Ann Prentiss
Prentiss in 1970
Born
Ann Elizabeth Ragusa

(1939-11-27)November 27, 1939
DiedJanuary 12, 2010(2010-01-12) (aged 70)
Other namesAnn Gardner
OccupationActress
Years active1966–1988
RelativesPaula Prentiss (sister)
Richard Benjamin (brother-in-law)

Ann Prentiss (November 27, 1939 – January 12, 2010) was an American actress.

Early life

Prentiss was born Ann Elizabeth Ragusa in San Antonio, Texas, to Paulene (née Gardner) and Thomas J. Ragusa. Her father was of Sicilian descent. Her elder sister, Paula Prentiss, is also an actress.[1]

Career

Prentiss had many supporting roles in films and television series in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, including Get Smart's "The Little Black Book", Hogan's Heroes' "The Missing Klink" (1969), and on the Baretta episode "Half a Million Dollar Baby". She provided the voice of an alien species in the comedy film My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988), co-starring alongside Kim Basinger and Dan Aykroyd. Her other film roles included appearances in Any Wednesday (1966), If He Hollers, Let Him Go! (1968), The Out-of-Towners (1970), and California Split (1974), opposite George Segal and Elliott Gould.

In the 1967 NBC-TV series Captain Nice, created by Buck Henry, Prentiss played Police Sgt. Candy Kane, the girlfriend of the title character, a shy chemist/superhero portrayed by William Daniels.[2]

Personal life

Criminal conviction

Prentiss was convicted in a California court of a 1996 assault against her father, and a subsequent threat against members of her family. The district attorney claimed that Prentiss, while incarcerated on the assault charge, had attempted to hire another inmate to kill three people, including her father and actor-director Richard Benjamin, her brother-in-law. On July 23, 1997, the court sentenced her to 19 years in prison.[3][1]

Death

Prentiss died in prison on January 12, 2010.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 La Jeunesse, Anne (July 25, 1997). "Paula Prentiss' sister ordered to prison". News-Pilot. San Pedro, California. p. 11. Retrieved August 22, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  2. Leszczak, Bob (November 2, 2012). Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979: A Complete Guide. McFarland. p. 30. ISBN 978-0786468126. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  3. "Sister of actress terrorizes family". The Hartford Sentinel. Hartford, California. AP. July 25, 1997. p. 8. Retrieved August 22, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  4. Lentz, Harris M. III (2011). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2010. McFarland. pp. 341–342. ISBN 9780786486496. Retrieved April 23, 2017.


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