Diana Hyland
Diana Hyland, a striking, knowing beauty with a confident air about her, was born Diane Gentner on January 25, 1936, in Ohio and appeared on stage in summer stock as a teen before graduating from Cleveland Heights High School. Moving to New York in 1955 to test her acting mettle, the slim-faced, honey-blonde actress began to find TV roles almost immediately (one of her first being a "Robert Montgomery Presents" episode) in between supplementing her income as a switchboard operator. Initially billed Diane Gentner, she changed it to Diana Hyland (taking her mother's maiden name). Following a tour of the play "Look Back in Anger," she broke through quite impressively on the Broadway boards as the neurotic ingénue in the acclaimed 1959 Tennessee Williams production of "Sweet Bird of Youth" starring Paul Newman and Geraldine Page. Her role of Heavenly Finley could have made her a film star had she been allowed to take it the big screen, but Shirley Knight was given that honor. In the early 60s, Diana focused on the small screen with strong, emotional roles on such soaps as "Young Dr. Malone" (1958) and "Peyton Place" (1964) (in a particularly showy role as a minister's alcoholic wife). She also scored well in a series of guest parts, notably "The Twilight Zone," "The Fugitive," "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" and "Alcoa Presents," the last for which she received an Emmy nomination. She was a particularly sought-after presence on medical shows as well, spicing up such popular tearjerkers as "Ben Casey," "Dr. Kildare," "The Doctors and the Nurses," "Medical Center" and "Marcus Welby, M.D.". Strangely, Diana made noticeably few films during her career, her best showcase being that of the unconventional minister's wife opposite Don Murray's Rev. Norman Vincent Peale in One Man's Way (1964). In addition to a small, downbeat supporting turn in The Chase (1966) starring Marlon Brando, Robert Redford and, Jane Fonda, she also co-starred with Fess Parker in the routine western yarn Smoky (1966). Remaining focused on TV, Diana continued to brightened up the TV medium into the 1970s with an emphasis on crime ("Kojak, "Harry O", "Cannon," "Mannix," etc.). IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net
Known For
Credits
- 1977 · Eight Is Enough as Joan Bradford
- 1976 · The Boy in the Plastic Bubble as Mickey Lubitch
- 1975 · S.W.A.T. as
- 1974 · Harry O as
- 1974 · Happy Days as
- 1973 · Kojak as Cleo Donatello
- 1973 · Hawkins as Jennifer Pearson
- 1972 · Banyon as
- 1972 · Search as
- 1971 · Cannon as
- 1971 · Alias Smith and Jones as
- 1970 · Ritual of Evil as Leila Barton
- 1969 · Medical Center as
- 1968 · The Name of the Game as Lisa Adrian
- 1968 · Jigsaw as Sarah
- 1967 · Mannix as Janice Graham
- 1967 · Judd for the Defense as
- 1967 · Ironside as
- 1967 · The Invaders as Sherri Vikor
- 1967 · The Invaders as Ellie Markham
- 1966 · Felony Squad as
- 1966 · The Iron Horse as Marta Grenier
- 1966 · The Green Hornet as Claudia Bromley
- 1966 · Tarzan as Diana Russell
- 1966 · Smoky as Julie Richards
- 1966 · Scalplock as Martha Grenier
- 1966 · The Chase as Elizabeth Rogers
- 1965 · The F.B.I. as Marie-Luise Karn
- 1965 · The F.B.I. as Virginia Lamberth
- 1965 · The F.B.I. as Joanne Kinston
- 1965 · The F.B.I. as Pat Laner
- 1965 · Run for Your Life as Eileen Henderson
- 1965 · Run for Your Life as Diana Hays
- 1965 · Hercules and the Princess of Troy as Princess Diana
- 1964 · The Man from U.N.C.L.E. as Miranda Bryant / Irina
- 1964 · Peyton Place as Susan Winter
- 1964 · The Rogues as Celeste Martel
- 1964 · One Man's Way as Ruth Stafford Peale
- 1963 · Kraft Suspense Theatre as Laura DeLinda Stevenson / Laura Murdoch
- 1963 · Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre as
- 1963 · Burke's Law as Laurel Peachey
- 1963 · The Fugitive as Stella Savano
- 1963 · The Fugitive as Carol Hollister
- 1963 · The Fugitive as Penny
- 1963 · The Fugitive as Alison Priestley
- 1962 · Stoney Burke as
- 1962 · The Alfred Hitchcock Hour as Janet Nelson
- 1962 · The Alfred Hitchcock Hour as Grace Renford
- 1962 · Sam Benedict as
- 1961 · Alcoa Premiere as
- 1961 · Ben Casey as
- 1961 · Dr. Kildare as Dr. Lilith McGraw
- 1961 · Dr. Kildare as Marguerite Williams
- 1959 · The Twilight Zone as Anne Henderson / Rider in Black
- 1958 · Young Doctor Malone as
- 1958 · Naked City as Vivian North
- 1955 · Gunsmoke as Dallas Fair
- 1950 · Robert Montgomery Presents as Judy