Miss Jane Hathaway

 

Nancy Jane Kulp was born in in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on August 28, 1921.  She was the only child of a traveling salesman and a schoolteacher who lived in nearby Mifflintown.  In the early 1930s, the family relocated to Miami, Florida.

After high school, Kulp went to the Florida State College for Women, where she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism.  She then enrolled in the University of Miami, where she would ultimately receive a master's degree in English and French.  Before graduation however, she enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve, rising to the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade.  Following the end of World War 2, she was honorably discharged and returned to civilian life.   

In 1951, Kulp moved to Hollywood and took a job in the Publicity Department at MGM Studios.  She caught the eye of a talent scout however, who convinced her to become an actress.  She made her feature film debut that year in Director George Cukor's film The Model and the Marriage Broker. Other roles would quickly follow, including Shane (1953) and A Star is Born (1954).

In 1955, Kulp jumped to television, where she joined the cast of The Bob Cummings Show.  Other series would follow, including memorable guest appearances on Perry Mason, The Twilight Zone, and My Three Sons.  Then in 1962, she was cast in the role for which she most famously remembered, Miss Jane Hathway on The Beverly Hillbillies.  Go ahead.  Play the theme song.  She received an Emmy Award for the role and continued with the series until its cancellation in 1971. 

When the series ended, Kulp continued acting in Hollywood, making appearances on such series as Sanford and Son, The Love Boat, and later, Quantum Leap.  

An avid smoker, Kulp was diagnosed with cancer in 1990.  She began chemotherapy, but by 1991, the cancer had spread, and it ultimately took her life on February 3rd.  She was 69 years old.

Kulp was laid to rest in her family plot at Westminster Presbyterian Cemetery in Mifflintown, just outside Harrisburg.  Her headstone notes the role for which she was most famous for, that of Miss Jane Hathaway.  It also pays tribute to her military service.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• In 1984, Kulp decided to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in her home state of Pennsylvania.  She received the Democratic nomination and would soon face Republican Bud Shuster in the general election.  Having long differed with Kulp's politics, former co-star Buddy Ebsen offered to record a campaign ad for Shuster, who ultimately won the seat.  After her defeat, Kulp would later say of Ebsen "he's not the kindly old Jed Clampett that you saw on the show...it's none of his business and he should have stayed out of it."
  
  
• After her run for Congress, Kulp became an artist-in-residence at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.  She later became an acting instructor.
  
  
• Trivia: Who was the very first guest on The Arsenio Hall Show?  Answer: Nancy Kulp.
  
  
• Two years before her passing, Kulp publicly declared that she was in fact, a lesbian.