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Known for her dark, hollow eyes, sharp ethnic features, and frizzy hair, veteran stage actress Kathleen Widdoes began her career portraying delicate yet vibrant classical heroines. In later years, she gained notable recognition on television, especially as an emotional, well-meaning, and strong-willed character in various daytime soap operas.
Born on March 21, 1939, in Wilmington, Delaware, Kathleen is the daughter of Eugene Widdoes and Bernice Delapo. She attended high school in Wilmington and made her professional stage debut at age 18 as "Alma" in "Bus Stop" at the Robin Hood Playhouse. She then toured Canada playing "Catherine" in "A View from the Bridge" and appeared in "Ondine" and "The Lark" on Canadian television. She also studied mime at the Université au Théâtre des Nations in Paris and attended the Sorbonne on a Fulbright Scholarship, where she completed her theatrical education.
After moving to New York to advance her career, Kathleen blossomed into one of the most talented and beautiful classical ingénues, earning acclaim on- and off-Broadway in productions such as "The World of Suzie Wong" (understudying France Nuyen), "The Three Sisters" (1959), "The Idiot" (1960), and "The Maids" (1963). She received praise for her Shakespearean roles, particularly with Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival, including performances in "Henry V" (1960), "Measure for Measure" (1960), "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1961), "Richard II" (1962), and "The Tempest" (1962).
Television audiences first noticed her talent in a regular role on the soap opera "Young Dr. Malone" (1958) and as "Emily Webb" in a prestigious production of "Our Town" (1959) alongside Art Carney. Throughout the 1960s, her focus remained largely on theater, though she made an impressive film debut in "The Group" (1966), starring alongside Candice Bergen, Joanna Pettet, Hal Holbrook, and Joan Hackett. She also appeared prominently in "Petulia" (1968) and "The Sea Gull" (1968). The 1970s marked the peak of her stage career, highlighted by her Obie award-winning role as "Polly Peacham" in "The Beggar's Opera" (1972) and a Tony nomination the following year for her vibrant portrayal of "Beatrice" in "Much Ado About Nothing," a role later adapted for television. That decade also saw her acclaimed performances as "Desdemona," "Juliet," "Titania," "Viola," and "Mariana" in Shakespearean productions.
In 1978, Kathleen transitioned to daytime dramas. She earned acclaim playing "Rose Perini," the emotional and caring Italian mother of young Ray Liotta's character on "Another World" (1964) from 1978 to 1980. She also had a role on "Ryan's Hope" (1975) before securing the role of the kindhearted advisor "Emma Snyder" on "As the World Turns" (1956), a part she has portrayed since November 1985, earning four Daytime Emmy nominations.
Throughout her career, Kathleen has maintained a strong presence in New York theater, with credits including "The Importance of Being Earnest," Neil Simon's "Brighton Beach Memoirs," the revival of "You Can't Take It With You," and "Hamlet" (in which she twice played "Gertrude"). She won a second Obie Award for "Tower of Evil" in 1990 and received the Lucille Lortel Award for her outstanding work in "Franny's Way" (2002). More recently, she appeared in a revival of Noël Coward's "After the Ball" (2004), a musical adaptation of Oscar Wilde's "Lady Windemere's Fan."
Alongside her work on "As the World Turns" in New York, Kathleen has appeared in television series such as "Oz" (1997) in a recurring role and "Law & Order" (1990), among others. Divorced in 1972 from the late actor Richard Jordan, with whom she has a daughter, Nina Jordan, she is currently married to her second husband, Jerry Senter. They reside just outside New York City.
