Nancy Kulp wore many hats. Publicity person, actress, linguist, would-be politician and teacher. Originally from Harrisburg, Pa., Kulp attended college in Florida, then headed for Los Angeles to work in publicity for the movies, not star in them. But soon after arriving in LA, Kulp was convinced by director George Cukor and casting director Billy Gordon that she should be in front of the camera, not behind the scenes. What started then was a solid career as a character actress in films and television including two memorable roles in "Love That Bob", (as bird-loving Pamela Livingstone) and "The Beverly Hillbillies" (as the long-suffering, lovesick and bird-loving Jane Hathaway). After the Hillbillies ended its run, Kulp found work in theatre, Broadway and television, and dabbled in politics, making an unsuccessful run for congress in Pennsylvania. Later she taught acting and retired to a farm in Connecticut and later, Palm Springs. She died in 1991 of cancer.
Was an avid football fan. Loved taking cross country trips in car. Was fluent in French. Graduated from Florida State University (BA). Was offered a movie role (The Model and the Marriage Broker) after being in Los Angeles less than three weeks. In 1984, she ran as a Democrat for Pennsylvania's Ninth Congressional District, but lost to Republican incumbent Bud Shuster. She blamed "Beverly Hillbillies" co-star Buddy Ebsen for her defeat, because Ebsen taped a radio ad in support of Shuster, and deemed her "too liberal." She did not speak to Ebsen for several years afterwards, but eventually made peace with him. Long divorced, she came out of the closet at the age of 67 and admitted she was a lesbian. Had a Masters Degree in English & French from the University of Miami (Fla.) Was Arsenio Hall's very first guest on his talk show (She sat in with the house band). Writers played a twist on naming Nancy's best-known character, Miss Jane Hathaway. They reversed Nancy's first and middle names, so Nancy Jane Kulp became Jane Nancy Hathaway (we learned "Miss Jane's" middle name in the first Beverly Hillbillies movie). In contrast to her often befuddled and confused character of "Miss Jane" Hathaway, in real life she was a highly intelligent and cultured woman. Schooled in both languages and literature, she often impressed fans with her erudition. Early in her acting career, one Hollywood gossip sheet selected her as "the homliest girl on television", referring to her role as Pamela Livingstone on Bob Cummings' series. In actual fact, she was quite popular in the show-biz dating scene and never lacked for amorous companionship. Although admitting later in life to "swinging both ways", this did not seem to dampen the ardor of her admirers.