Hollywood’s Beloved Scream Queen Kathleen Hughes Passes Away at 96

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96-year-old Kathleen Hughes, famously recognized for her part as the startled brunette in the 1953 3D science fiction masterpiece “It Came From Outer Space,” passed away on Monday.

Her friend John Jigen Griffin-Atil reported her death.

Born as Elizabeth Margaret von Gerkan in Los Angeles, this playwright’s niece later adopted the stage name given by Fox Studios in 1948. She initially appeared in minor roles such as “Mother Is a Freshman” and “Mr. Belvedere Goes to College.”

Or

Elizabeth Margaret von Gerkan, who was the niece of playwright F. Hugh Herbert, changed her name after signing with Fox Studios in 1948. She started off playing small roles like those seen in “Mother Is a Freshman” and “Mr. Belvedere Goes to College.

Following her departure from Fox, she was recruited by Paul Henreid for the film “For Men Only.” In this production, she garnered attention from writer-producer Don McGuire, who facilitated a contract for her at Universal-International. Subsequently, in director Jack Arnold’s “It Came From Outer Space,” she secured a role that would become her most lasting, thanks to a promotional photograph used extensively, appearing on items ranging from birthday cards to advertising campaigns.

2019 saw Hughes discussing the famous image with FoxNews. She explained, “The one showing me with my hands raised in the air and yelling? I had just wrapped up working on that movie. I went to the photography gallery, and as I entered, the photographer taking shots said to me, ‘Raise your hands above your head and shout.’ I chuckled at this suggestion, but it turned out to be a hit. They adored it, and the film will always be associated with that picture.

Subsequently, she shared the screen with Rock Hudson in the action movie “The Golden Blade,” and their first on-screen kiss was a part of it. Later, she collaborated with him again in the film noir production titled “The Glass Web.” Lastly, she played the lead role in “Three Bad Sisters.

During the 1960s and ’70s, she made frequent appearances on various television series, holding recurring roles in “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” and “Bracken’s World,” and making guest appearances on “Marcus Welby M.D.,” “Barnaby Jones,” “Mission: Impossible,” “I Dream of Jeannie,” “M.A.S.H.,” and “Here’s Lucy.”

Or, to put it another way:

Throughout the 1960s and ’70s, she was a regular on multiple TV programs, featuring recurring roles in “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” and “Bracken’s World,” as well as making guest appearances on shows like “Marcus Welby M.D.,” “Barnaby Jones,” “Mission: Impossible,” “I Dream of Jeannie,” “M.A.S.H.,” and “Here’s Lucy.

Hughes had been married to producer Stanley Rubin for an impressive 59 years until his passing in 2014. She leaves behind her daughter, Angie, as well as sons, Michael and John. Sadly, she was preceded in death by her son, Chris.

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2025-05-21 04:17