Jacqueline Scott, known for her roles in television movies and shows such as Charley Varrick (directed by Don Siegel, Dirty Harry), The Twilight Zone (created by Rod Serling, Night Gallery), and Gunsmoke (developed by Charles Marquis Warren, Rawhide), has passed away at 89 on July 23rd, per The Hollywood Reporter. According to her son Andrew, Scott died in her Los Angeles home from lung cancer.
Early in her career, Scott had guest appearances on various television shows, including as Diane Warrington in The Loretta Young Show (presented by Loretta Young, The Farmer’s Daughter) and Nancy Devere in 77 Sunset Strip (created by Roy Huggins, The Fugitive).
Scott’s most known role was as Nadine in made-for-television movie, Charley Varrick, in which Charley Varrick, his wife Nadine, and their friend “stage a bloody bank robbery, unaware they are stealing money from the Mob” (IMDB). From 1964 to 1967, Scott had recurring role as Donna Kimble Taft in the television series, The Fugitive, about “a doctor [who is] wrongly convicted for a murder he didn’t commit, escapes custody, and must stay ahead of the police to find the real killer” (IMDB). The 1993 movie of the same name and directed by Andrew Davis (Holes, Under Siege) was based off of the series.
In a 2016 interview with Classic Film TV Cafe, Scott said of her experience, “I wanted to play all different characters. And I got to do that. Once I’d be the good girl and once I’d be the bad girl. One director, Leo Penn — who is Sean Penn’s father — would call me for anything. We had worked together when we were kids in New York, and he was fabulous.”
Scott’s husband, television writer Gene Lesser (Richard Diamond, Private Detective; Lock Up), passed away of natural causes earlier this year on June 23rd. Scott is survived by her son, Andrew, and her granddaughters Arianna and Valerie.