The Secret Gay Life of Nancy Kulp ('The Beverly Hillbillies'): 33 Years After Her Tragic Death

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It's been 33 years since actress Nancy Kulp died of cancer in 1991 at 69. Best known as Miss Jane Hathaway on TV's classic country comedy, The Beverly Hillbillies (CBS, 1962-1971, Kulp was a trailblazing political advocate. She was a Democratic nominee for the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania’s 9th congressional district. She later worked as an artist-in-residence at Juniata College and taught acting. And she was also gay. Long divorced, she came out of the closet at the age of 67 and acknowledged she was a lesbian. This is her story.

A Closer Look

Nancy Kulp was born on August 28, 1921, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She went on to obtain a bachelor's degree in journalism from Florida State University and master's degree in English and French from the University of Miami. She later served in the U.S. Naval Reserve during WWII, and received several accomodations and honors.

Kulp then made her way to Hollywood, where she initially worked in press and publicity for the movie studios.

Her On-Camera Unique Mistique

However, director George Cukor and casting director Billy Gordon convinced Kulp to pursue a career on camera as a character actress. She would make periodic appearances on the big screen, in movies like The Night of the Grizzly (1966), but it was on television where Kulp made her indelible mark - twice.

First, in 1955, she portrayed Pamela Livingstone on The Bob Cummings Show (NBC/CBS, 1955-1959), followed by her spot-on performance as Miss Jane Hathaway, the man-hungry secretary to Raymond Bailey's Mr. Drysdale on The Beverly Hillbillies.

Both characters were bird lovers, as was Kulp in real life. Into this mix, and on a more personal level, she also loved women, and preferred them to men.

At the time, it was not considered productive, career-wise, for actors (or anyone else) to reveal their true sexuality. As such, Kulp remained in the closet.

No More Miss Jane

With the on-set of more realistic programming, in the early 1970s, CBS cancelled all of rural sitcoms including The Beverly Hillbillies.

At which point, Nancy Kulp found other work in sitcoms like The Brian Keith Show, and in theatre and on Broadway.

Real Life Trouble with Mr. Clampett

In 1984, Kulp ran as a Democrat for Pennsylvania's Ninth Congressional District, but lost to Republican incumbent "Bud Shuster. In her defeat, she blamed Beverly Hillbillies co-star Buddy "Jed Clampett" Ebsen, who had taped a radio ad in support of Shuster, and deemed Kulp "too liberal."

For years later, Kulp did not speak to Ebsen (who went on to play Barnaby Jones on CBS), but eventually made peace with him.

In 1989, she became the first guest on The Arensio Hall Show.

In the End

In her latter years, Nancy Kulp and worked as an artist-in-residence at Juniata College and taught acting. Two years before she died, she found the courage to reveal her true sexuality.

For that, she will be forever hailed as a pioneer, while also praised for her benchmark performance as Miss Jane on The Beverly Hillbillies.