Lenka Peterson (born Betty Ann Isacson; October 16, 1925 – September 24, 2021) was an American theater, film, and television actress.
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Early years
Peterson was born in Omaha, Nebraska, a daughter of Swedish and Hungarian immigrants. Her father was Swedish, and her mother was Hungarian. She majored in drama at the University of Iowa.
Career
Peterson had the role of Corliss Archer in a USO-sponsored troupe that performed on military bases in Japan, the Philippines, and other places in the Pacific. In the mid-1940s, she acted with the Berkshire Playhouse stock theater in New Hampshire. She later acted on stage in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Boston, Massachusetts; and Providence, Rhode Island.
One of the first members admitted to New York City's Actors Studio, Peterson's Broadway portrayals included Ella in Sundown Beach (1948), Maude in The Grass Harp (1952), Kitty in The Time of Your Life (1955), Sally and Mary in All the Way Home (1960), Rose in Nuts (1980), and Sarah in Quilters (1984).
Peterson was nominated for a 1985 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role in Quilters. She guest starred in such early television productions as Hallmark Hall of Fame (1952), The Philco Television Playhouse (1955), and Actors Studio (1949 and 1950).
