Diana Van der Vlis (June 9, 1935 – October 22, 2001) was a Canadian-American stage, screen and television actress best known for her characters Dr. Nell Beaulac (1975–76) on the ABC soap opera Ryan's Hope and Kate Hathaway Prescott on the soap opera Where the Heart Is.
Van der Vlis went to university in Winnipeg,[1] studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London and acted in Canada, living in both Clarkson, Mississauga, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia,[2] before booking a role in the Utah-filmed B-movie The Girl in Black Stockings (1957),[3] and moving to New York City in 1956.
On arrival, she auditioned for an NBC drama program; there, a page suggested that she try the Baum-Newborn Theatrical Agency.
[5] Her subsequent Broadway productions include leading or featured roles in Comes a Day, A Mighty Man Is He, A Shot in the Dark, On an Open Road and The Waltz of the Toreadors.
Van der Vlis guest-starred on numerous primetime TV shows, including Kraft Theatre, Naked City, Tactic, U.S. Steel Hour, DuPont Show of the Month, The DuPont Show of the Week, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Great Ghost Tales, Brenner, Checkmate, East Side/West Side, Route 66, Dr. Kildare, Flipper, Mr. Broadway, The Defenders, Twelve O'Clock High (as the "commander's pretty wife"),[7] The Invaders, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., T.H.E.