Nancy Gates

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Nancy Gates (February 26, 1926) is a retired American film and television actress.

Career

Film

Gates, born in Dallas, Texas, entered acting at a young age, receiving a contract with RKO at the age of 15. Her first screen appearance, uncredited, was in the 1942 film The Magnificent Ambersons. That same year she had her first credited role, in The Great Gildersleeve. In 1943 she went on contract with RKO, her first film with them being Hitler's Children that same year. She began receiving roles in mostly B-movies, many of which were westerns or sci-fi, eventually receiving lead roles as the heroine. In 1948 she starred opposite Eddie Dean in Check Your Guns, and in 1949 she played alongside Jim Bannon, Marin Sais, and Emmett Lynn in an episode of the Red Ryder serial, titled Roll, Thunder, Roll. She would star in several other films over the next ten years, especially in westerns like Comanche Station (1960), and in support roles, most notably in two Frank Sinatra films, Some Came Running and Suddenly.

In total Gates starred or co-starred in 34 films and serials. She retired from acting in 1969.

Television

She made 55 television appearances, to include roles on the television series' Maverick, Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, Wagon Train, and The Virginian.

Later life

She retired in 1969 to be closer to her family. She had married Hollywood attorney and business manager J. William Hayes. They had four children, including Hollywood producers Jeffrey M. Hayes and Chip Hayes.