Actress Caroline McWilliams of TV's 'Benson' and 'Soap' dies at 64
Garondo Marondo
Actress Caroline McWilliams of TV's 'Benson' and 'Soap' dies at 64
McWilliams, whose other television work included 'Guiding Light' and
'Judging Amy,' also directed and acted on stage. Her film roles
included
'Mermaids' in 1990.
By Keith Thursby
10:25 PM PST, February 21, 2010
Caroline McWilliams, an actress and director best known to television
audiences for her work on the series "Benson" and "Soap," has died.
She
was 64.
McWilliams died Feb. 11 at her home in Los Angeles from complications
of
multiple myeloma, her family said.
Caroline Margaret McWilliams was born April 4, 1945, in Seattle but
grew
up in Barrington, R.I. She graduated in 1966 with a bachelor's degree
from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
Her first break on television was on "Guiding Light," a longtime CBS
soap opera in which she appeared for several years beginning in 1969.
While in New York, she also started to build her stage career.
McWilliams' credits included "Boccaccio," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and
"The Rothschilds," along with productions for the New York
Shakespeare
Festival and the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Conn.
She also appeared on the soap opera "Another World" in 1975.
In 1978 and '79, she played Sally on the ABC comedy "Soap," and from
1979 to '81 played Marcy Hill on the series "Benson," a spinoff from
"Soap" starring Robert Guillaume.
Other TV appearances included starring in the 1989 series "Nearly
Departed" with Eric Idle, "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Judging Amy."
Her movie roles included "Mermaids" in 1990.
McWilliams' sister Kelly-Jo Dvareckas said she "really felt she hit
her
stride when she started to direct."
McWilliams' credits as a director included the plays "Divorcons
(Let's
Get a Divorce)," "You Haven't Changed a Bit and Other Lies" and "The
Smoke and Ice Follies."
In addition to her sister, McWilliams is survived by her son, Sean
Douglas, and sisters Norma Liedtke and Patti McWilliams. She was
divorced from actor Michael Keaton.
latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-caroline-
mcwilliams22-2010feb22,0,7217175.story
Taylor
Aw, that's sad. I quasi-remember her.
ka...@notme.com
and followed her career through Benson. Thanks for the entertainment,
Janet. May your spirit fly free.
Gracenote
>
> - Show quoted text -
I always thought that she was pretty. 64 is too young to die.
Calvin Lewiston
<August...@aol.com> wrote:
>On Feb 22, 1:39=A0pm, Taylor <lukebenw...@gmail.com> wrote:
No, actually its about the right age as other people have to start
taking care of you after that.
Koko
> On Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:19:14 -0800 (PST), Gracenote
>
> >I always thought that she was pretty. 64 is too young to die.
> No, actually its about the right age as other people have to start
> taking care of you after that.
Ok... guess you know what to do if you don't want to get old, won't
you?
She was a fine actress and I enjoyed her on GL. Didn't she play a
nurse who had a hangup on young Dr. Ed Bauer?
Koko
Karen
wrote:
Then I only have a few more years before I have to call the Happy
Bunny Caregivers Service.
Karen (it's a franchise)
SoCally
that age group. 64 is actually very young to die. But skin cancer
tends to kill younger people.
So her son is Micheal Keaton's son since IIRC Douglas is MK's real
last name.
Michael O'Connor
Yes, his last name is Douglas, but for some reason thought there might
be issues using the name Michael Douglas in Hollywood. He chose the
last name Keaton from Diane Keaton, but never legally changed his last
name.
Dave Sill
> I remember her. I knew she was married to Michael Keaton but he was in
> that age group. 64 is actually very young to die. But skin cancer
> tends to kill younger people.
Multiple myeloma is not skin cancer.
-Dave
Matthew Kruk
news:37a2aca1-4477-4e00...@f42g2000yqn.googlegroups.com...
On Feb 24, 1:24 am, SoCally <foaa...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I remember her. I knew she was married to Michael Keaton but he was in
> that age group. 64 is actually very young to die. But skin cancer
> tends to kill younger people.
>
> So her son is Micheal Keaton's son since IIRC Douglas is MK's real
> last name.
Yes, his last name is Douglas, but for some reason thought there might
be issues using the name Michael Douglas in Hollywood.
---
Bit of an understatement, no?
Michael Black
At the very least, he'd be confused with Michael Douglas, or maybe even
Mike Douglas.
Think of the times you saw "Vanessa Williams" listed in something and then
you discover it was the other Vanessa Williams.
I don't think they could toss you if it was your real name. I seem to
recall there are issues if you come up with a stage name that happens to
be the same as someone else.
Michael
R H Draney
Used to be, I think, Actors Equity that set the rule that you couldn't have the
same name as another current member...it's why Vera Ralston became Vera Miles
(there was already a Vera Hruba Ralston) and why Michael Fox added the middle
initial J (his real middle name is Andrew)...if the earlier performer is dead,
you can get away with it (see Harrison Ford) but you'd better be prepared to
have your work mixed in with someone else's....
I'm not sure exactly how it works when someone who shares the name of an
established actor becomes famous in another context first and then goes into
acting, as in the case of the two Vanessa Williamses, or the two Samantha Foxes,
or even the two Lina Romays....r
--
"Oy! A cat made of lead cannot fly."
- Mark Brader declaims a basic scientific principle
William George Ferguson
>Michael Black filted:
>>
>>On Wed, 24 Feb 2010, Matthew Kruk wrote:
>>
>>> "Michael O'Connor" <mpoco...@aol.com> wrote in message
>>> news:37a2aca1-4477-4e00...@f42g2000yqn.googlegroups.com...
>>>> So her son is Micheal Keaton's son since IIRC Douglas is MK's real
>>>> last name.
>>>
>>> Yes, his last name is Douglas, but for some reason thought there might
>>> be issues using the name Michael Douglas in Hollywood.
>>>
>>At the very least, he'd be confused with Michael Douglas, or maybe even
>>Mike Douglas.
>>
>>Think of the times you saw "Vanessa Williams" listed in something and then
>>you discover it was the other Vanessa Williams.
>>
>>I don't think they could toss you if it was your real name. I seem to
>>recall there are issues if you come up with a stage name that happens to
>>be the same as someone else.
>
>Used to be, I think, Actors Equity that set the rule that you couldn't have the
>same name as another current member...it's why Vera Ralston became Vera Miles
>(there was already a Vera Hruba Ralston) and why Michael Fox added the middle
>initial J (his real middle name is Andrew)...if the earlier performer is dead,
>you can get away with it (see Harrison Ford) but you'd better be prepared to
>have your work mixed in with someone else's....
>
>I'm not sure exactly how it works when someone who shares the name of an
>established actor becomes famous in another context first and then goes into
>acting, as in the case of the two Vanessa Williamses, or the two Samantha Foxes,
>or even the two Lina Romays....r
It can lead to oddities. Seth Green got his SAG card when he was about 4,
so when the director Seth Green started working in Hollywood, he became
Bruce Seth Green, although he had been going by Seth Green longer than the
younger Seth Green has been alive.
Tony Head had some success and fame in Britain before he did anything int
he US, but he became Anthony Stewart Head in the US, because there was
already a Tony Head here (he is still credited as Tony Head in Britain).
--
I have a theory, it could be bunnies
Jim Beaver
"R H Draney" <dado...@spamcop.net> wrote in message
news:hm3s5...@drn.newsguy.com...
The most confusing, I think, is the case of the multiple James/Jim Browns.
First was the actor who played Lt. Rip Masters on RIN-TIN-TIN in the 1950s.
But then singer James Brown coopted the name, so the actor became Jim Brown.
But then the football player coopted THAT name, and the guy who got there
first ended up changing his billing to James L. Brown. By strict
interpretation of SAG rules, he should have been able to be the only James
Brown, or even the only Jim Brown. But sometimes fame supersedes the rules.
Jim Beaver
(sorry to the other Jim Beaver, but I got there first)
--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ne...@netfront.net ---
Anim8rFSK
Vanessa Williams says the other Vanessa Williams keeps not using her
middle initial like SAG says she's supposed to.
--
As Adam West as Bruce Wayne as Batman said in "Smack in the Middle"
the second half of the 1966 BATMAN series pilot when Jill St. John
as Molly as Robin as Molly fell into the Batmobile's atomic pile:
"What a terrible way to go-go"
R H Draney
>
>> On 24 Feb 2010 10:46:10 -0800, R H Draney <dado...@spamcop.net> wrote:
>>
>> >Michael Black filted:
>> >>
>> >>you discover it was the other Vanessa Williams.
>> >
>> >established actor becomes famous in another context first and then goes into
>> >acting, as in the case of the two Vanessa Williamses, or the two Samantha
>> >Foxes,
>> >or even the two Lina Romays....r
>
>middle initial like SAG says she's supposed to.
Ooh!...cat fight!...r
Brad Ferguson
<dado...@spamcop.net> wrote:
> I'm not sure exactly how it works when someone who shares the name of an
> established actor becomes famous in another context first and then goes into
> acting, as in the case of the two Vanessa Williamses, or the two Samantha
> Foxes,
> or even the two Lina Romays....r
A case I know about first-hand was the newswoman Patti Davis, whose
name was co-opted by the presidential daughter. The daughter allowed
herself to be billed as Patricia Davis for a little while, but gave it
up. As Jim Beaver says downthread, fame sometimes trumps the rules.
BTW, the Vanessa Williams who wasn't the naked Miss America has prior
claim to that name. She's been a union member since 1974, when she was
11. She does sometimes go by Vanessa A. Williams, though.
It's Miss America who's supposed to go by Vanessa L. Williams, but
generally doesn't.
This all reminds me that, back in the early days of CNN, their Rome
correspondent was Richard Roth. The CBS News correspondent in Rome was
also named Richard Roth. CNN Roth routinely got much of the other
Roth's mail, including some of the embassy invitations and so forth
that CBS Roth was supposed to get, and CNN Roth may not have been shy
about letting sources think he was the CBS Roth when he called them.
CBS Roth understandably demanded that CNN Roth change his name, as the
union required. However, CNN was not then unionized, so CNN Roth paid
the other one* no attention. The people in the trenches at CBS thought
the whole thing was actually pretty funny.
Danny B will enjoy knowing that Frank Prial of The Chief, the civil
service newspaper in NYC, used to get much of the very expensive wine
sent for review to Frank Prial, the wine critic of the New York Times.
Chiefly Frank had quite a nice collection.
*I think two broadcast reporters who share the same name should be
called koppelgangers.
R H Draney
>
>This all reminds me that, back in the early days of CNN, their Rome
>correspondent was Richard Roth. The CBS News correspondent in Rome was
>also named Richard Roth. CNN Roth routinely got much of the other
>Roth's mail, including some of the embassy invitations and so forth
>that CBS Roth was supposed to get, and CNN Roth may not have been shy
>about letting sources think he was the CBS Roth when he called them.
>CBS Roth understandably demanded that CNN Roth change his name, as the
>union required. However, CNN was not then unionized, so CNN Roth paid
>the other one* no attention. The people in the trenches at CBS thought
>the whole thing was actually pretty funny.
>
>Danny B will enjoy knowing that Frank Prial of The Chief, the civil
>service newspaper in NYC, used to get much of the very expensive wine
>sent for review to Frank Prial, the wine critic of the New York Times.
>Chiefly Frank had quite a nice collection.
The last time I was unemployed, two different employment agencies got me
interviews on two consecutive days with two guys who had the same
name...something common like "Richard Martinez"...one at First Interstate Bank
(now Wells Fargo) and the other at First Federal (now part of OneWest)...I
called the headhunters back and asked if I needed to cancel one of my two
appointments and was assured that, no, they were two different guys and that
they even knew one another through their community work....r