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Diana Hyland
in The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976)
Born	Diane Gentner January 25, 1936(1936-01-25) Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Died	March 27, 1977 (aged 41) Los Angeles, California
Other name(s)	Diane Gentner
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1955-1977
Spouse(s)	Joseph Godson (April 24, 1969 - 1975)

Diana Hyland (January 25, 1936 – March 27, 1977) was an American actress best known for her television appearances and occasional films.

Career

Born Diane Gentner in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Hyland made her acting debut in 1955 in an episode of Robert Montgomery Presents. Over the next decade she played numerous guest and supporting roles in various television series, including The Eleventh Hour and The Twilight Zone, before being cast in a featured role in The Chase (1966) with Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, and Robert Redford.

In 1959 she originated the role of Heavenly Finley in Tennessee Williams' Sweet Bird of Youth on Broadway, with Geraldine Page and Paul Newman. From 1958-1963, Hyland was a regular on the NBC soap opera, Young Doctor Malone, where she played the role of Gig Houseman, wife of the younger Dr. Malone. She also played a continuing role in the primetime soap opera Peyton Place from 1968 until 1969.

In 1976, she appeared in the television movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble for which she won a posthumous Emmy Award. The following year, she signed on to play the wife of Dick Van Patten's character in the series Eight is Enough. It would be her last role.

Personal life and death

Hyland married Joseph Godson in 1969 with whom she had one child, a son, Zachary. The couple divorced in 1975. In 1976, she began a relationship with the actor John Travolta after meeting him on the set of the television movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. Hyland and Travolta remained together until her death the following year. Diana, who was almost 20 years older, died in John's arms. ^[1]

In 1975, Hyland was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. However, the cancer spread and her health deteriorated. She died on March 27, 1977 in Los Angeles.^[2] After Hyland's death her son, then four years old, was placed in Godson's custody.

Selected filmography

References

External links

• Diana Hyland at the Internet Movie Database
• Diana Hyland at the Internet Broadway Database
• Diana Hyland at Find a Grave