LOS ANGELES — Dorothy Bridges, a poet, widow of “Sea Hunt” actor Lloyd Bridges and matriarch of the acting family that includes sons Jeff and Beau, has died. She was 93.
Bridges died of natural causes Monday at her home in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles, family spokeswoman Jean Sievers said Friday.
Born Dorothy Dean Simpson on Sept. 19, 1915, in Worcester, Mass., she was married to Lloyd Bridges for 60 years, until his death in 1998. The two met while performing in a play at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Dorothy Bridges later appeared in a handful of movies and an episode of “Sea Hunt” with her husband, whom she called Bud.
She also coached her children, according to an obituary from the family.
“She was the first drama teacher for all the children, putting them through their acting paces as soon as they could speak. She and Bud entertained family and friends with their comedy routines and she could make up a bawdy limerick on the spot,” according to an obituary supplied by Sievers.
Bridges wrote poetry for five decades. In 2005, at age 89, she published “You Caught Me Kissing: A Love Story.” It included a collection of Valentine’s Day poems she wrote to her husband each year, a practice she continued after his death.
In addition to her sons, Bridges is survived by her brother, Frederick Simpson Jr.; a daughter, Lucinda, 11 grandchildren, including actor Jordan Bridges, and two great-grandchildren. A boy, Garrett, died as a baby from sudden infant death syndrome, according to the family obituary.
———
On the Net:
Dorothy Bridges Web page: www.dorothybridges.com/
