Ellen Geer has a special connection to acting. Not only has Ellen worked in the theater since childhood, her father Will was also an actor, and her daughter Willow continues the family tradition.
Pursuing the family profession wasn’t always easy for the Geers. In 1951, Will Geer was forced to appear before the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) to testify about his alleged ties to the Communist Party.
HUAC ultimately blacklisted Mr. Geer, and the Geer family became homeless, relying on friends for support. Eventually, Will Geer returned to the craft, starring as Grandpa in the 1970s TV series “The Waltons,” and establishing the Theatricum Botanicum, which stages productions outdoors in a garden setting. Today, Ellen Geer continues her father’s work at the Theatrical Botanicum, as well as teaching at UCLA and appearing on the big and small screen.
Talking to Ellen about her own career was an enlightening experience, free of any of the pretense you might expect from a famous Hollywood actor. During the fD interview, Ellen was soft spoken, thoughtful and succinct.
During our conversation, she expressed a deep concern over the fast-paced and increasingly one-dimensional milieu of rising actors. With each incoming class Ellen teaches at the UCLA theater department, she notices that students are less and less versed in general acting talents. She explained, “When we grew up you used to have to know how to sing, dance and play an instrument. Because you wanted to be able to get jobs any way you can. And I’m finding that with the young people it’s just not as varied. You don’t have as many Renaissance actors.”
Despite the changing nature of the profession, Ellen is constantly inspired by the work of her pupils, and frequently employs them to play in the pieces she produces and directs at the Theatricum Botanicum.
One of the things I found most inspiring about talking to Ellen was the profound connection she feels to her family and community through acting. Her commitment to theater is absolute, though she’s had some extraordinary film opportunities: most notably in one of my favorite films, Hal Ashby’s 1971 “Harold and Maude,” in which Geer plays the luminous Sunshine Doré.
Ellen’s work in film and television is only her “bread and butter,” she says, and she prefers to work at her family playhouse. The pieces she produces, directs and acts in at the Theatricum Botanicum ranges from the Greek tragedies to Chekhov to modern day renditions of “Dracula.” And always, Shakespeare in the garden.
Read the interview here.
Isabel Cowles
Writer
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