Tanya Roberts
Tanya Roberts (born Victoria Leigh Blum; October 15, 1949 – January 4, 2021) was an American actress. She played Julie Rogers in the final season of the television series Charlie's Angels (1980–1981), Stacey Sutton in the James Bond film A View to a Kill (1985), Sheena in Sheena (1984), Kiri in The Beastmaster (1982) and Midge Pinciotti on That '70s Show (1998–2004).
Tanya Roberts | |
|---|---|
Roberts in 1982 | |
| Born | Victoria Leigh Blum October 15, 1949 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 4, 2021 (aged 71) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Actors Studio |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1975–2005 |
| Known for | Charlie's Angels That '70s Show A View to a Kill Sheena The Beastmaster |
| Spouse | Barry Roberts (m. 1974; died 2006) |
| Partner | Lance O'Brien (?–2021) |
Early life
Tanya Roberts was born Victoria Leigh Blum in 1949 (although long given as 1955)[1][2][3] either in Manhattan[4] or the Bronx, New York City, to Oscar Blum and his wife Dorothy (née Smith).[5] Oscar Maximilian Blum was born in New York City.[6][7] Oscar's father, Theodor Blum,[8] has been called "The most outstanding oral surgeon in America" for his pioneering work in local anesthesia and the use of x-rays in dental care.[9] Theodor was born in Vienna, Austria and emigrated to New York in 1904.[6] Oscar earned a bachelor's degree from Cornell University in 1934 and was a first year student in the medical college there.[10] In 1940, Tanya's father was working as an assistant manager for a music publishing house in New York City.[11] He married in 1945 in Weymouth, England, Dorothy Leigh Smith from Oldham, England.[12][13] At age 22 Dorothy arrived in New York City in April 1945.[14] In 1948, Dorothy returned to New York from a trip to England with Tanya's two-year-old sister, Barbara.[15] Tanya's father was of Jewish descent and her mother was of English or Irish descent.[16][17][1] It has also been reported that her father was of Irish descent and her mother was Jewish.[18] She had one older sister, Barbara.[19] The 1950 U.S. Census shows that the Blum family with the two daughters lived in the hamlet of Hewlett in Hempstead, NY as of April 1950 and that Oscar Blum was a sales executive for a pen manufacturer.[2] In 1956, Tanya and her sister lived in Scarsdale, New York in a home built in 1950, still standing 70 years later.[20][21] Tanya's parents purchased the Scarsdale home new in March 1951 and sold it in January 1958 to buy a property in Greenburgh, New York that same month.[22] Tanya's father sold the Greenburgh property on his own in July 1961.[22] Oscar Blum supported the family on a modest income, working as a fountain pen salesman in Manhattan.[23][24] The sisters were raised in the central Bronx.[25]
After meeting psychology student Barry Roberts (while waiting in line for a movie), she proposed to him in a subway station and they were soon married.[24] While Barry pursued a career as a screenwriter, she began to study at the Actors Studio with Lee Strasberg and Uta Hagen under the name Tanya Roberts.[16]
Career
1970s: Early career and Charlie's Angels
Roberts began her career as a model in TV ads for Excedrin, Ultra Brite, Clairol, and Cool Ray sunglasses.[23] She played serious roles in the off-Broadway productions Picnic and Antigone.[16] She also supported herself as an Arthur Murray dance instructor. Her film debut was in The Last Victim (1975).[26][27] This was followed by the comedy The Yum-Yum Girls (1976).[27] In 1977, as her husband was securing his own screenwriting career, the couple moved to Hollywood. There she was cast in The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (1977)[5] and the following year, participated in the drama Fingers.[27] In 1979 Roberts appeared in the cult movie Tourist Trap,[28] Racquet,[26][27] and California Dreaming.[27] Roberts was featured in several television pilots which were not picked up: Zuma Beach (a 1978 comedy),[27] Pleasure Cove (1979),[16] and Waikiki (1980).[16]
In the summer of 1980, Roberts was chosen from some 2,000 candidates to replace Shelley Hack in the fifth season of the detective television series Charlie's Angels.[23][26] Roberts played Julie Rogers, a streetwise fighter who used her fists more than her gun. Producers hoped Roberts's presence would revitalize the series's declining ratings and regenerate media interest in the series. Before the season's premiere, Roberts was featured on the cover of People magazine with a headline asking if Roberts would be able to save the declining series from cancellation.[29] Despite the hype of Roberts's debut in November 1980, the series continued to draw dismal ratings and was cancelled in June 1981.[30]
1982–84: B-movies
Roberts played Kiri, a slave rescued by protagonist Dar (Marc Singer) in the adventure fantasy film The Beastmaster (1982),[23][16] which became a cult film.[18][26][27][28] She was featured in a nude pictorial in Playboy to help promote the movie,[5] appearing on that issue's October 1982 cover.[16] In 1983, Roberts filmed the Italian-made adventure fantasy film Hearts and Armour[31] (also known as Paladini-storia d'armi e d'amori and Paladins — The Story of Love and Arms), based on the medieval novel Orlando Furioso.
She portrayed Velda, the secretary to private detective Mike Hammer, in the television movie Murder Me, Murder You (1983),[23][32] based on crime novelist Mickey Spillane's iconic Mike Hammer private detective series. The two-part pilot spawned the syndicated television series Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer.[32] She declined to continue the role in the Mike Hammer series to work on her next project, the 1984 fantasy movie Sheena: Queen of the Jungle, in which she played the main character.[23][26][28][18][27][16] The movie was a box-office failure, and garnered her a nomination for "Worst Actress" at the Razzie Awards.[33] The critic Pauline Kael, in a more-balanced review for The New Yorker, describes her as having "a staring, comic-book opaqueness. ... She's a walking, talking icon".[5]
1985–2005: A View to a Kill and That '70s Show
Roberts appeared as Bond girl, geologist Stacey Sutton, in A View to a Kill (1985) with Roger Moore;[23][26] the first choice for the role was Priscilla Presley.[5] In the wake of this performance, Roberts was nominated for a second Razzie Award.[34] Roberts's other 1980s films include Night Eyes, an erotic thriller;[26][27] Body Slam (1987), an action movie set in the professional wrestling world (another cult favorite);[26][27] and Purgatory, a movie about a woman wrongfully imprisoned in Africa.[27] Roberts starred in the erotic thriller Inner Sanctum (1991) alongside Margaux Hemingway.[27][35] In 1992, she played Kay Egan in Sins of Desire.[23][27] She appeared on the cable series Hot Line in 1995, and in the video game The Pandora Directive in 1996.[27]
In 1998, Roberts took the role of Midge Pinciotti on the television sitcom That '70s Show.[26][28][27] In her obituary in The Guardian, Ryan Gilbey praises "[h]er knowing performance" in this role, "slow on the uptake but growing dissatisfied with her life as a housewife".[5] She left the series after the 3rd season in 2001, because her husband had become terminally ill,[5] returning for a few special guest appearances in the 6th and 7th seasons in 2004. She retired from acting in 2005.[citation needed]
Personal life
Roberts was married to Barry Roberts from 1974 until his death in 2006.[36] They had no children.[37] Roberts lived in Hollywood Hills, California.[37] Some time after his death, she became the partner of Lance O'Brien.[5] Her sister, Barbara Chase, was married to Timothy Leary.[23]
Roberts wrote the foreword to the book The Q Guide to Charlie's Angels (2008).[38] She was described by her publicist as an animal rights activist.[39] During the COVID-19 pandemic, she maintained an active social media presence by hosting video chats on Facebook and Zoom.[40]
Death
While hiking on December 23, 2020, Roberts developed lower intestinal pain and difficulty breathing. She returned home to rest. Very early the next morning she fell out of bed and found she could not get up.[41] She was taken to Cedars-Sinai Hospital, where it was determined she had developed a urinary tract infection that had advanced to sepsis.[42] Her illness was complicated by her history of hepatitis C.[43] The body's immune response to her infection resulted in multi-organ failure.[42] She had to be placed on a ventilator to help her with the work of breathing.[28] Her partner, Lance O'Brien, was not allowed to see her due to restrictions imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[44] Her condition deteriorated, and on January 3, 2021, she was taken off life support.[41] O'Brien was finally then allowed to visit her.[45] She died on the evening of January 4, at the age of 71.[45][23] In a handwritten will, Roberts left her estate to O'Brien, her common-law husband.[46]
Roberts' death was notable due to it being announced prematurely by her publicist; moreover, her age of death was incorrectly given as 65 by multiple sources.[47][48][49] However, her condition was "dire", and she died at 71 years old within a day of the initial announcement.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Forced Entry | Nancy Ulman | [23][26][27][50] | |
| 1976 | The Yum Yum Girls | April | [27] | |
| 1977 | The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover | Stewardess | [27] | |
| 1978 | Fingers | Julie | [27] | |
| 1979 | Tourist Trap | Becky | [28][51] | |
| 1979 | California Dreaming | Stephanie | [27] | |
| 1979 | Racquet | Bambi | [26][27] | |
| 1982 | The Beastmaster | Kiri | [23] | |
| 1983 | Hearts and Armour | Angelica | [31][51] | |
| 1984 | Sheena: Queen of the Jungle | Sheena | [23] | |
| 1985 | A View to a Kill | Stacey Sutton | [23] | |
| 1986 | Body Slam | Candace Vandervagen | [26][27][51] | |
| 1988 | Purgatory | Carly Arnold | [27][51] | |
| 1990 | Twisted Justice | Secretary | [27][51] | |
| 1990 | Night Eyes | Nikki Walker | [26][27][51] | |
| 1991 | Inner Sanctum | Lynn Foster | [27][51] | |
| 1991 | Legal Tender | Rikki Rennick | [27][51] | |
| 1992 | Almost Pregnant | Linda Alderson | Video | [27][52] |
| 1993 | Sins of Desire | Kay Egan | [23][27] | |
| 1994 | Deep Down | Charlotte | [51] | |
| 1995 | Favorite Deadly Sins | Tanya Roberts | Cameo | [53] |
| 1996 | The Pandora Directive | Regan Madsen | Video game | [27] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Zuma Beach | Denise | TV movie | [27] |
| 1979 | Pleasure Cove | Sally | TV movie | [16] |
| 1980 | Vega$ | Officer Britt Blackwell | Episode: "Golden Gate Cop Killer: Parts 1 & 2" (Backdoor pilot for unproduced series Ladies in Blue) | [54] |
| 1980 | Waikiki | Carol | TV movie | [16] |
| 1980–1981 | Charlie's Angels | Julie Rogers | Main role (season 5) | [23][26][16] |
| 1982 | The Love Boat | Diane Dayton | Episode: "Green, But Not Jolly/Past Perfect Love/Instant Family" | [55] |
| 1982 | Fantasy Island | Amanda Parsons | Episode: "The Ghost's Story" | [26][28] |
| 1983 | Murder Me, Murder You | Velda | TV movie | [23][32] |
| 1993 | Greatest Heroes of the Bible | Bashemath | Episode: "Jacob's Challenge" | [27] |
| 1994 | Burke's Law | Julie Reardon | Episode: "Who Killed Nick Hazard?" | [56][57] |
| 1994–1996 | Hot Line | Rebecca | Main role | [58] |
| 1995 | Silk Stalkings | Callie Callahan | Episode: "Till Death Do Us Part" | [28] |
| 1997 | The Blues Brothers Animated Series | Toni G. | Voice role Recurring role | [59][60] |
| 1997 | High Tide | Rhonda Fogel | Episode: "Girl on the Run" | [61][62] |
| 1998 | The Angry Beavers | Marsha | Voice role Episode: "Same Time Last Week/Beaver Fever" | [63] |
| 1998–2004 | That '70s Show | Midge Pinciotti | 81 episodes | [26][27][28] |
| 2002 | Off Centre | Gretchen | Episode: "Mike & Liz & Chau & Jordan" | [64] |
| 2003 | Fillmore! | Author | Voice role Episode: "The Unseen Reflection" | [65] |
| 2005 | Eve | Rebecca | Episode: "Kung Fu Divas" | [66] |
| 2005 | Barbershop | Ellie Palmer | Episodes: "Family Business", "Debates and Dead People" | [23][26][28] |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | The Pandora Directive | Regan Madsen | Video game[27] |
References
- ^ a b Bloom, Nate (January 14, 2021). "Jewz in the Newz". The American Israelite.
- ^ a b "Search 1950 Census". U.S. National Archives. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ "Actors and Actresses Born in October 1949".
- ^ https://www.ancestry.com/inst/discoveries/PfRecord?collectionId=61457&recordId=5114197&language=en-GB&ahsht=2021-01-06T00:02:32&ahsh=f78a85fecd274279f49a8d07b029f6e6
- ^ a b c d e f g h Ryan Gilbey (January 6, 2021). "Tanya Roberts obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ a b U.S. Dept. of Labor, Naturalization Services. "New York, County Naturalization records, 1791–1980". FamilySearch. U.S. Dept. of Labor, Naturalization Service. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
- ^ U.S. Social Security Administration. "Record for Oscar Blum, August 1971". FamilySearch. U.S. Social Security Administration. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
- ^ Reich, William T. (1963). Theordor Blum. D.D.S., M.D. New York: The New York Institute of Clinical Oral Pathology. p. 1. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ Reich, William T. (1963). Theodor Blum, D.D.S., M.D. New York: New York Institute of Clinical Oral Pathology. p. 8. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ Cornell University (August 1, 1934). "Announcement of the Medical College for 1934–35". Cornell University Official Publication. XXVI (3): 114. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- ^ Bureau of Census. "Oscar M Blum in household of Bertha Blum, Assembly District 15, Manhattan, New York City". FamilySearch. Bureau of Census. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- ^ General Register Office, Southport, England. "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837–2005". FamilySearch.org. findmypast.com. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ General Register Office, Southport, England. "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837–2005". FamilySearch.org. findmypast.com. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ U.S. Dept. of Labor, Immigration & Naturalization Service. "New York City Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925–1957". FamilySearch.org. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- ^ U.S. Dept. of justice, Immigration & Naturalization Service. "New York City Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925–1957". FamilySearch.org. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Toone, Stephanie (January 3, 2021). "'That '70s Show' star, Bond Girl Tanya Roberts dies at age 65". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 1715.
- ^ Lewis, Dan (August 15, 1980). "Roberts becomes newest Angel". The Paris News. p. 31.
- ^ a b c Appelebaum, Elizabeth (June 12, 1988). "Charlie's Jewish Angel". The Detroit Jewish News.
- ^ Greenfield, Robert (2006). Timothy Leary: A Biography. Harcourt. p. 534. ISBN 978-0151005000.
- ^ U.S Dept. of Justice, Immigration & Naturalization Service. "New York City Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925–1957". FamilySearch.org. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ Village of Scarsdale, New York. "Property Information for 6 Colonial Road". Village of Scarsdale Westchester County New York. Village of Scarsdale, New York. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ a b United States, New York Land Records, 1630–1975. "search results for "Oscar M Blum"". FamilySearch.org. State of New York. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Gates, Anita (January 5, 2021). "Tanya Roberts, a Charlie's Angel and a Bond Girl, Is Dead at 65". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ a b Lague, Louise (September 10, 1984). "Critics Call Her Sheena, Shame of the Jungle, but Tanya Roberts Won't Take It Lying Down". People.
- ^ "Profile at". Film Reference. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Rahman, Abid; Nordyke, Kimberly (January 3, 2021). "Tanya Roberts, Bond Girl and 'That '70's Show' Star, Dies at 65". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah "Tanya Roberts". British Film Institute. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Caruso, Nick (January 3, 2021). "Tanya Roberts, That '70s Show and Charlie's Angels Actress" – via Yahoo!.
- ^ Collins, Max Allan (May 4, 2012). Mickey Spillane on Screen: A Complete Study of the Television and Film Adaptations. McFarland & Company. p. 184. ISBN 978-0786465781.
- ^ Reilly, Sue (February 9, 1981). . People. Archived from the original on March 10, 2011. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
- ^ a b "Tanya Roberts' publicist retracts report that said actor had died". The Guardian. January 4, 2021.
The former Bond girl was mistakenly reported dead after being hospitalised following a fall at her home
- ^ a b c Bullard, Benjamin (January 3, 2021). "Tanya Roberts James Bond and That 70's Show Actor Passes Away at 65". syfy.com.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (November 17, 2020). "John Guillermin: Action Man". Filmink.
- ^ "Tanya Roberts profile". Superiorpics.com. Retrieved April 18, 2013.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Tanya Roberts: Bond girl and Charlie's Angel still alive, agent says". BBC. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
- ^ "After Retracting Premature Report of Her Death, Publicist Now Says Actress Tanya Roberts Has Died". NBC Boston. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ a b "Tanya Roberts Gets Back to Nature in Her Beautiful Hollywood Hills Home". Closer Weekly. March 8, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
- ^ Hernandez, Greg (July 1, 2008). "New "Charlie's Angels" book offer a fun "gay" look at the 70s detective series…". Los Angeles Daily News, Out in Hollywood. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- ^ Ryder, Taryn (January 6, 2021). "Yahoo Celebrity: Tanya Roberts's cause of death revealed as her partner speaks out". Yahoo! Entertainment.
- ^ Blistein, Jon (January 4, 2021). . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021.(subscription required)
- ^ a b Byrne, Suzy (January 5, 2021). "Tanya Roberts has died after early, inaccurate death announcement: reports". Yahoo!. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ a b Carroll, Linda (January 7, 2021). "Tanya Roberts died from urinary tract infection that caused sepsis". NBC News. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
- ^ Sheehy, Kate (January 4, 2021). "Tanya Roberts' long time partner explains 'death' mix-up". Page Six. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
- ^ Kennedy, Mark (January 5, 2021). "Actress Tanya Roberts dies hours after premature death announcement". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
- ^ a b McCarthy, Tyler (January 5, 2021). "Tanya Roberts is dead, partner says after premature death declaration". Fox News. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ Day, Nate (June 17, 2021). "Late Bond girl Tanya Roberts leaves entire estate to common law husband in handwritten will". Fox News. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ Vigdor, Neil (January 5, 2021). "Publicist for Tanya Roberts Mistakenly Reports Her Death". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
- ^ "Bond girl mistakenly reported dead". PerthNow. January 5, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
- ^ Carras, Christi (January 5, 2021). "Actress Tanya Roberts dies at 65 not long after false death announcement". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
- ^ "Tanya Roberts". TV Guide. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Tanya Roberts". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- ^ "Almost Pregnant (1991)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- ^ "Tanya Roberts Dead at 65 After Premature Announcement". The A.V. Club. January 5, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ Terrace, Vincent (2019). Encyclopedia of Television Pilots: 2,470 Films Broadcast 1937-2019 (Second ed.). Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers. p. 133. ISBN 978-1-4766-3810-2. OCLC 1138670436.
- ^ "The Love Boat series regulars and episode guide". Ultimate 70s. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "Burke's Law (1994): Who Killed Nick Hazard?". TV.com. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "Burke's Law - Season 1 Episode 3". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "Hot Line". TV.com. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "Gigolo Jake (Film Roman Productions)". Big Cartoon DataBase (BCDB). Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "True Lies (Film Roman Productions)". Big Cartoon DataBase (BCDB). Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "Rick Springfield - High Tide - Girl on the Run". rickspringfield. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "High Tide: Girl On the Run". TV.com. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "Marsha". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "Tanya Roberts". TVGuide. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "Fillmore!: The Unseen Reflection". TVmaze. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "Eve: Kung Fu Divas". TV.com. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
External links
- Official website
- Tanya Roberts at IMDb
- at the TCM Movie Database
- Tanya Roberts at AllMovie
- Tanya Roberts at Rotten Tomatoes
- Tanya Roberts at the British Film Institute