“Cape Fear,” “Desperate Housewives” Actress Polly Bergen Dead at 84
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Andy Kropa/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Polly Bergen, an actress and singer who appeared in Desperate Housewives and The Sopranos and in the original Cape Fear film, died on Saturday at her home in Southbury, Connecticut, reports The New York Times. She was 84 years old.
In her early 20s, she appeared in three films opposite comedians Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Bergen was a panelist on the game show To Tell the Truth from 1956 to 1961.
Her performance in the title role of 1957’s “The Helen Morgan Story,” which was an episode of the anthology series Playhouse 90, won her an Emmy.
She portrayed a wife whose family was terrorized by a psychopathic convict, played by Robert Mitchum, in the 1962 film Cape Fear. Her other film credits included The Caretakers, Move Over, Darling and Kisses for My President.
Bergen appeared in several television shows, including ABC’s Desperate Housewives. Her role on Housewives — the mother of Felicity Huffman’s character, Lynette — earned her an Emmy nomination for outstanding guest actress in a comedy series. She was also in one episode of The Sopranos as the mistress of Tony Soprano’s late father.
Bergen was also a businesswoman. For example, she started a line of her own cosmetics in the 1960s, which she eventually sold to Fabergé.
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