Diana Van der Vlis

Diana Van der Vlis was a Canadian-American actress who worked in theater, film and television and was best known for her daytime roles as Dr. Nell Beaulac on Ryan's Hope and Kate Hathaway Prescott on Where the Heart Is. Born in Toronto, she attended university in Winnipeg and studied at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, then acted in Canada. Her film work included The Girl in Black Stockings (1957), X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963) and The Incident (1967). After moving to New York City in 1956, she was cast within six weeks in the Broadway show The Happiest Millionaire; her appearance opposite Walter Pidgeon proved a hit and she toured with the production. Her subsequent stage credits included Comes a Day, A Shot in the Dark and The Waltz of the Toreadors. She guest-starred on many series, among them Naked City, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Route 66, Dr. Kildare and The Fugitive. She died in 2001.