Background
Mary Elizabeth Hartman was born in Youngstown, Ohio, where she became known to patrons of the Youngstown Playhouse as "Biff" Hartman.
Mary Elizabeth Hartman was born in Youngstown, Ohio, where she became known to patrons of the Youngstown Playhouse as "Biff" Hartman.
Graduate, Carnegie-Mellon University.
After gaining valuable experience in community theater, she relocated to New York City. In 1964, Hartman was signed to play the ingénue lead in the Broadway comedy Everybody Out, the Castle is Sinking. In the early autumn of 1964, she was offered a leading role in A Patch of Blue, opposite Sidney Poitier and Shelley Winters.
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.
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 critically acclaimed animated feature The Secret of National Institute of Mental Health, wherein she voiced mouse-heroine Mistress
Brisby. She was highly praised for her performance as Mistress
Brisby, however this proved to be her last Hollywood film role. Hartman"s last on-screen role was in 1981"s horror-comedy, Full Moon High, where she appeared as the villainous Mission Montgomery.
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, District of Columbia Her costar was veteran actor Peter Brandon, with supporting roles played by Howard Whalen and Editor Harris. The production was mounted in Old Town Pasadena, California, by the Pasadena Repertory Theatre located in The Hotel Carver.
lieutenant was directed by Hartman"s husband, Gill Dennis and produced by Duane Waddell.
Throughout much of her life, Hartman suffered from depression. In her later years, her mental health continued to decline and she moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to be closer to her family. In the last few years of her life, she gave up acting altogether and worked at a museum in Pittsburgh while receiving treatment for her condition at an outpatient clinic.
On June 10, 1987, Hartman committed suicide by jumping from the window of her fifth floor apartment.
Earlier that morning, she had reportedly called her psychiatrist saying that she felt despondent. Hartman was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in her home town.