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Harriet White Medin was born in Somerville, Massachusetts, on March 14, 1914. She began her career as a dental assistant, cleaning the teeth of young John and Robert Kennedy. After deciding to pursue theater, she appeared on Broadway before joining the USO. This experience led her to become the first American actress to move to post-war Italy and act in Italian films, starting with Roberto Rossellini's Paisan (1946). Her next role was the lead in the dramatic film Genoveffa di Brabante (1947), based on the life of a saint. Despite her efforts, she remained a character actress, often cast as prim, starchy housewives and housekeepers. Orson Welles wanted her to play Emilia in his Othello, but due to her inability to accommodate Welles' demanding shooting schedule, the role went to Fay Compton. When her acting career stalled, she transitioned to working as a dialogue coach, helping Italian actors with their English. For many years, she served as Gina Lollobrigida's personal assistant in this capacity and also supported directors working in Italy, including Vittorio De Sica, Joseph Losey, Raoul Walsh, and John Huston. She witnessed notable moments in film history, such as the death of Tyrone Power on the set of Solomon and Sheba—a tragedy she attributed to George Sanders—and the filming of the iconic Trevi Fountain scene in La Dolce Vita (1960), in which she appeared as Edna, Anita Ekberg’s personal assistant.
In the early 1960s, Harriet became involved in the Italian horror film surge, which sought English-speaking actors to give movies a British or American feel. She portrayed housekeepers in Riccardo Freda's Orribile segreto del Dr. Hichcock, L' (1962) and took on significant red herring roles in Mario Bava’s The Whip and the Body (1963) and Blood and Black Lace (1964). She also appeared in Elio Scardamaglia's The Murder Clinic (1966).
After assisting John Huston on Reflections in a Golden Eye, Harriet was invited by her friend, director Andrew Marton, to live in his guest house in Hollywood. One day, while washing dishes, she decided her marriage to art director Gastone Medin was over. Accepting Marton's invitation, she left her old life behind, walking away from a sink full of dirty dishes. After moving to California, she worked extensively in television, appearing as Henry Fonda’s date in an episode of Family, and guest-starring on shows like Bonanza, The A-Team, and Northern Exposure. As a SAG member, she was credited under the pseudonym "Enrica Blankey" for playing the blind girl’s mother in Schlock (1973). Other notable roles included the President of the United States in Death Race 2000 (1975), a diner customer opposite Linda Hamilton in The Terminator (1984), and a grocery shopper in The Witches of Eastwick (1987). She also narrated the trailer for George Romero’s Hungry Wives (Season of the Witch).
