Ilka Chase (April 8, 1900 – February 15, 1978) was an American actress and novelist.

Biography

Born in New York City and educated at convent and boarding schools in the United States, England, and France, she was the only child of Francis Dane Chase and Edna Woolman Chase. Her mother was editor-in-chief of Vogue.




Stage
Chase made her society debut in 1923 and her Broadway debut a year later, in The Red Falcon. Her stage appearances included roles in Days Without End, Forsaking All Others, While Parents Sleep, On to Fortune, Tampico, Co-Respondent Unknown, Keep Off the Grass and In Bed We Cry, an adaptation of her novel of the same name. She was in the original Broadway cast of Clare Boothe Luce's play, The Women (1938), and many years later appeared in Neil Simon's Broadway hit Barefoot in the Park.


Films
Her films included Now, Voyager, Fast and Loose, Once a Sinner, The Animal Kingdom, The Big Knife, and No Time For Love. Her last motion picture appearance came in Ocean's 11 (1960) as Mrs. Restes.


Radio
In the early 1940s, Chase was the hostess for Penthouse Party on CBS and Luncheon Date With Ilka Chase, on NBC Red. For several years, she hosted the radio program, Luncheon at the Waldorf.


Television
Chase was a regular in Trials of O'Brien on CBS in the mid-1960s. In 1957, she performed the role of the Stepmother in the television production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, which starred Julie Andrews. Chase made a rare television sitcom appearance as "Aunt Pauline" on The Patty Duke Show.