Nina Foch was an accomplished actress renowned for her versatility and impressive acting career across film, television, theater and the stage. Born in the Netherlands but raised in America as a child by her mother when she was only three, Foch studied acting at American Academy of Dramatic Arts with Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler (her teachers being legendary performers like these two).
Foch made her film debut in 1943 under Columbia Pictures where she featured prominently in several horror and film noir flicks as well as Broadway plays showcasing her diverse talent as an actress.
A Star on the Rise
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Foch made her mark as an actress when she played Milo Roberts, an elegant patron of the arts who falls for Gene Kelly’s character in An American in Paris. Foch earned critical acclaim for portraying Milo Roberts, but ultimately found herself rejected by Gene Kelly’s character.
Foch then returned in Executive Suite (about power struggles in corporate boardrooms), playing Erica Martin – a loyal secretary who secretly pines for William Holden who also played her boss William Holden; this performance earned her nomination for Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress as well as National Board of Review Award nomination.
A Versatile and Respected Actress
Foch continued working steadily throughout the 1950s and 1960s in films like Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments as Bithiah, an Egyptian princess who adopts Moses; Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus where she played Helena Glabrus – wife of Roman senator; Robert Wise’s The Haunting where she appeared as Theodora (psychic haunted house); Alfred Hitchcock, Vincente Minnelli, Otto Preminger, and George Cukor were all among her many director work; all these credits made their films as Bithiah was tormented by haunted house haunted house haunted house She worked alongside some acclaimed directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, Vincente Minnelli Otto Preminger and George Cukor.
Foch was also prolific on television, appearing in over 100 shows from the 1950s through 2000s. She guest-starred on such popular series as Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, Perry Mason: The Fugitive Columbo Murder She Wrote NCIS as well as sitcoms such as Bullwinkle’s Corner and Just Shoot Me in which she earned an Emmy nomination. In 1980 for her appearance on Lou Grant she received another nomination – this time for being nominated as well.
A Teacher and Mentor
Foch was also revered as an educator and mentor to many aspiring actors and filmmakers, teaching at both the American Film Institute and University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts for more than four decades. Additionally, she directed several plays such as Noel Coward’s Ways and Means and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible on Broadway and off-Broadway with great passion, generosity, and enthusiasm – inspiring many students to pursue their goals with perseverance and ambition.
Foch passed away at age 84 in 2008 from complications associated with myelodysplasia, a blood disorder, leaving behind an exceptional legacy as an actress, director, and teacher. One of Hollywood’s rare stars who made the transition from golden-age Hollywood cinema and television to modern cinema and television – acting any role from comedy drama romance horror historical contemporary was truly Dutch American actress who conquered Hollywood.
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