Beverly Heather D'Angelo

The career of Beverly D'Angelo has been intriguing, inspirational, and always intriguing for the past over four decades. It is possible that she deserves better films than she generally found herself in, she was always the object of curiosity and was a pleasure to watch...whatever the role. Not exactly a shrinking violet, Hollywood counted on her for her lively personality, down-to-earth demeanor and ability to steal scenes. Beverly Heather D'Angelo was the daughter of Eugene Constantino Gene "Gene" D'Angelo and Priscilla Ruth Smith who was a violinist and bass player who also ran a television station. Her maternal grandfather, Howard Dwight Smith, was the architect responsible for the design of the Ohio ("Horseshoe") Stadium at Ohio State University. Her mother was an English, Irish and Scottish-born mother. Her father was Italian. Beverly attended an American school in Florence. Beverly was initially drawn to art and was employed as an animator/cartoonist for Hanna-Barbera Productions. She then relocated to Canada to pursue a career in rock music. In order to make ends meet she would sing wherever she could, from topless bars to cafes. The teenager was invited to sing with Ronnie Hawkins, a rockabilly legend. Beverly began her career in acting when she was a part of the Charlottetown Festival repertory troupe and left Hawkins. She was traveling across Canada as Ophelia in "Kronborg: 1582", a musical that was a rock version of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" when the world-renowned Colleen Dewhurst caught a performance and saw promise in both Beverly and the show. In the end, Gower Champion was hired as the musical director. The show was modified and became the musical rock "Rockabye Hamlet". It made it to Broadway in the year 1976. The show was only a few months in existence, however Beverly's Ophelia was a hit and received high-profile notices. It was soon clear that she would be on the West Coast and was offered television and film roles. She rarely returned to the stage following her time on stage, but she did appear alongside Ed Harris in 1995's off-Broadway production Sam Shepard’s "Simpatico" that earned her Theatre World Award. The role she played in the TV mini-series Captains and the Kings (1976) was followed by a small part in The Sentinel (1977) and in the Woody Allen classic Annie Hall (1977). First Love (1977), Clint Eastwood's film Every Which Way but Loose (78) as well as the film version of the popular counterculture song Hair (1979) were a few of the co-starring roles she played. Beverly's most memorable role was as Patsy Cline, the only coal miner's daughter (1980). She as well as Sissy Spacek, who was a co-star with country music star Loretta Lynn, both provided their vocals with skill.