, she appeared in more than 73 different TV shows and movies. Notable among these are recurring roles inWe'll Get By,Bonanza,Here Come the Brides,andThe Partridge Family.
Mitzi Hoag | |
|---|---|
 Mitzi Hoag andWe'll Get Byco-starPaul Sorvino | |
| Born | Margaret Myrtle Hoag September 25, 1932 Cleveland, Ohio,U.S. |
| Died | February 26, 2019(aged 86) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1955–1993 |
| Spouse(s) | Jonathan David Beggs (1976-2019; her death) Stephen Abel Wolfson (1959-67; divorced; 1 child) |
Early life and education
editHoag was raised inNorth Olmsted, Ohio,nearCleveland,where she was born. Her father, John C. Hoag, was a supervisor for the A&P store chain.[2]She graduated fromJohn Marshall High Schoolin 1949.[2]A straight-A student and head majorette of the marching band,[3]she appeared in numerous high school stage productions, already using the nickname "Mitzi".[4]After high school, Hoag attendedShimer College,then located inMount Carroll, Illinois,completing her degree in two years under the radically flexible University of Chicago curriculum ofRobert Maynard Hutchins.[5]She chose Shimer for its small classes and the opportunity for horseback riding.[5]Because Shimer was then closely affiliated with theUniversity of Chicago,she is sometimes reported as having graduated from there.[2]
When Hoag graduated from Shimer at age 19[2]in 1952, she was one of the first five Shimer students to receive the bachelor's degree.[6]She was the only woman in the graduating class.[6]She earned a bachelor of arts in general education,[7]and became a certified teacher, but her experiences with drama at Shimer turned her towards an acting career.[8]After leaving Shimer, Hoag studied drama at the graduate level atCase Western Reserve Universityfor two years.[2]
Acting career
edit
In the mid-1950s, Hoag moved to New York, where she continued her study of acting withHerbert Berghof.[9]She was cast in multiple off-Broadway shows, but these were all cancelled due to funding problems.[9]Finally, she starred in the title role of the 1958 off-Broadway hitHeloise,an adaptation by James Forsyth of the story of Heloise and Abelard.[10]The play, which won considerable critical acclaim, was produced primarily by erstwhile actors and staffers of Case Western's Eldred Theatre.[11]
Hoag subsequently went to Hollywood, on her mother's advice. There she married Stephen Wolfson, who had a bit part inHeloise,and later became a teacher.[2]They had a daughter together,[3]but subsequently divorced.[6]
In Hollywood, Hoag at first worked as a stage actress. She parlayed a successful stage performance as Annie Sullivan inThe Miracle Workerinto screen roles, starting with a role in the movieTammy and the Doctor,and continuing with numerous TV appearances.[3]
In the late 1960s, Hoag had a recurring role inHere Come the Bridesin the late 1960s.[5]In addition, she appeared twice in the TV showBonanza:in 1966 as Libby Spencefield and in 1972 as Alice Brenner.[12]In 1976, she appeared in the dramaFamilyas Clara Briault.[13]During this period, she also appeared in several movies, includingPlay It as It Lays,Pieces of Dreams,andDevil's Angels.[5] She also played Natalie Green's adoptive mother onThe Facts of Life,a role she played through all 9 seasons.
Hoag's first[5]and only starring role in a TV series came in 1975, when she appeared as the mother Liz Platt in theCBSsitcomWe'll Get By,starring oppositePaul Sorvino.[14]A family sitcom, the show was created byAlan Alda,and modeled after his own domestic life.[5]The show ran to twelve episodes, filmed in front of a live studio audience.[14]Originally scheduled for September 1974, the show did not air until March 1975, in a time slot facingChico and the Man,one of NBC's most popular programs.[5]It was not renewed.[14]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Tammy and the Doctor | Pamela Burke, Nurse | |
| 1967 | Devil's Angels | Karen | |
| 1967 | The Trip | Wife | |
| 1970 | Pieces of Dreams | Anne Lind (Gregory's Sister) | |
| 1970 | Cover Me Babe | Mother | |
| 1972 | Play It as It Lays | Patsy | |
| 1973 | The Bait | Nancy | TV film |
| 1974 | Doctor Dan | Mrs. Wallace | TV film |
| 1974 | Hit Lady | Woman at Airport | TV film |
| 1977 | The Girl in the Empty Grave | Gloria | TV film |
| 1977 | Deadly Game | Gloria | TV film |
| 1978 | The Suicide | The Mother | Short |
| 1979 | Hometown U.S.A. | Mrs. Duckworth | |
| 1980 | Why Would I Lie? | Mrs. Hayworth | |
| 1981 | The Incredible Shrinking Woman | Vance's Secretary | |
| 1981 | All Night Long | Nurse | |
| 1981 | Murder in Texas | Edie Kalb | TV film |
| 1981 | The Five of Me | Secretary | TV film |
| 1983 | Heart Like a Wheel | Shirley's Mother | |
| 1984 | Second Sight: A Love Story | Leslie McKay | TV film |
| 1988 | Addicted to His Love | Estelle | TV film |
Works cited
edit- Chance, Norman (2011).Who Was Who On Television.ISBN978-1456821296.
References
edit- ^Mitzi Hoag Beggs
- ^abcdefPeter Bellamy (1962-05-11). "2 Cleveland Stage Stars Win Acclaim".Cleveland Plain Dealer.p. 39.
- ^abcJames B. Flanagan (1965-05-13). "Mitzi Hoag Glad Her Day In Court is Over".Cleveland Plain Dealer.p. 50.
- ^"Corley Gives Recital".Cleveland Plain Dealer.1948-06-20. p. 86.
- ^abcdefgBob Martin."Mitzi Hoag finds comedy stardom in 'We'll Get By'".Independent Press-Telegram: TeleVues.p. 1.
- ^abc"Shimer's First Four-Year Graduates Received Degrees Seventeen Years Ago".Shimer College Bulletin.Shimer College. May 1969. p. 1.
- ^Consolidated News Service (1952-05-29). "Confer Shimer Degrees on Six".Rockford Register-Republic.p. B1.
- ^Bert J. Reesing (1966-02-17). "Majorette Mitzi Bids for TV's Hoss".Cleveland Plain Dealer.p. 47.
- ^abArnold Zeitlin (1957-07-28). "Cleveland Talent Tackles Broadway".Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- ^Gerald Boardman (1996)."1958-1959".American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama, 1930-1969.p. 353.ISBN0195358082.
- ^"Mitzi Hoag's Parents Will See 'Heloise'".Cleveland Plain Dealer.1958-09-26. p. 36.
- ^Chance 2011,p. 186.
- ^Chance 2011,p. 480.
- ^abcBob Leszczak (2012)."We'll Get By".Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979: A Complete Guide.p. 195.ISBN978-0786468126.