Rebecca Welles (born Reba Tassell; February 5, 1928 – February 13, 2017) was an American television and film actress.
Early years Welles's sibling was fashion designer Gustave Tassell. In 1944, she was the recipient of a $500 tuition award from the Theatre Guild to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She spent two years at the academy while acting in stock theater in Philadelphia.
As a youngster, she was a member of the Bessie V. Hicks Players in Philadelphia.
Career Welles' first TV appearance was in the episode "A Chill on the Wind" on Studio One in 1951, where she was credited under her birth name, but subsequently worked under the surname Welles. (A newspaper source in February 1951 says of Welles, "Last November she had a walk-on in the Studio One drama of A Letter to Cairo.)
Active from 1951 to 1964, Welles made appearances on about 50 TV shows, including 77 Sunset Strip, Gunsmoke (S2E33 “Moon”), Boots and Saddles, Bat Masterson, Alcoa Theatre, and four episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. She made five appearances on Perry Mason, including three roles as defendants: in 1959 she played Carol Delaney in "The Case of the Stuttering Bishop", and Carol Taylor in "The Case of the Frantic Flyer". She played Rita Norge in the 1957 episode "The Case of the Runaway Corpse". In her other two appearances, she played the role of murderer Edith Bristol in the 1961 episode "The Case of the Waylaid Wolf" and murderer Leslie Eden in the 1964 episode "The Case of the Illicit Illusion". In addition, Welles appeared in four feature films, including Good Morning, Miss Dove (1955) and Desire Under the Elms (1958). She made her last onscreen appearance in a 1964 episode of Arrest and Trial.
Welles was the inspiration for an episode of Big Town on CBS. A newspaper article in The Bridgeport Telegram on February 21, 1951, reported "Susan Douglas stars as Miss Cinderella ... which was inspired by the experience of Reba Tassell, the TV Cinderella girl who made such a hit on Studio One last month."
Personal life Welles married Barton Goldberg in 1946. They had two daughters together, Elizabeth and actress Gwen Welles, before they divorced in 1961. Welles married television director Don Weis on August 25, 1961, in Los Angeles.California, Marriage Index 1960-1985
Filmography
Film Year Film Role Notes 1955 Good Morning, Miss Dove Polly Burnham Uncredited 1956 The Brass Legend Millie Street Credited as Reba Tassell1958 Desire Under the Elms Lucinda Cabot Juvenile Jungle Glory Television Year Title Role Notes1951 Studio One 1 episode Lights Out 1 episode The Web 1 episode1953 Danger 1 episode Harvest Arlene Television movieCredited as Reba Tassell Robert Montgomery Presents Arlene 1 episode 1956–1960 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Various roles Season 1 Episode 32: "The Baby Sitter" (1956) as Jane 'Janie' Slocum (credited as Reba Tassel) Season 2 Episode 33: "A Man Greatly Beloved" (1957) as Mrs. Fell
Season 2 Episode 37: "The Indestructible Mr. Weems" (1957) as Laura Weems
Season 5 Episode 18: "Backward, Turn Backward" (1960) as Betty Murray1957 Wire Service Julia Thomas 1 episode Gunsmoke Nan Mellors 1 episode The Web 1 episode Boots and Saddles Laurie 2 episodes The Millionaire Amy 1 episode 1957–1964 Perry Mason Various roles 5 episodes1958 Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Sandra Mantell 1 episode State Trooper Betty Dolan 1 episode Trackdown Julie Corbin 1 episode M Squad Mrs. Kenneth Darrell 1 episode Northwest Passage Maureen Carver 1 episode Frontier Doctor Maria Belotti, Circus Owner 1 episode 26 Men Ruth 1 episode Rescue 8 Madge 1 episode The Lineup Jane Abbott 1 episode1959 The Thin Man Maria 1 episode Wagon Train Jean Yates 1 episode Zorro Moneta 1 episode Bat Masterson Isabel Fowler 1 episode The Californians Cora Sue SommersClara Keel 2 episodes Bronco Lynne Henderson 1 episode The Lawless Years Jane CooperMary Drew 2 episodes1960 Philip Marlowe Julie French 1 episode Alcoa Theatre Phoebe Hanes 1 episode Tightrope Margo 1 episode The Dennis O'Keefe Show Paula Hamilton 1 episode The Man from Blackhawk Janet 1 episode Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond Adelle Bernheim 1 episode The Brothers Brannagan Sally Ross 1 episode General Electric Theater 1 episode1961 Checkmate Fay Razon 1 episode The Case of the Dangerous Robin 1 episode The Untouchables Rose Raineri 1 episode The DuPont Show with June Allyson Polly 1 episode Hawaiian Eye Vera Ormsby 1 episode 77 Sunset Strip Ellen Martone 1 episode1962 The New Breed 1 episode Follow the Sun Beverly Willis 1 episode 1963 Burke's Law Susan Rivers 1 episode 1964 Arrest and Trial Reba Thayer 1 episode
References
External links