Actress Jocelyn Brando Dies at 86

Born on November 18, 1919 in San Francisco, Brando grew up on a family farm near Evanston, Illinois. She appeared in several motion pictures, most notably in Fritz Lang’s The Big Heat and China Venture, both released in 1953; The Ugly American (1963) and The Chase (1966), both of which starred her brother; and Mommie Dearest (1981). Her many TV credits ranged from several “Actors’ Studio” live dramas in the early years of the medium to such series as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Wagon Train, The Virginian, Little House on the Prairie, Kojak, and Dallas, in which she played the recurring role of Mrs. Reeves.

Brando made her Broadway debut in Arnold Sungaard’s play The First Crocus, which ran for only five performances in January 1942. Her most famous stage role was that of a nurse in Mister Roberts (1948). She also appeared on Broadway in The Golden State (1950), Desire Under the Elms (1952), and Mourning Becomes Electra (1972).

She is survived by two sons, Martin Asinof of Tillamook, Oregon and Gahan Hanmer of Escondido, California. No funeral services are planned.