Dorothy Bridges

Dorothy Louise Bridges (née Simpson; September 19, 1915– February 16, 2009) was an American actress and poet. Bridges was the matriarch of an acting family, which included her husband, Lloyd Bridges, two of their three sons, Beau Bridges and Jeff Bridges, and her grandson, Jordan Bridges. Bridges was sometimes credited as Dorothy Dean. Bridges was born Dorothy Louise Simpson in Worcester, Massachusetts. Her father was an immigrant from the United Kingdom, born and raised in Liverpool, England. Her mother was of Irish and Swiss-German ancestry. Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was two years old. Bridges made her film debut in the movie Finders Keepers. She attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where she met her future husband, Lloyd Bridges, while acting in a small theatrical play on campus. Lloyd Bridges, who was a UCLA upperclassman at the time, appeared in the production as her "leading man." The couple married in 1938 in New York City. Dorothy and Lloyd Bridges remained married for 60 years, until he died in 1998 at the age of 85. They had four children: Beau Vernet, Garrett Myles, Jeffrey Leon, and Lucinda Louise. Garrett died of sudden infant death syndrome on August 3, 1948. Bridges and her husband moved to New York City, where they continued to pursue their acting studies and careers. Dorothy and Lloyd Bridges both studied under the acting teacher Michael Chekhov. They returned to Hollywood in the early 1940s when Lloyd Bridges was signed to Columbia Pictures. Bridges occasionally returned to acting throughout her life, often in roles where she was able to work with members of her family. She was sometimes credited as Dorothy Dean. She appeared in Sea Hunt, a television series which starred her husband. Bridges also appeared in The Thanksgiving Promise, a 1986 television movie directed by her son, Beau Bridges, and the 1989 film, See You in the Morning, which co-starred her son, Jeff Bridges.