Lauren Chapin

Lauren Chapin

Chapin in 1977
Born Lauren Ann Chapin
(1945-05-23) May 23, 1945
Los Angeles, California
Occupation Television actress
Years active 1954–?
Website laurenknowsbest.com

Lauren Chapin (born May 23, 1945, in Los Angeles, California) is an American former child actress, most remembered for her role as the youngest child "Kathy Anderson" (nicknamed "Kitten") in the television show Father Knows Best,[1] which was produced between 1954 and 1960. Chapin was awarded five Junior Emmys for Best Child Actress.

Personal life

Before, during and after Father Knows Best was in its original broadcast run, Chapin had a troubled childhood.[2] Her father sexually abused her and her mother was an alcoholic.

Following the cancellation of Father Knows Best, Chapin told a reporter in 1983: "I couldn't get a job. I'd been typecast as Kathy Anderson. The more I didn't work, the more my mother drank and the more belligerent I became. I started running away from home. I became an incorrigible child."[3] A 1981 newspaper article reported, "when acting roles failed to materialize, Chapin found work as a flight attendant, dog groomer, insurance claims examiner, carhop and cocktail waitress."[4]

Chapin married at age 16, was divorced at 18, (An article published January 2, 1981, in The Washington Post says that she "separated from her husband within two years. They divorced five years later.")[4] became a drug addict, turned to prostitution to support her habit, and was sent to a psychiatric institution after she attempted suicide. In addition to using drugs, she sold drugs in San Francisco, California, and was arrested for forging a check in Hollywood, California. She acknowledged, "That was the beginning of several years in and out of jail."[3]

After these troubles, Chapin became an evangelical Christian in 1979, which she credits with saving her life.

She is the younger sister of former child stars, Billy Chapin and Michael Chapin.

Later career

In the early 1980s, Chapin taught natural childbirth and worked for a brokerage firm.[4] She currently manages singers and actors and performs in a live, interactive version of Father Knows Best for cruise lines, conventions, and other events.

She is the co-author of Father Does Know Best: The Lauren Chapin Story (1989), with Andrew Collins.

Chapin is a licensed and ordained Christian evangelist and advocate for Israel.

References

  1. ↑ Newcomb, Horace (2004). Encyclopedia of television. CRC Press. pp. 856–. ISBN 978-1-57958-411-5. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  2. ↑ Lauren Chapin, with Andrew Collins, Father Does Know Best: The Lauren Chapin Story (Nelsonword Publishing Group, 1989)
  3. 1 2 "Lauren Chapin climbs back from downfall". Reading Eagle. August 14, 1983. p. 13. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 McLellan, Dennis (January 2, 1981). "America's Kid Sister". The Washington Post. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 September 2016.

External links


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