Eileen Heckart was an American actress of film, stage, and television. Heckart was born Anna Eileen Herbert in Columbus, Ohio, the daughter of Esther Stark, who wed Leo Herbert at her own mother's insistence so her child would not be born with the stigma of illegitimacy. The child was soon after legally adopted by her grandfather, J.W. Heckart, whose surname she was known by her whole life. She had two stepsisters, Anne and Marilyn. She graduated from Ohio State University with a B.A. in drama. Heckart began her Broadway career as the assistant stage manager and an understudy for The Voice... of the Turtle in 1943. Her many credits include Picnic, The Bad Seed, A View from the Bridge, A Memory of Two Mondays, The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, A Family Affair, Barefoot in the Park, Butterflies Are Free, You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running, Ladies at the Alamo and The Cemetery Club.
more