Lois O'Connor Robards

ROBARDS, LOIS O'CONNOR Lois O'Connor Robards, 75, died peacefully at home in New York City on March 17 of esophageal cancer. Before her marriage in 1970 to actor Jason Robards, she was one of the first women hired in television production at both Talent Associates and Filmways Productions, and worked on shows including Playhouse 90, The Patty Duke Show, Get Smart, The Steve Allen Show, The David Susskind Show, and Good Company with F. Lee Bailey, where the last featured such notable guests as Ernest Hemingway, J. Paul Getty, and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. In Hollywood she worked with director Sam Peckinpah on films including Noon Wine, where she first met her future husband. Behind the scenes, she was a foundation for Mr. Robards' personal and professional success, which included his iconic roles in Moon for the Misbegotten and All the President's Men. Lois will be remembered for her elegance, intelligence, and above all, generosity. She was devoted to her children, Shannon and Jake, and her large extended family. She was an active supporter of the Westport Country Playhouse, the Brain Tumor Foundation, the American Classical Orchestra, and the Roundabout Theater Company, which gives an award in her husband's name each year. Lois lived in Southport, Connecticut, for 30 years and subsequently in New York City. In addition to her two children, she is survived by four grandchildren and four stepchildren. A funeral mass was held on Monday, March 26, at 3:00 p.m. at St. Ignatius Loyola, 980 Park Avenue New York City. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in her name to the American Classical Orchestra or the Inner-City Foundation of Bridgeport, CT.


This obituary was originally published in Minuteman (Fairfield, CT).