Actor

2024-05-18 · New York City, U.S. · Female

25 series in the catalog

Priscilla Marie Pointer (May 18, 1924 – April 28, 2025) was an American actress of theater, film and television.

Pointer began her career in the theater in the late 1940s, including productions on Broadway, and later moved to Hollywood to pursue a television and film career beginning in the early 1950s. She was widely known for her recurring role as Rebecca Barnes Wentworth in the popular television series, Dallas.

Background

Pointer was born on May 18, 1924, in New York City. Her mother, Augusta "Gus" Leonora Pointer (née Davis; 1898–1970), was a sculptor and an illustrator, and her father, Kenneth Keith Pointer (1890–1984), was an artist. One of her maternal great-grandfathers, Jacob Barrett Cohen, was from a Jewish family who had lived in the United States since the 1700s. Pointer turned 100 in May 2024.

Pointer was married to film and stage director Jules Irving, former artistic director of Lincoln Center, from 1947 until his death in 1979; they were the parents of Katie Irving, director David Irving, and actress Amy Irving. Through her daughter, she was mother-in-law of filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Bruno Barreto, respectively. She was the widow of Robert Symonds, whom she married in 1980.

Early career

Pointer was a performer from the late 1940s on, starting her career in theatre and appearing on Broadway as well as several tours in "A Streetcar Named Desire", "The Country Wife" and "The Condemned of Altona", She also featured in the TV series China Smith (also known as The New Adventures of China Smith) in 1954. After a long hiatus, Pointer returned to acting in the early 1970s.

Pointer's first major starring role was on the TV soap opera Where the Heart Is as Adrienne Harris Rainey from 1972 and 1973.

Films

Pointer appearances included Carrie (1976), in which she played the onscreen mother of Amy Irving's character; The Onion Field (1979); Mommie Dearest (1981); Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983); A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987); David Lynch's Blue Velvet; and Coyote Moon (1999). In addition to Carrie, she played the onscreen mother to Amy Irving in Honeysuckle Rose (1980) and Carried Away (1996). They were both in the films The Competition in 1980 and Micki & Maude in 1984.

Pointer appeared in three films directed by her son: Rumpelstiltskin (a 1987 musical version, which starred her daughter), Good-bye, Cruel World, and C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D.

Television

Pointer made many guest appearances on television, including Adam-12, L.A. Law, The A-Team, Judging Amy, The Rockford Files, and Cold Case.

From 1981 to 1983, Pointer had a recurring role on the soap opera Dallas as Rebecca Barnes Wentworth, the mother of Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval), Pamela Barnes Ewing (Victoria Principal), and Katherine Wentworth (Morgan Brittany). She appeared in 44 episodes.

Death

Pointer died of natural causes on Monday, April 28, 2025 at an assisted living facility in Ridgefield, Connecticut. She was 100 years old, as announced by her daughter Amy Irving.

Priscilla Pointer at the TCM Movie Database (archived)