Melinda Peterson(1949-2023)

American actress, active on the stage, on screen and in radio for more than four decades. Melinda Peterson was an ensemble member of The Antaeus Theatre Company in Glendale, California, from its inception in 1991. Aside from her theatrical work, she also leant her voice to numerous radio plays for Firesign Theatre and for the now defunct NPR (National Public Radio) Playhouse. Peterson was noted for her roles as Lucretia Borgia in Norman Corwin's The Plot to Overthrow Christmas and as Agatha Christie, hosting/narrating The BBC Murders, a series of four radio plays staged at the Parker Playhouse in Florida. Arguably, her most acclaimed theatrical portrayal was that of the Italian stage diva Eleonora Duse in Lillian Garrett Groag's play The Lady of the Camellias. According to one reviewer "Peterson's Duse is a marvel of melancholia, her accent pure Italian but her demeanor more evocative of Garbo's Slavic reserve. Whether it's moving those dark eyes a fraction of a millimeter or executing a large, period-perfect gesture, Peterson is as fascinating as the woman she emulates".

Peterson's screen resumé encompassed soap opera (As the World Turns (1956), Santa Barbara (1984)) as well as guest appearances on popular TV series like MacGyver (1985), La cinquième dimension (1985), Cagney et Lacey (1981) and JAG (1995). She was latterly involved in producing and directing several early American plays. A resident of Los Angeles, Peterson was married to Phil Proctor, a prominent writer, performer and celebrity voice impersonator with the Firesign Theatre comedy troupe.