A vivacious brunette comic player, Paula Prentiss began in lightweight, coquettish roles in the 1960s and shifted to more meaty dramatic fare in the 70s before curtailing her career in favor of raising a family. The daughter of an Italian immigrant and his wife, Prentiss graduated from the famed acting program at Northwestern University. Spotted by talent scouts, she was put under contract at MGM, where she was frequently partnered onscreen with Jim Hutton, beginning with her debut feature "Where the Boys Are" (1960). Having conquered the teen audience, Prentiss offered what many feel is her best performance as Rock Hudson's overbearing girlfriend in Howard Hawks' "Man's Favorite Sport?" (1964) She continued to win the attention of adult moviegoers as Peter Sellers' married conquest in "The World of Henry Orient" (1964) and as a stripper chasing Peter O'Toole in "What's New Pussycat" (1965). She retired from features for five years, during which she co-starred with her husband Richard Benjamin in the CBS sitcom "He and She" (1967-68) as a scatterbrained social worker married to a cartoonist.Prentiss resumed her film career as Elliot Gould's wife in the dismal "Move" (1970). She fared better as the sexy Nurse Duckett in "Catch-22" (also 1970), directed by Mike Nichols. In "The Parallax View" (1974), Prentiss shone in the brief role of a TV reporter who feared for her life after witnessing a political assassination. The following year, her natural, down-to-earth style was most apparent when she uttered her introductory line concerning her family's last name being "Marco. That's upward mobility for Markowitz" in "The Stepford Wives" (1975).
Prentiss curtailed her schedule for much of the late 70s into the early 90s to concentrate on child-rearing, although she accepted the occasional juicy role. In "The Black Marble" (1980), she was a cop romantically involved with her partner, played Jack Lemmon's wife in Billy Wilder's last feature "Buddy, Buddy" (1981) and acted opposite Benjamin in the horror spoof "Saturday the 14th" (1981). Her small screen credits include the TV-movies "Packin' It In" (CBS, 1983) and "M.A.D.D.: Mothers Against Drunk Driving" (NBC, 1983). With her children grown and in college, she began to resume her career in earnest with guest appearances on "Murder, She Wrote" and "Burke's Law", an uncredited bit as a nasty nurse in the Benjamin-directed "Mrs. Winterbourne" (1996) and an L.A. stage role as a dying woman in "Angel's Share" in 1997.
Profession(s):
Actor
Sometimes Credited As:
Paula Ragusa
1998 Returned to the New York stage opposite husband in the Off-Broadway production "Power Plays"
1997 Starred opposite Salome Jens in the L.A. production of "Angel's Share"
1996 Had uncredited cameo appearance as a nasty nurse in "Mrs. Winterbourne", directed by Richard Benjamin
1995 Made guest appearance on the CBS TV series "Burke's Law"
1991 Did guest role on "Murder, She Wrote"
1983 Again acted with Benjamin in the CBS TV-movie "Packin' It In"
1981 Acted with husband Richard Benjamin in the horror spoof "Saturday the 14th"
1980 Portrayed a cop who becomes romantically involved with her partner in "The Black Marble"
1975 Co-starred in the thriller "The Stepford Wives"
1974 Offered strong dramatic turn in "The Parallax View"
1972 TV-movie debut, "The Couple Takes a Wife" (ABC)
1970 Returned to features after five years in "Move"
1970 Played Nurse Duckett in "Catch-22", directed by Mike Nichols; Richard Benjamin also was featured
1969 Starred Off-Broadway in "Arf" and "The Great Airplane Snatch"
1967 - 1968 Starred opposite husband Richard Benjamin in the CBS sitcom "He and She"
1965 Co-starred in "What's New, Pussycat?"
1964 First starring feature role, "Man's Favorite Sport?", directed by Howard Hawks
1961 Feature acting debut, "Where the Boys Are"
