Biografia
Beverly Bentley, originally from Atlanta, Georgia, began her career in 1951 in New York, appearing on live television. She is a member of AEA, AFTRA, and SAG. Her theatrical debut was Off-Off Broadway in 1955 as Connie Bliss in Clifford Odets' "The Big Knife," directed by her mentor Nola Chilton.
In 1957, she made her Broadway debut at the Plymouth Theater in Peter Ustinov's "Romanoff and Juliet," directed by George S. Kaufman. She also starred in "The Heroine" in 1963 at the Lyceum Theater, showcasing her exceptional comedic talent and earning rave reviews. Off-Off Broadway, she performed in "Tennessee" by Romulus Linney and "When I Was Your Age," directed by Pamela Berlin, both at The Ensemble Studio Theatre. Additionally, she appeared in "Transatlantic Bridge" at Playwrights Horizons and "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe" at Image Theatre. Off-Broadway, she featured in "Deer Park" by her husband Norman Mailer.
Her film credits include "A Face in the Crowd" (1957) by Elia Kazan, "Scent of Mystery" (1966), co-starring Peter Lorre and Denholm Elliott; "Religion, Inc." (1989; produced by Michael Mailer, featuring Sandra Bullock); and "Painted Sun" by Gary Wortzel. Television appearances include "Naked City," "The Defenders," Norman Mailer's "Omnibus," "Eurydice" aka "Point of Departure" (opposite William Shatner as Orpheus), "Tiger at the Gate" as Helen of Troy, and "The Woman Rebel" on PBS with Piper Laurie.
Married in 1963, she had two sons, Michael Mailer, a film producer, and Stephen Mailer, an actor—two of her most significant life roles. In 1966, she was one of four producers who founded Act IV. She introduced the first play through her friend and fellow student Joe Chaikin, founder of the Open Theater and collaborator with Sam Shepard. The play was Sharon Thie's "Soon Jack November."
She received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Alice in "Men's Lives" for the Provincetown Repertory Theater at Town Hall in July 1996. A member of the Eugene O'Neill Playwrights Conference, she performed in five plays and later starred in Lloyd Richards' world premiere of "Shay" by Anne Comrie at the Carolina Playmakers in North Carolina. More recently, she performed in "Love Letters" by A.R. Gurney, co-starring with Guy Strauss, at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre; "The Lion in Winter" for the Provincetown Theatre Company as Eleanor of Aquitaine; and in "Suppressed Desires," "Tickless Time," and "Change Your Style" by Susan Glaspell and George Cram Cook. She also appeared in the production of "A Celebration of Mary Heaton Vorse" at the Provincetown Library.
