Biography
Ann Wedgeworth was an American character actress. Born in Abilene, Texas, she graduated from the University of Texas and moved to New York City, where she trained at the Actors Studio. She made her Broadway debut in 1958 and appeared in several stage productions over the following decades.
Wedgeworth was known for roles including Lana Shields in the sitcom Three's Company (1977–1980) and Merleen Eldridge in Evening Shade (1990–1994). On film she played Frenchy in Scarecrow (1973), Hilda Hensley in Sweet Dreams (1985) and Aunt Fern in Steel Magnolias (1989). She won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in Neil Simon’s Chapter Two (1978).
She was married to actor Rip Torn from 1955 to 1961 and later to Ernest Martin. Wedgeworth died in 2017.
