Bibi Osterwald

Margaret Virginia Osterwald, known professionally as Bibi Osterwald, was born on February 3, 1920, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to Dagmar (Kvastad) and Rudolf August Osterwald, a hotel owner. She died on January 2, 2002, in Burbank, California, of a lung ailment at age 81.

Osterwald began building her performance experience early, appearing in a Catholic University semi-pro revue in Washington, D.C., in August 1942 and spending five years working in summer stock theatre in Rockville, Maryland. In mid-August 1943, she starred in Ten Nights in a Barroom at the Willard Hotel for an eight-week run before turning her attention to the New York stage. In June 1944, she led the cast of Broken Hearts of Broadway at the Central Opera House in New York City, a venue seating 2,000. Later that year she appeared in Sing Out, Sweet Land alongside stars Alfred Drake and Burl Ives, earning praise from critics during the production's road tour through Hartford, Boston, and Philadelphia before its Broadway opening.

Her Broadway career spanned from 1944 to 1985 and encompassed a range of productions across genres. Credits included Three to Make Ready, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Bus Stop, The Golden Apple, The Vamp, Look Homeward, Angel, and A Family Affair. Her performance in The Golden Apple earned her an Outer Critics Circle Award in 1953.

Beginning in the late 1940s, Osterwald established a parallel career in television that continued through 2001. She was a regular presence on early television programs including Captain Billy's Showboat in 1948, Front Row Center in 1949, The S.S. Holiday in 1950, and The Imogene Coca Show in 1954. She became widely recognized for her role as Stella O'Brien, the housekeeper for the Hathaway family on the soap opera Where the Heart Is during the 1970s, and for playing Mrs. Sophie Steinberg, the mother of David Birney's character and mother-in-law of Meredith Baxter's character, on the comedy series Bridget Loves Bernie. In 1978 she appeared in The Love Boat, Season 2, Episode 6, playing Anita, a character who becomes a fan of The Amazing Alonzo, portrayed by Vincent Price. In 1982 she originated the role of Nanny McTavish, Holly Sutton's longtime confidante, on General Hospital. Additional television work included the role of Mrs. Nakamura in The Absent-Minded Professor in 1988, and voice acting on the animated series Rugrats in the years preceding her death.

Osterwald also appeared in a number of films across several decades, among them Parrish (1961), The World of Henry Orient (1964), A Fine Madness (1966), Bank Shot (1974), Caddyshack II (1988), and As Good as It Gets (1997). Outside of acting, she contributed to Ben Bagley's Revisited album series, participating in recordings devoted to the work of composers including Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, and Frank Loesser.