---
name: "Jo Van Fleet"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/jo-van-fleet"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "29 December 1915"
died: "10 June 1996"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-20T03:00:24.715565+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Jo Van Fleet

Actor. Born 29 December 1915 in Oakland, California, USA. Died 10 June 1996.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 29 December 1915, Oakland, California, USA
- **Died:** 10 June 1996
- **Also known as:** Catherine Josephine Van Fleet
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo_Van_Fleet, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q233832, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0886888/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2752

## 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.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, nytimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *The Rose Tattoo* (1955), Fi1m 76, as Bessie — [page](https://film.one/film/the-rose-tattoo.md)

## Complete filmography (41)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Seize the Day* (1986), as Mrs. Einhorn
- *Power* (1980), series, as Mother Vanda
- *The Tenant* (1976), as Madame Dioz
- *Police Woman* (1974), series, as Irini Karabetas
- *Satan's School for Girls* (1973), as Headmistress Jessica Williams
- *The Family Rico* (1972), as Mama Rico
- *The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight* (1971), as Big Momma
- *Paradise Lost* (1971), as Clara Gordon
- *80 Steps to Jonah* (1969), as Nonna
- *Medical Center* (1969), series, as Leah
- *I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!* (1968), as Mother
- *The Mod Squad* (1968), series, as Annie Crabtree
- *Cool Hand Luke* (1967), as Arletta
- *Mannix* (1967), series, as Alexandra Pulvarenti
- *The Wild Wild West* (1965), series, as Amelia Bronston
- *Cinderella* (1965), as Stepmother
- *Kraft Suspense Theatre* (1963), series, as Hildy Hesse
- *The Virginian* (1962), series, as Lee Calder
- *Route 66* (1960), series, as Hazel Quine
- *Thriller* (1960), series, as Mrs. Cissy Hawk
- *Wild River* (1960), as Ella Garth
- *Bonanza* (1959), series, as Amy Wilder
- *77 Sunset Strip* (1958), series, as Jane Patterson
- *Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse* (1958), series, as Mrs. Lombe
- *Naked City* (1958), series, as Dr. Anna Chaloupka
- *This Angry Age* (1957), as Mme. Dufresne
- *Gunfight at the O.K. Corral* (1957), as Kate Fisher
- *The King and Four Queens* (1956), as Ma McDade
- *I'll Cry Tomorrow* (1955), as Katie Roth
- *The Rose Tattoo* (1955), as Bessie — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/the-rose-tattoo.md)
- *Alfred Hitchcock Presents* (1955), series, as Mrs. Shrike, Anna Kaminsky, Molly
- *Heidi* (1955), as Aunt Dete
- *East of Eden* (1955), as Kate Trask
- *Summer Playhouse* (1954), series, as Velma Clarke
- *Inner Sanctum* (1954), series, Actor
- *The Trip to Bountiful* (1953), Actor
- *General Electric Theater* (1953), series, as Miss Wanda Kelsey
- *Robert Montgomery Presents* (1950), series, Actor
- *Concerning a Woman of Sin* (1949), Actor
- *Suspense* (1949), series, Actor
- *The Philco Television Playhouse* (1948), series, as Shirley

## Gallery

- ![Jo Van Fleet](https://film.one/media/person/1238536/gallery-51683544cd14.jpg) Jo Van Fleet — N/A studio, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Jo_Van_Fleet_%281950s%29_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Publicity photo of Jo Van Fleet and Carole Ann Campbell in I'll Cry Tomorrow. (1955)](https://film.one/media/person/1238536/gallery-087f11039bdf.jpg) Publicity photo of Jo Van Fleet and Carole Ann Campbell in I'll Cry Tomorrow. (1955) — Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Jo_Van_Fleet_%26_Carole_Ann_Campbell_I%27ll_Cry_Tomorrow_%281956%29.jpg/1280px-Jo_Van_Fleet_%26_Carole_Ann_Campbell_I%27ll_Cry_Tomorrow_%281956%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Photo of Jo Van Fleet and Anthony Perkins in the Broadway play Look Homeward, Angel. (1958)](https://film.one/media/person/1238536/gallery-b2401b333445.jpg) Photo of Jo Van Fleet and Anthony Perkins in the Broadway play Look Homeward, Angel. (1958) — Proctor-Debuskey (public relations) New York, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Jo_Van_Fleet_Anthony_Perkins_Look_Homeward_Angel_1958.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Jo Van Fleet](https://film.one/media/person/1238536/gallery-7481f26af698.jpg) Jo Van Fleet — Image via TMDB
- ![Jo Van Fleet](https://film.one/media/person/1238536/gallery-1e995ec89cb6.jpg) Jo Van Fleet — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won

- 1956: Best Supporting Actress (won), for *East of Eden*

### BAFTA Film Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1956: Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles (nominated), for *East of Eden*

### Other awards — 1 won, 1 nominated

- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play 1958: Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play (nominated)
- Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play 1954: Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/jo-van-fleet