Biography
Jo Van Fleet was an American stage, film and television actress. Born Catherine Josephine Van Fleet in Oakland, California, she trained at the University of California, Berkeley, the Neighborhood Playhouse and the Actors Studio. She made her Broadway debut in 1946 and won a Tony Award in 1954 for her performance in The Trip to Bountiful.
Her film debut came in 1955 as Kate Trask in Elia Kazan's East of Eden, for which she received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. That same year she appeared as Bessie in The Rose Tattoo. Other notable film roles include Kate Fisher in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), Ella Garth in Wild River (1960) and Arletta in Cool Hand Luke (1967). She worked in television throughout her career and continued acting into the 1980s.
