Lorna Thayer: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|American actress (1919–2005)}}

{{cleanup}}

{{Lead too short|date=November 2021}}

Born: ? Died June 4, 2005 (age 85) at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Retirement Home in Woodland Hills, California after battling Alzheimer's disease for five years.

{{Infobox person

| name = Lorna Thayer

| image = Lorna Thayer in Medic (My Brother Joe).jpg

| caption = Thayer in an episode of ''[[Medic (TV series)|Medic]]'' (1954)

| birth_name = Lorna Patricia Casey

| birth_date = {{birth date|1919|8|16}}

| birth_place = [[Boston|Boston, Massachusetts]], U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2005|6|4|1919|8|16}}

| death_place = [[Woodland Hills, Los Angeles|Woodland Hills, California]], U.S.

| resting_place = [[Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery]]

| occupation = Actress

| years_active = 1952–1991

| spouse = {{ubl|[[George N. Neise]] (divorced)|Arthur Dowling (1950–19??; his death)}}

| children = 2

}}

'''Lorna Thayer''' (born '''Lorna Patricia Casey''';<ref name="rp">{{cite book |last=Wilson |first=Scott |title=Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FOHgDAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Lorna+Patricia+Casey%22&pg=PA741 |publisher=McFarland |edition=3rd |date=2016 |access-date=31 July 2018 |isbn=9781476625997}}</ref> August 16, 1919 – June 4, 2005) was an American [[character actress]], best known as [[Jack Nicholson]]'s [[foil (fiction)|foil]] in the famous "[[Five_Easy_Pieces#Production|chicken salad sandwich scene]]" in ''[[Five Easy Pieces]]''.

She was a character actress, most notably remembered for her role as the roadside cafe waitress in the 1970 movie "Five Easy Pieces." The scene has come to be known as the "chicken salad scene."

==Early years==

{{US-actor-stub}}

Born on August 16, 1919,<ref name="rp"/><ref>"United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JGXL-RZ9 : 11 January 2021), Lorna Thayer, 04 Jun 2005; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).</ref><ref>[https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/156740010/lorna-thayer#view-photo=134007241 "Lorna Thayer (1919-2005): gravestone image"]. [[Find a Grave]].</ref> in Boston, Massachusetts, Thayer was the daughter of silent screen actress Louise Gibney and George Casey.<ref name="i">{{cite news |last1=Mewse |first1=Austin Mutti |title=Lorna Thayer: Actress who held Jack Nicholson's chicken |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/723356484/?match=1&terms=%22Lorna%20Thayer%22%20actress |access-date=September 23, 2024 |work=The Independent |date=June 11, 2005 |___location=England, London |page=41|via = [[Newspapers.com]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/719040520/?clipping_id=156707783 "Just Weds Honeymoon in Mexico"]. ''Long Beach Independent''. July 10, 1956. p.&nbsp;12. Retrieved October 7, 2024. "Ann Davis Casey exchanged wedding vows with Joseph Anthony Budzisz. [...] A teacher at Buffum Elementary School, the bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Casey of Hollywood. Her sister, Lorna Thayer, was her honor attendant and Patricia Thayer, a niece, was bridesmaid."</ref> Her father built sets for Universal Studios. She began taking dance classes by age 5, and she attended [[Immaculate Heart College]] in Los Angeles.<ref name="i"/>

== Career ==

Thayer's acting career began in 1946 with a production of ''[[Street Scene (play)|Street Scene]]'' by the Players Ring.<ref name="i" />{{efn|At least two retrospective sources—first, an exceedingly concise 1950 ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' piece and a 1966 article from [[Boston College]]'s ''Alumni News'' (regarding Thayer's father, BC alumnus George J. Casey)—both clearly state that long before her serious pursuit of acting in college (and, by extension, her generally acknowledged 1952 screen debut), Thayer had appeared in films as a child.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/156715254/ "Former Film Actress Now Appears on Stage"]. ''The Los Angeles Times''. April 1, 1950. p.&nbsp;14. Retrieved October 7, 2024.</ref><ref name="BC AN">[https://archive.org/details/alumninews1966fbost/page/20/mode/2up?q=%22George+J.+Casey%22+%22George+settled+in+hollywood%22+%22Lorna+Thayer%22+%22child+actress%22 "Parade of Classes"]. ''Boston College Alumni News''. Fall 1966. p.&nbsp;20. Retrieved October 7, 2024. "Actually it was quite a few years later, to be exact, 1923, when George J. Casey, accompanied by his wife, Lillian Gertrude Harrington, of Roxbury and their family made this trip [...] George settled in Hollywood. His wife, under the name of Louise Gibney, had a long and successful career as a silent screen favorite. [...] Daughter Patricia, known as Lorna Thayer worked as a child actress in motion pictures. She is an alumna of Immaculate Heart College, Los Angeles, where she excelled in dramatics. She has appeared in many television serials, and in major network shows ..."</ref> It appears that, at present, any such body of work remains undocumented by existing online and in-print reference sources. In any event, verification of these claims is made difficult by the fact that neither article names any of the films in question, nor states whether any of these appearances were actually credited, nor, if so, under what name.}} After that she performed in ''[[Berkeley Square (play)|Berkeley Square]]'' at the Geary Theatre in San Francisco.<ref name="i" />

In 1955, she played in ''[[The Beast with a Million Eyes]]'' with [[Paul Birch (actor)|Paul Birch]]. She played minor roles in ''[[The Lusty Men]]'', ''[[Texas City]]'' and ''[[Frankie and Johnny (1991 film)|Frankie and Johnny]]''.

On Broadway, Thayer portrayed Mrs. McCarthy in ''Comes a Day'' (1958) and Bel Air Bonnie in ''Never Live Over a Pretzel Factory'' (1964).<ref name="ibdb">{{cite web |title=Lorna Thayer |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/lorna-thayer-100710 |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League |access-date=September 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124183227/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/lorna-thayer-100710 |archive-date=January 24, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

She is most likely to be remembered for her role in the iconic 1970 film ''[[Five Easy Pieces]]'' as the waitress who refuses to allow [[Jack Nicholson]]'s character to order a side of wheat toast.<ref name="rp">{{cite book |last=Wilson |first=Scott |title=Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FOHgDAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Lorna+Patricia+Casey%22&pg=PA741 |publisher=McFarland |edition=3rd |date=2016 |access-date=31 July 2018 |isbn=9781476625997}}</ref> The scene has come to be known as the "chicken salad sandwich scene".<ref name="i" />

Thayer was cast in a historical role as [[Jessie Benton Frémont]], loyal wife of [[John C. Frémont]] ([[Roy Engel]]), in the 1960 episode "The Gentle Sword" of the anthology series ''[[Death Valley Days]]''. In the story, the Frémonts are in California during the gold rush. The couple becomes involved in a mining claim dispute; Mrs. Frémont stares down organized claim jumpers.

On January 2, 1960, in season 3, episode 16 "The Prophet" of ''[[Have Gun - Will Travel]]'', Thayer was cast as Serafina, wife of Colonel Benjamin Nunez (Shepperd Studrick). She also appeared as Doris in the November 21, 1959, episode titled "The Golden Toad", written by [[Gene Roddenberry]].<ref>Aired on H&I Network July 9, 2019</ref> Also, Season 5, Episode 36 "Pandora's Box", as Hanna.

==Personal life==

Thayer was married to actor [[George N. Neise]], and they had two daughters.<ref name="twp">{{cite book |last=Aaker |first=Everett |title=Television Western Players, 1960–1975: A Biographical Dictionary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yXAkDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22George+Neise%22+actor&pg=PA2003-IA1 |publisher=McFarland |date=2017 |access-date=17 September 2017 |page=318 |isbn=9781476628561}}</ref>

==Death==

After battling [[Alzheimer's disease]] for five years, Thayer died at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Retirement Home in Woodland Hills, California, aged 85.<ref>{{cite news |last=McLellan |first=Dennis |title=Lorna Thayer, 85; Character Actress Played Memorable Waitress in 'Five Easy Pieces' |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-jun-17-me-thayer17-story.html |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=17 June 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808194613/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-jun-17-me-thayer17-story.html |archive-date=August 8, 2022}}</ref>

==Filmography==

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Year

! Title

! Role

! Notes

|-

|1952|| ''[[Texas City (film)|Texas City]]'' || Aunt Harriet Upton || uncredited

|-

|1952|| ''[[Just Across the Street]]'' || Girl || uncredited

|-

|1952|| ''[[The Lusty Men]]'' || Grace Burgess ||

|-

|1953|| ''[[Jennifer (1953 film)|Jennifer]]'' || Molly, Grocery Clerk ||

|-

|1955|| ''[[Women's Prison (1955 film)|Women's Prison]]'' || Deputy Sheriff Green || uncredited

|-

|1955|| ''[[The Beast with a Million Eyes]]'' || Carol Kelley ||

|-

|1956|| ''[[I've Lived Before]]'' || Mrs. Fred Bolan || uncredited

|-

|1956|| ''[[The Women of Pitcairn Island]]'' || Moa'tua, weeping woman ||

|-

|1958|| ''[[I Want to Live!]]'' || Corona Guard || uncredited

|-

|1960|| ''[[Freckles (1960 film)|Freckles]]'' || Alice Cooper ||

|-

|1963|| ''[[Police Nurse]]'' || ||

|-

|1966|| ''[[Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round]]'' || Passenger on Mexico Flight || uncredited

|-

|1968|| ''[[The Shakiest Gun in the West]]'' || Saloon Girl || uncredited

|-

|1970|| ''[[Five Easy Pieces]]'' || Waitress ||

|-

|1970|| ''[[The Traveling Executioner]]'' || Madam || uncredited

|-

|1971|| ''[[The Andromeda Strain (film)|The Andromeda Strain]]'' || Woman || uncredited

|-

|1972|| ''[[Glass Houses (1972 film)|Glass Houses]]'' || ||

|-

|1972|| ''[[Cisco Pike]]'' || Swimming Lady ||

|-

|1972|| ''[[Skyjacked (film)|Skyjacked]]'' || Weber's Mother ||

|-

|1974|| ''[[Rhinoceros (film)|Rhinoceros]]'' || Restaurant Owner ||

|-

|1974|| ''[[The Gravy Train]]'' || TV Interviewer || uncredited

|-

|1974|| ''Alice Goodbody'' || Yvonne ||

|-

|1975|| ''[[Smoke in the Wind]]'' || Ma Mondier ||

|-

|1976|| ''Revenge of the Cheerleaders'' || Lilly Downs ||

|-

|1981|| ''[[Buddy Buddy]]'' || Lady ||

|-

|1986|| ''[[Nothing in Common]]'' || Auditioning Grandma ||

|-

|1991|| ''[[Frankie and Johnny (1991 film)|Frankie and Johnny]]'' || Flower Vendor ||

|}

==Notes==

{{notelist}}

==References==

{{reflist}}

==External links==

{{Commons category}}

{{portal|Biography|Film|Television}}

* {{IMDb name|0857213}}

* {{Find a Grave|156740010}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thayer, Lorna}}

[[Category:1919 births]]

[[Category:2005 deaths]]

[[Category:American film actresses]]

[[Category:American stage actresses]]

[[Category:Burials at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery]]

[[Category:Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in California]]

[[Category:Deaths from dementia in California]]

[[Category:Actresses from Boston]]

[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]

[[Category:21st-century American women]]

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{{US-film-actor-1910s-stub}}