Film and Theatre Career
In 1964, Hartman was screen-tested by MGM and Warner Brothers. In the early autumn of 1964, she was offered a leading role in A Patch of Blue, opposite Sidney Poitier and Shelley Winters. The role won Hartman widespread critical acclaim, a fact proudly noted by the news media in her hometown. The role also won Hartman an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. At the time of her nomination in 1966, Elizabeth Hartman (who was 22 years old) was the youngest nominee ever in the Best Actress category. That same year, Hartman received an achievement award from the National Association of Theater Owners.
She went on to star in three well-received films, The Group, You're a Big Boy Now and The Beguiled. A role as wife of former Sheriff Buford Pusser in Walking Tall (1973) was followed a decade later by voice work in 1982's The Secret of NIMH, wherein she voiced mouse-heroine Mrs. Brisby. This proved to be her last Hollywood film role.
In 1975, Hartman starred in the world premiere of Academy and Emmy Awards nominee Tom Rickman's play Balaam, a play about political intrigue in Washington, D.C. Her costar was veteran actor Peter Brandon, with supporting roles played by Howard Whalen and Ed Harris. The performance was mounted in Old Town Pasadena, California, by the Pasadena Repertory Theatre located in The Hotel Carver. It was directed by Hartman's husband, Gill Dennis and produced by Duane Waddell.
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