Kathryn Leigh Scott Biography

Kathryn Leigh Scott (born Marlene Kringstad; January 29, 1943) is an American television and film actress who is best remembered for playing several roles on Dark Shadows.

Early life

Scott was born Marlene Kringstad in Robbinsdale, Minnesota to Ole and Hilda Kringstad, both of Norwegian descent.

Career

Upon arriving in New York City she worked as a Playboy Bunny and changed her name to Kathryn Leigh Scott. In 1966, she was cast as Maggie Evans the waitress-turned-governess on the ABC-TV cult serial Dark Shadows. During her tenure at the show, she played Josette du Pres (a lover of Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid), who was killed at Widow's Hill in 1795); Rachel Drummond (a governess in 1897); Kitty Soames (aka Lady Hampshire on the second-half of the 1897 storyline); and Maggie Collins (aka Maggie Evans), who married Quentin Collins (David Selby) in "Parallel Time" (1970). She appeared in House of Dark Shadows, a MGM picture based on the Dark Shadows TV series in 1970. That same year in September, she decided to leave the show to move to France with her boyfriend and photographer Ben Martin, whom she later married. A few months later, Dark Shadows ended its five year run in April 1971.

After Dark Shadows she made guest appearances on such TV shows as Police Squad!, Dynasty, Quincy, Magnum, P.I., Cagney and Lacey, Matlock, The Incredible Hulk, The A-Team, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. She also appeared in films, i.e. The Great Gatsby. In 1979, she co-starred in the short-lived CBS series Big Shamus, Little Shamus with Brian Dennehy. In 1983, she co-starred in Philip Marlowe, Private Eye with Powers Boothe on HBO until 1986.

In 2013, Kathryn was reunited with her Dark Shadows co-stars Jerry Lacy and Lara Parker in the feature film Doctor Mabuse, written and directed by Ansel Faraj. The film is scheduled to be released in May.

Pomegranate Press

In 1986 she founded Pomegranate Press, which published her books about Dark Shadows and other stories. Today, she appears in yearly Dark Shadows festivals, book signings, and other events. She reprised a number of her Dark Shadows roles in a series of audio dramas. Scott co-wrote (with Jim Pierson), an updated retrospective on the original series, the short-lived remake and the 2012 motion picture, Dark Shadows, in which Scott has a cameo role. It was released on April 3, 2012 via Pomegranate Press.

Personal life

She married her first husband, Ben Martin in 1970 and was later divorced, although the two remain business partners in Pomegranate Press, and in 1991 married Los Angeles magazine founder Geoff Miller. She and Miller remained together until his death in 2011.