Beverly Heather D'Angelo

The career of Beverly D'Angelo that spans more than more than four decades, is captivating and inspiring, and more than captivating. Perhaps deserving better movies than the ones she had to be in, she was always the object of interest and was the one to watch...whatever the role. She was not the shrinking violet kind, Hollywood counted on her for her vibrant persona, casual manner of speaking and scene-stealing capabilities. Beverly Heather D'Angelo is the daughter of Eugene Constantino "Gene", a bass player and musician who was also the managing director of a TV station. She was born in Columbus, Ohio on November 15 in 1951. Howard Dwight Smith was her maternal grandfather, and also the designer of the Ohio ("Horseshoe") Stadium. Her mother was of German, Irish, Scottish and German descent, while her father was Italian. Beverly was educated in the American school in Florence, Italy. Beverly began her career as an animator/cartoonist with Hanna-Barbera Productions. After moving to Canada, Beverly became a session singer who sang everywhere she could, even in coffeehouses and bars with topless seats. Ronnie Hawkins invited Beverly to join his rockabilly band at one point. Beverly's acting career began when she quit Hawkins and joined the Charlottetown Festival. She was performing in Canada in the role of Ophelia in "Kronborg 1582" A musical that was a rock version of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" when the famous Colleen Dewhurst stumbled across a show and was impressed by the potential of Beverly and the show. Finally, Gower Champion was hired as the musical director. The show was modified and became the rock musical "Rockabye Hamlet". It was brought to Broadway in 1976. The show, though short-lived, Beverly's Ophelia was given a lot of attention and she soon found herself on the West coast with TV and film opportunities. She didn't return to the stage again after her departure, but she was the main character in Ed Harris' 1995 off-Broadway production of Sam Shepard's "Simpatico, which won her an Theatre World Award. Parts of The Sentinel (1977), and Annie Hall (1977) were her first TV role. A sequence of co-starring parts was followed by First Love (1977), the Clint Eastwood starrer Every Which Way but Loose (1978) and the film version of the popular counterculture musical Hair (1979). One of the most memorable moments for Beverly was her stunning role as the singular Patsy Cline in the acclaimed biopic Coal Miner's Daughter (1980). She as well as Sissy Spacek, a friend of fellow country music star Loretta Lynn, provided their singing with flair.