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Nancy Kulp
(August 28, 1921 - February 3, 1991) U.S.A.

Nancy Kulp

Publicity person, actress, linguist, would-be politician and teacher

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Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as Nancy Culp, she graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism and continued her education at the University of Miami.

Kulp served as a WAVE lieutenant during World War II, specializing in electronics. During her Naval service Nancy earned the American Campaign Medal; National Defense Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal.

In 1951, she left Florida for Hollywood, where she had aspirations of a career in television journalism. After only three weeks, she was given a plum role in the movie, The Model and the Marriage Broker. Other acting jobs soon followed incluing parts on I Love Lucy, The Red Skelton Show, and December Bride, to name a few.

From 1955 to 1959, Kulp starred as pith-helmeted neighborhood bird-watcher, Pamela Livingston, in Love That Bob, a popular 1950s sitcom starring comedian Bob Cummings. In 1962, she landed the role of Jane Hathaway, the sex-starved perennial spinster, on The Beverly Hillbillies. She remained with the show until its cancellation in 1971. In 1967, she received an Emmy Award nomination for her role.

Kulp, who changed the spelling of her last name from "Culp" so as not to be confused with fellow actor Robert Culp, didn't work much after the series ended in 1971. Following her success on the Hillbillies, Kulp could be seen as a guest star on a few television shows and performed on Broadway in Mornings at Seven.

She appeared in the 1981 made-for-TV sequel, The Return of the Beverly Hillbillies. In 1984, Kulp poured her life savings into an ultimately unsuccessful political campaign to win the seat for the Ninth Congressional District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, losing to a rival candidate who used actor Buddy Ebson in his campaign ads; after her election loss, the two reportedly never spoke to each other again.

After her defeat, Kulp worked for Juniata College in Pennsylvania as an Artist in Residence. She was married at one time to Charles Dacus, but divorced him by the time she won her Hillbillies' role. At the age of 67, she reportedly admitted to being a lesbian saying in reponse to the question

"Do you find that opposites attract?"

"I find that birds of a feather flock together."

Later she taught acting and retired to a farm in Connecticut and later, Palm Springs. Nancy Kulp died of cancer at her home in Palm Desert, California.

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