Lois Kibbee
Born(1922-07-13)July 13, 1922
Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S.
DiedOctober 18, 1993(1993-10-18) (aged 71)
Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
OccupationActress
Known forDaytime soap operas
Notable workThe Edge of Night
Parent
RelativesGuy Kibbee (uncle)

Lois Kibbee (July 13, 1922 – October 18, 1993) was an American actress, known for her television roles.

Kibbee portrayed Geraldine Whitney Saxon on the CBS/ABC daytime soap opera The Edge of Night from 1970 to 1971 and from 1973 until 1984. She also played Emily Moore Matson on NBC's Somerset from 1972 to 1973, and Elizabeth Sanders on ABC's One Life to Live from 1986 to 1989. In film, Kibbee may be best remembered for her role in the 1980 film Caddyshack as Mrs. Smails.

Early life

Kibbee was born in Wheeling, West Virginia.[1] The daughter of actor Milton Kibbee[citation needed] and the niece of actor Guy Kibbee,[2]

Career

In 1951, Kibbee established Playhouse, Inc., a community theater in El Paso, Texas.[3] She also performed with the Circle Theater in Hollywood[3] and in summer stock theater in Columbus, Ohio, and in Chicago.[4] Kibbee acted on radio on Lux Radio Theatre, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, and other programs.[3]

On television, Kibbee's most notable roles were on daytime soap operas. She had a long run as wealthy Geraldine Whitney Saxon on the CBS/ABC daytime soap opera The Edge of Night, where she appeared from 1970 to 1971 and again from 1973 until the show's end in 1984.[4][5][6] She also portrayed frosty matriarch Emily Moore Matson on NBC's Somerset from 1972 to 1973, a character whose eccentric family was involved in a murder storyline centered on "Jingles the Clown". Later in her career she played powerful matriarch Elizabeth Sanders on ABC's One Life to Live from 1986 to 1989.

Kibbee was also a writer on The Edge of Night.[7] She co-wrote the book The Bennett Playbill about the life of the Bennett acting family, particularly film, stage and television star, Joan Bennett. She also was the ghostwriter for The Christine Jorgensen Story.[4]

While Henry Slesar was head writer for the CBS soap Capitol, Kibbee briefly contributed a few scripts as well. Kibbee had been writing a book about her family's history as performers at the time of her death.[1]

Awards and nominations

Kibbee was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1984 and Outstanding Writing Team in 1982 with Slesar.[7]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1980 Caddyshack Mrs. Smails

Death

Kibbee died of a brain tumor on October 18, 1993, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b Collins, Glenn (October 21, 1993). "Lois Kibbee Is Dead; Actress of Television And Stage Was 71". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
  2. ^ Kellow, Brian (26 November 2004). The Bennetts: An Acting Family. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-3818-3. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Juvenile Drama School Planned By Playhouse". El Paso Times. May 20, 1956. p. 23. Retrieved March 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c Kimble, Ed (June 21, 1979). "Soap fans love to hate Lois Kibbee". El Paso Times. p. 47. Retrieved March 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Schemering, Christopher (September 1985). "The Edge of Night". The Soap Opera Encyclopedia. Ballantine Books. pp. 85–92. ISBN 0-345-32459-5.
  6. ^ Waggett, Gerard J. (November 1997). "The Edge of Night". The Soap Opera Encyclopedia. Harper Paperbacks. pp. 254–266. ISBN 0-061-01157-6.
  7. ^ a b Schemering, Christopher (September 1985). "Appendix 1 - The Emmys". The Soap Opera Encyclopedia. Ballantine Books. pp. 285–301. ISBN 0-345-32459-5.
  8. ^ Collins, Glenn (1993-10-21). "Lois Kibbee Is Dead; Actress of Television And Stage Was 71". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-07-18.

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