Paula Prentiss facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Paula Prentiss
Prentiss in 1963
Born	Paula Ragusa (1938-03-04) March 4, 1938 (age 87) San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Education	Lamar High School
Alma mater	Northwestern University
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1960–present
Spouse(s)	Richard Benjamin ​ (m. 1961)​
Children	2
Relatives	Ann Prentiss (sister)

Paula Prentiss (born Paula Ragusa on March 4, 1938) is an American actress. She is famous for her roles in movies like Where the Boys Are (1960), Man's Favorite Sport? (1964), What's New Pussycat? (1965), Catch-22 (1970), The Parallax View (1974), and The Stepford Wives (1975).

From 1967 to 1968, Paula Prentiss starred with her husband, Richard Benjamin, in the TV show He & She. She was even nominated for an Emmy Award for her acting in that show.

Early Life and Education

Paula Prentiss was born in San Antonio, Texas. Her father, Thomas J. Ragusa, was a professor. She had a younger sister, Ann Prentiss, who also became an actress.

Paula was always very tall, reaching 5 feet 10 inches before high school. She went to Lamar High School in Houston. In 1958, while studying drama at Northwestern University, she met her future husband, Richard Benjamin. He was taller than her, which impressed her! While at Northwestern, she was discovered by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and offered a movie contract.

Acting Career Highlights

Paula Prentiss became famous playing the role of Tuggle in the movie Where the Boys Are (1960). She starred alongside Jim Hutton. The movie was a big success. People really liked Paula and Jim together.

Early Movie Roles

Because of their popularity, MGM decided to pair Paula Prentiss and Jim Hutton in three more comedies. They were seen as a new famous acting duo. These movies included The Honeymoon Machine (1961) with Steve McQueen, Bachelor in Paradise (1961) with Bob Hope, and The Horizontal Lieutenant (1962). Paula and Jim were the tallest male and female actors under contract at MGM.

Paula Prentiss also appeared in Follow the Boys (1963). Later, she starred with Rock Hudson in Man's Favorite Sport? (1964). This was her first movie not made by MGM.

Prentiss in As You Like It in 1963

Stage and TV Work

In 1963, Paula Prentiss performed on stage in a play called As You Like It. This was part of the New York Shakespeare Festival in Central Park.

She had important roles in The World of Henry Orient (1964) and In Harm's Way (1965). She also had a strong supporting role in What's New Pussycat? (1965) with Peter Sellers.

From 1967 to 1968, Paula Prentiss starred with her husband, Richard Benjamin, in the CBS sitcom He & She. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her excellent performance in this comedy show.

Later Film Roles

Paula Prentiss returned to movies as Nurse Duckett in Catch-22 (1970). She also had lead roles in Move (1970) with Elliott Gould and Born to Win (1971) with George Segal. She was one of the main characters in Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1972).

She played a key part in The Parallax View (1974) with Warren Beatty. She was also a main star in The Stepford Wives (1975), alongside Katharine Ross.

In 1976, Prentiss and Benjamin performed on Broadway in a play called The Norman Conquests. They also traveled to Australia for the movie No Room to Run (1977).

Paula Prentiss appeared in The Black Marble (1980) and Saturday the 14th (1981) with her husband. She was also in director Billy Wilder's last film, Buddy Buddy (1981), with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. .....

She also made guest appearances on popular TV shows such as Murder, She Wrote and Burke's Law.

After a long break from feature films, Paula Prentiss returned in 2016. She starred in the horror movie I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House. This film premiered on September 10, 2016, at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Personal Life

Paula Prentiss has been married to actor and director Richard Benjamin since 1961. They have two children, a son named Ross and a daughter named Prentiss.

There is even a street named after Paula Prentiss in her hometown of San Antonio, Texas.

Filmography

With Richard Benjamin in a photo for He & She, 1967

Movies

Television Shows

See also

In Spanish: Paula Prentiss para niños