Kim Stanley

Her abilities to play such diverse roles and play them well garnered her two Academy Award nominations: one for her portrayal of the slightly unhinged medium in the 1964 Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) and another for her characterization of the domineering and wrathful mother of Frances Farmer in 1982's Frances (1982). Stanley was born Patricia Reid in Tularosa, New Mexico. When her parents divorced, her mother moved the family, sans father, to Texas where her mother found work as an interior decorator. Drawn to both Texas and New Mexico, Stanley often found herself lonely and unsure of what she wanted. As a child, she wrote poetry and had many a daydream about becoming an artist or, on the other hand, a May Queen. In school, she found she liked acting in plays. At 16, in San Antonio she attended a touring production of "The Philadelphia Story", which starred Katharine Hepburn. recreating her role from the movie. Overwhelmed by the performance to the point of tears (she didn't want the play to end), Stanley aspired to do what she had seen Hepburn do. In college, she received a degree in psychology after attending first the University of New Mexico and subsequently, the University of Texas. But acting was still what she aspired to. So pursuing a career connected neither to her college major nor to the states where she grew up, Stanley eventually landed an acting apprenticeship in California with the Pasadena Playhouse. Her stay there was brief and she soon moved on to a winter stock company in Louisville, Kentucky. From there, with $21 to her name, she traveled to Manhattan.

Was twice nominated for Broadway's Tony Award as Best Actress (Dramatic): in 1959, for Eugene O'Neill 's "A Touch of the Poet," and in 1962, for "A Far Country." Although one of Broadway's most esteemed actresses, she never won a Tony.

Kim Stanley's movie roles were few and far between; she is perhaps best known for her stellar performances on stage, including successes on Broadway. But when she did step in front of the camera, nothing short of memorable resulted. Her repertoire in movies and on stage covered such diversity from the sensitive glamour-girl Rita Shawn character in the 1958 "Goddess" to the crusty, somewhat salty and sunbaked Pancho Barnes in 1983's The Right Stuff (1983).

Became pregnant by her 3rd ex-husband Alfred Ryder a second time but she suffered a miscarriage in November 1957 whilst in rehearsals for the Broadway play "Two for the Seesaw", causing her to drop out. Anne Bancroft replaced her.

Gave birth to her 3rd child at age 31, a daughter Laurie Rachel Ryder on October 19, 1956. Child's father was her 3rd ex-husband, Alfred Ryder.

Subsequently, in the 1954 production of Inge's "Bus Stop," as the starry-eyed chanteuse Cherie (a role Marilyn Monroe assumed for the film), Stanley ascended to even greater heights and greater accolades in her acting achievements.

Gave birth to her 2nd child at age 28, a son Jamie Conway on September 15, 1953. Child's father was her then-lover Brooks Clift, but he was raised by her 2nd ex-husband, Curt Conway.

Stanley was also developing her craft under the tutelage of Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in New York City, and scored her first Broadway success in 1952 when, at the age of 27, she played the 12-year-old Millie Owens in William Inge's "Picnic".

Gave birth to her 1st child at age 26, a daughter Lisa Kimberly Conway on October 9, 1951. Child's father was her 2nd ex-husband, Curt Conway.

The year was 1947 and her Texas accent was still very much a part of her persona -- so much so that many in the New York theatre scene advised she go home to Texas. Persevering, however, Stanley made ends meet as a dress model and as a cocktail waitress, all the while honing her skills in off-Broadway productions of the Gertrude Stein ilk. It was in Stein's "Yes Is for a Very Young Man," that New York Times theatre critic Books Atkinson singled out Stanley as an actress with promise (incidentally, he did not care much for the play she was in).

Daughter of Jesse Taylor "J.T." (August 19, 1889-February 9, 1982) and Rubyann (née Miller) Reid (September 29, 1896-October 31, 1982). Both were born and raised in the state of Texas.

Paternal granddaughter of Charles (February 13, 1859-January 6, 1957) and Pauline "Nanny" (née Knowles) Reid (April 6, 1861-January 27, 1936). Both were born and raised in the state of Texas.

Maternal granddaughter of Milton (August 2, 1851-May 8, 1942) and Sarah Ann "Annie" (née Stanley) Miller (May 2, 1860-December 30, 1934). Both were born and raised in the state of Texas.

Maternal great granddaughter of Thomas (1832-1921) and Emily (née Berry) Stanley (1839-1923). Both were born and raised in the state of Tennessee.

Maternal great granddaughter of John (1830-1918), born in the state of Alabama, and Emilia (née Meeks) Miller (1830-1919), born in the state of Illinois.

Maternal great great granddaughter of Thomas (1805-1881), born in the state of South Carolina, and Holland (née Gatlin) Stanley (1800-1863), born in the state of Tennessee.