The Guardian (11/Aug/2005) - Barbara Bel Geddes dies

(c) The Guardian (11/Aug/2005)

Barbara Bel Geddes dies

Barbara Bel Geddes, the actor best remembered as Miss Ellie, the long-suffering matriarch in the television series Dallas, died of lung cancer on Monday at her home in Maine. She was 82.

Although television's lurid tale of a Texas oil dynasty brought Bel Geddes to the attention of a modern audience, she was an established stage and film actress before moving to Southfork.

She was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress for her role in the 1948 film I Remember Mama.

She was nominated for a Tony for her performance as the original Maggie in the first Broadway production of Tennesee William's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

She was also known for her performance in Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, in which she played the role of James Stewart's former fiancee, Midge.