Lauren Chapin (born May 23, 1945, Los Angeles, California) is an American former child actress, most remembered for her role as the youngest child "Kathy Anderson" (nicknamed "Kitten") in the television show Father Knows Best, which was produced between 1954 and 1960. Chapin was awarded five Junior Emmys for Best Child Actress. Two of her older brothers were also child stars, Billy and Michael Chapin.
Video Lauren Chapin
Personal life
Before, during and after Father Knows Best was in its original broadcast run, Chapin had a troubled childhood. Following the series' cancellation in 1960, Chapin later told a reporter in a 1983 interview:
I couldn't get a job. I'd been typecast as Kathy Anderson. The more I didn't work, the more my mother drank and the more belligerent I became. I started running away from home. I became an incorrigible child.
Earlier, in 1981, another newspaper reported, "when acting roles failed to materialize, Chapin found work as a flight attendant, dog groomer, insurance claims examiner, carhop and cocktail waitress."
Chapin married at age 16 and was divorced at 18. (An article published January 2, 1981, in The Washington Post says that she "separated from her husband within two years. They divorced five years later"). She became a drug addict and was sent to a psychiatric institution after she attempted suicide. In addition to using drugs, she sold them in San Francisco, California, and was arrested for forging a check in Hollywood, California. She acknowledged, "That was the beginning of several years in and out of jail."
Maps Lauren Chapin
Later career
In the early 1980s, Chapin taught natural childbirth and worked for a brokerage firm. In 1989 she co-authored with Andrew Collins the book Father Does Know Best: The Lauren Chapin Story. Currently, she manages singers and actors and performs in a live, interactive version of Father Knows Best for cruise lines, conventions, and other events. She is a licensed and ordained evangelist as well.
References
External links
- Lauren Chapin on IMDb
- "E! True Hollywood Story: Lauren Chapin" at TV.com
- Official site
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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