Actress. Born Cathryn Lee Damon in Seattle, Washington she studied dance from an early age, moving to New York City at the age of sixteen in hope of pursuing a career in ballet. She debuted on Broadway as an ensemble dancer in the musical comedy ‘By the Beautiful Sea’ in April 1954. She emerged from the ensemble players to name roles and over the next twenty years appeared in almost a dozen shows including ‘A Family Affair’ in 1962, ‘The Last of the Red Hot Lovers’ from 1969 to 1971 and ‘Sweet Bird of Youth’ from 1975 to 1976. In 1977 she made the jump to television, landing one of the leads in the highly controversial prime time soap opera satire ‘Soap.’ She won three subsequent Emmy nominations for her portrayal of Mary Campbell, winning Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Soap in 1980. When ‘Soap’ folded after four seasons, she found support roles in made for television movies such as 1981’s ‘Midnight Offerings’ and 1983’s ‘Who Will Love My Children?’ as well as a recurring role in the television series ‘Webster.’ In 1986, she was diagnosed with cancer. She continued appearing in small roles during treatment for her illness before succumbing at the age of 56. Her final appearance, in the 1988 feature film ‘She’s Having a Baby,’ was released posthumously.  (bio by: Iola)  Family links:  Parents:  Mary Cathryn Springer (1902 – 1996)Cause of death: Cancer