A lot of the time I think we, as horror fans, get caught up in the hype of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s titles and forget that was an entire generation of cult hits before The Golden Age of Horror. The generation before The Golden Age, which I guess I’ll call The Dawn of Horror, was filled with dozens of talented and breathtaking women who laid the foundation for the modern day scream queens. That’s why I’d like to dedicate this Where Are They Now? entry to Kathleen Hughes. She may have only appeared in a handful of movies, but she still has a long lasting legacy.
Born in California in November of 1928, Kathleen Hughes didn’t start acting until her early 20’s. Although she booked a few gigs beforehand, scifi-comedy It Happens Every Spring (1949) was her first bit part in our favorite genres. She followed up this foray with very tiny roles in crime-drama Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950), rom-com Mister 880 (1950) and musical I’ll See You in My Dreams (1951). Then, in 1953, she stepped back into the world of horror and science fiction with a supporting role as June in cult classic It Came from Outer Space (1953), a future Golden Globe Winner. She, of course, followed this up by playing the second female lead, Julia, in 1955’s Cult of the Cobra.
As television programs gained popularity in the 50’s, Hughes would make the jump to the small screen and stay there for the majority of her career from 1956 to 1984. While I don’t recognize the brunt of the shows she appeared on, I can report that she was featured in three episodes of “The Ghost & Mrs. Muir,” two episodes of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” and one episode of “I Dream of Jeanie.” During this time she also returned to horror with a small role in The Spell (1977), but after almost fifty years in the business, Kathleen’s career started to slow down.
So, where is Kathleen Hughes now?
Following her numerous television stints ending in the 1980’s, she booked a small role in the Kevin Costner action flick Revenge in 1990. Her last role to date was a very small role in comedy’s Welcome to Hollywood (1998). I think a retirement was justifiably earned, don’t you? Now at 87-years-old, Kathleen is enjoying her latter years of life, though she still holds the entertainment industry in her heart. She was even a featured guest and interview-ee at two film festivals in 2015.
