Cathryn Damon was a talented and versatile actress who rose to fame in the 1970s and 1980s for her roles in sitcoms, especially as Mary Campbell in the popular spoof of daytime soap operas, Soap. She won an Emmy Award for her performance in 1980 and was nominated two more times. However, her life and career were cut short by a devastating disease that claimed her life in 1987. What was Cathryn Damon’s cause of death and how did she cope with it? Here is a brief overview of her life, career, and tragic demise.
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Early Life and Career
Cathryn Damon was born on September 11, 1930, in Seattle, Washington. She was the elder daughter of Lee Frank Damon and Mary Cathryn Atwood, who divorced when she was young. She moved to New York City at age 16 to pursue ballet and danced with the Metropolitan Opera’s dance company. She also appeared in several off-Broadway and Broadway productions, such as Shinbone Alley, Flora, The Red Menace, The Boys from Syracuse, The Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Sweet Bird of Youth, and The Cherry Orchard.
Breakthrough Role in Soap
Damon became a household name when she was cast as Mary Campbell in Soap, a satirical comedy that parodied the conventions and clichés of daytime soap operas. She played the loyal and sensible wife of Burt Campbell (Richard Mulligan), who had to deal with his eccentric family and bizarre situations, such as being cloned by aliens, having a bisexual son (Billy Crystal), and being involved in organized crime. Damon’s role required her to be the straight woman in the midst of all the lunacy and she did it brilliantly. She won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1980 and was nominated again in 1981 and 1982.
Other Television Roles and Final Projects
After Soap ended in 1981, Damon continued to work on television, appearing in guest roles on shows like The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Murder, She Wrote, Matlock, and Mike Hammer. She also co-starred with her Soap co-star Eugene Roche on Webster from 1984 to 1986 as Cassie and Bill Parker, Webster’s landlords. Her final television role was in a TV movie called Not in Front of the Children in 1987.
Diagnosis and Death
Damon was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in late 1986 and underwent surgery and chemotherapy. She kept working until shortly before her illness incapacitated her. She died on May 4, 1987, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 56. Her death was announced by her publicist Dale Olson, who said that she had been “very brave” and “very private” about her condition. According to Wikipedia, she is survived by her mother and one sister.
Legacy and Tributes
Damon is remembered as a talented and versatile actress who could handle comedy and drama with equal skill. She was also known for being a warm and generous person who had many friends in the industry. Her co-star Richard Mulligan referred to her affectionately as “Toots” and paid tribute to her when he won his second Emmy Award for Empty Nest in 1992. He said that he wished she could have been there with him to share the moment. According to The Washington Post, Damon’s other co-stars from Soap also expressed their grief and admiration for her after her death. They described her as “a wonderful actress,” “a lovely lady,” “a great friend,” and “a joy to work with.”
