Kathleen Hughes

This article is about the American actress. For the English historian, see Kathleen Hughes (historian).

Kathleen Hughes (born Elizabeth Margaret von Gerkan; November 14, 1928 – May 19, 2025) was an American actress who appeared during the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Kathleen Hughes
Mara Corday, Hughes, Myrna Hansen and Allison Hayes in So This Is Paris (1955)
Born	Elizabeth Margaret von Gerkan (1928-11-14)November 14, 1928 Hollywood, California, U.S.
Died	May 19, 2025(2025-05-19) (aged 96)
Alma mater	Los Angeles City College UCLA
Occupation	Film, stage, television actress
Years active	1948–1998
Known for	It Came From Outer Space
Spouse	Stanley Rubin ​ ​ (m. 1954; died 2014)​
Children	4
Relatives	F. Hugh Herbert (uncle)

Early life

Hughes was born in Hollywood, California, on November 14, 1928.^[1] Her maternal uncle, F. Hugh Herbert, was a playwright who authored Kiss and Tell and The Moon Is Blue.^[2][3][1] Her desire to act was inspired by a film she saw featuring Donald O'Connor, which gave her the idea that "acting looked like fun."^[3] After graduating from Fairfax High School, Hughes attended Los Angeles City College and UCLA.^[4]

Film

Hughes was discovered in a Little Theater production in 1948. Signed to a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox, she made 14 films for the studio.^{[citation needed]} She appeared in five motion pictures for Universal Studios, including the cult film It Came From Outer Space. Hughes co-starred with Edward G. Robinson in a 1953 crime drama, The Glass Web, and appeared in an adventure film that year, The Golden Blade.

Television

By 1956, Hughes was appearing in television series. She played in episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1956–1957), Telephone Time (1956), The Bob Cummings Show (1958), The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, 77 Sunset Strip (1959), Hotel de Paree (1959), Tightrope! (1959), General Electric Theater (1960–1962), The Tall Man (1961), Bachelor Father (1962), Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1965), and I Dream of Jeannie (1967).

In 1962, Hughes played the role of murder victim Lita Krail in the sixth-season 1962 episode of Perry Mason, entitled "The Case of the Double-Entry Mind". She played the recurring role of Mrs. Coburn on the television series The Ghost & Mrs. Muir. She appeared on M*A*S*H as Lorraine Blake, wife of unit commander Henry Blake, in a home movie she sent to him. Hughes portrayed Mitch, a secretary, on the NBC drama Bracken's World (1969–1971).^[5]

Stage

Hughes' favorite stage role was in the play The Seven Year Itch.^[3]

Personal life and death

On July 25, 1954, Hughes married Stanley Rubin, the producer of Bracken's World, at the home of her uncle.^[6] The couple had one daughter and three sons. The marriage lasted 59 years, until Rubin died on March 2, 2014, at the age of 96.^[7]

Hughes died on May 19, 2025, at the age of 96.^[8]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1949	Mother Is a Freshman	Rhoda Adams
	Mr. Belvedere Goes to College	Kay Nelson
	It Happens Every Spring	Sarah
1950	Where the Sidewalk Ends	Secretary
	Mister 880	Secretary
	I'll Get By	Secretary
1951	Take Care of My Little Girl	Jenny Barker
	I'll See You in My Dreams	Nurse
1952	For Men Only	Tracy Norman
	Sally and Saint Anne	Lois Foran
1953	It Came from Outer Space	Jane
	The Golden Blade	Bakhamra
	Thy Neighbor's Wife	Anushka
	The Glass Web	Paula Ranier
1954	Dawn at Socorro	Clare
1955	Cult of the Cobra	Julia Thompson
1956	Three Bad Sisters	Valerie Craig
	Alfred Hitchcock Presents	Marian Koster	Season 2 Episode 11: "The Better Bargain"
1957	Alfred Hitchcock Presents	Ann Nash	Season 2 Episode 29: "Vicious Circle"
1958	Unwed Mother	Linda
1966	Promise Her Anything	Bit part
1967	The President's Analyst	White House Tourist
1971	The Late Liz	Elaine Rich
1972	Pete 'n' Tillie	Party Guest
1974	The Take	School Nurse
1990	Revenge	Mother Superior
1998	Welcome to Hollywood	Woman in curlers