Lauren Chapin, actor known for Father Knows Best and A Star Is Born, dies at 80

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Lauren Chapin, the former child actor best known for portraying Kathleen Anderson in the 1950s series “Father Knows Best,” has died.She was 80.

The actor’s son, Matthew Chapin, announced on Facebook that his mother succumbed to her “long hard fought battle” with cancer after five years.He did not disclose additional details about her death or her condition.

He said in his post he is “at a complete loss for words right now.”“Please keep my sister and family in your thoughts and prayers as we go through this incredibly tough time,” Matthew Chapin added.Lauren Chapin, a Los Angeles native born on May 23, 1945, began her screen career in the 1950s with a minor role in 1954’s “A Star Is Born” starring Judy Garland and James Mason, appearances in TV including the anthology series “Lux Video Theatre” and the family sitcom “Father Knows Best.” Entertainment & Arts Actor Eric Dane, best known for wooing ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ audiences as plastic surgeon Dr.

Mark ‘McSteamy’ Sloan, died after a public battle with ALS.He was 53.“Father Knows Best” aired from 1954 to 1960 — bouncing between networks CBS and NBC — and starred Robert Young as the patriarch of the middle-class Anderson family.

Chapin’s Kathleen, also “Kathy” and nicknamed “Kitten,” was the youngest of Jim Anderson Sr.(Young) and Margaret Anderson‘s (Jane Wyatt) three children.

Her screen siblings were played by Elinor Donahue and Billy Gray.The Emmy-winning sitcom, which ran for more than 200 episodes over six seasons, comprised the bulk of Chapin’s screen career.

Chapin followed up her time on “Father Knows Best” with a single appearance on “General Electric Theater,” and nearly two decades later a role in 1976’s “The Amorous Adventures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza” and two “Father Knows Best” reunion specials.In 1980, she appeared alongsi...