RIDGEFIELD, Conn. — Priscilla Pointer, the sharp-eyed actress who brought grit and gravitas to roles in “Dallas,” “Carrie,” and a slew of other film and TV projects, died Monday at an assisted living facility in Ridgefield, Connecticut. She was 100. Her daughter, Oscar-nominated actress Amy Irving, announced the passing on April 29, noting her mother slipped away peacefully in her sleep, “hopefully to run off with her two adoring husbands and her many dogs.”
Born May 18, 1924, in New York City to artist parents, Pointer carved a career that spanned over six decades, starting in the smoky theaters of the 1940s. She was a Broadway regular, treading the boards in productions like “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “The Condemned of Altona,” often under the direction of her first husband, Jules Irving. Together, they co-founded the San Francisco Actor’s Workshop in 1952, a scrappy outfit that became a cornerstone of America’s modern theater movement. Pointer’s stage work wasn’t just a job—it was a calling. She’d plop her kids, including Amy, in the front row during performances, keeping an eye on them while commanding the spotlight.
Her screen career kicked off in the 1950s with a role in the TV series “China Smith,” but it was the 1970s that made her a familiar face. In 1976, she starred opposite her daughter Amy in Brian De Palma’s horror classic “Carrie,” playing the mother of Sue Snell, a high schooler caught in the bloody chaos of Stephen King’s telekinetic nightmare. The mother-daughter duo clicked onscreen, reuniting for six more films, including “Honeysuckle Rose” in 1980 and “Micki & Maude” in 1984. Pointer also played maternal figures to Diane Keaton in “Looking for Mr. Goodbar” in 1977, Sean Penn in “The Falcon and the Snowman” in 1985, and Kyle MacLachlan in David Lynch’s unsettling “Blue Velvet” in 1986.
On the small screen, Pointer left her mark as Rebecca Barnes Wentworth in 44 episodes of “Dallas” from 1981 to 1983. Her character, the steely matriarch of a rival oil family, met a fiery end in a midair plane crash during the show’s sixth season. Victoria Principal, who played her onscreen daughter Pamela, posted a tribute on April 29, calling Pointer “my favorite TV mama & a wonderful woman.” Pointer’s TV résumé also included guest spots on everything from “The Rockford Files” to “ER” and a recurring role on “L.A. Law.”
Married to Jules Irving from 1947 until his death in 1979, Pointer later wed actor Robert Symonds in 1980, a partnership that lasted until his death in 2007. She and Symonds shared the stage and screen, including a turn as Ann Reinking’s parents in “Micki & Maude.” Pointer’s final role was a voice part in the 2008 TV movie “Sweet Nothing in My Ear.” She leaves behind three children—Amy, director David Irving, and singer Katie Irving—plus eight grandchildren, including actor Gabriel Barreto.
Pointer’s death closes a chapter on a life steeped in the arts. She was a theater pioneer, a horror film stalwart, and a soap opera powerhouse, all while raising a family that carried her creative torch. She died of natural causes, her son David confirmed, just weeks shy of her 101st birthday.