Early life

Kathleen's ambition as an actress came from two sources. She saw a film with actor Donald O'Connor which gave her the idea that "acting looked like fun." Also, her uncle, F. Hugh Herbert, was a playwright who authored Kiss and Tell and The Moon is Blue, among other titles.

Motion pictures

She was discovered in a Little Theater production in 1948. Signed to a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox, she made fourteen films for the studio. She appeared in five motion pictures for Universal Studios, including the cult film It Came From Outer Space. Released on May 27, 1953, the sci-fi feature was adapted from the writing of Ray Bradbury. It was Universal's first entry into the 3D-film medium.

She had scenes in "Ironweed," "Revenge," and "The Couch Trip," all of which were cut before their releases.

Hughes considers The Glass Web (1953) with Edward G. Robinson her best film. Hughes credits actor Paul Henreid with giving her the major break in her career. This came when he chose her for the role of the stunning blonde in the movie, For Men Only (1952), which also is known as The Tall Lie.

Television

By 1956 Kathleen was appearing in television series. She played in episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1956-1957), Telephone Time (1956), The Bob Cummings Show (1958), The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, 77 Sunset Strip (1959), Hotel de Paree (1959), Tightrope (1959), General Electric Theater (1960-1962), The Tall Man (1961), Bachelor Father (1962), Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1965), and I Dream of Jeannie (1967).

In 1962, Hughes played the role of murder victim Lita Krail in the 6th season, 1962 episode of Perry Mason, entitled "The Case of the Double-Entry Mind". She also played the recurring role of Mrs. Coburn on the television series The Ghost & Mrs. Muir. She appeared on M*A*S*H as Lorraine Blake, wife of unit commander Henry Blake, in a home movie she sent to him.

Her last television credit to date is for an episode of Finder of Lost Loves in which she played Edward's secretary.

Personal life

Hughes' favorite stage role was in the play Seven Year Itch. Her enthusiasm for the production was not dampened by its interference with her own honeymoon when she married Stanley Rubin, the producer of Bracken's World. The couple has one daughter and three sons. The marriage lasted 59 years, until Rubin died on March 2, 2014 from natural causes at the age of 96.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]