One of the most natural beauties of the 1960s with a gentle voice and personality to match, blonde Hope Lange was born in Redding Ridge, Connecticut, and performed on stage from the age of nine. She studied both drama and dance under 'Martha Graham' in the starring role of Doris in 'Same Time, Next Year' on Broadway. In the early '90s, Lange underwent surgery for a brain tumour. While the operation was successful, her health remained precarious and she limited her screen appearances, retiring altogether in 1998. She died of an intestinal infection in December 2003, aged 70.
Father, Arthur Lange , was the music arranger for Florenz Ziegfeld Jr..
With her ex-husband, Don Murray , they had a son, actor Christopher Murray , and a daughter, Patricia Murray. The marriage was dissolved in 1961.
In 1968, Lange turned to television, taking on the role of Carolyn Muir in the popular series "The Ghost & Mrs. Muir" . She won two consecutive Emmys for that role, in 1969 and 1970.
Lange earned the only Oscar nomination of her career for her supporting role in the provocative film Peyton Place , in which she murders her rapist stepfather.
Made her acting debut on Broadway at the age of 11 in Sidney Kingsley s play "The Patriots".
When she co-starred with Marilyn Monroe in Bus Stop , Monroe disliked the presence of a younger blonde and sent a series of memos to producers and the director, even suggesting that Lange be made to dye her hair brown.
For two years, Lange lived in a sparsely furnished home with crates for coffee tables and only a box spring and mattress for her bed. "She put all her money into the refugee project because that is the kind of person she was", Don Murray said.
As of 2014, she and Nan Martin [Amanda Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors ] are the only deceased cast members of the Nightmare on Elm Street films.
She delivered a stirring eulogy at the funeral for her close friend, Natalie Wood.
Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume 7, 2003-2005, pages 323-324. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2007.
Dated Don Hastings during high school.
She was the niece of photographer Dorothea Lange , famous for her Depression-era photographs, including the iconic "Migrant Mother".
Hope appeared on Radio-Electronics magazine, June 1949 cover wearing the "Man from Mars" Radio Hat.
Would occasionally walk Fala, a Scotch terrier belonging to former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
Studied dance with Martha Graham.
Was friends with Charles Nelson Reilly.
