Ena Hartman, Trailblazing Black Actress and Dan August Star, Passes Away at 93
Ena Hartman, a pioneering Black actress best known for her regular role opposite Burt Reynolds on the 1970-71 ABC cop series Dan August, has passed away at the age of 93. Hartman died of natural causes on April 16 at her home in Van Nuys, according to her goddaughter Lorraine Foxworth.
Hartman’s notable career included a starring role as Carmen Simms in the cult classic prison film Terminal Island (1973), directed and written by Stephanie Rothman. She acted alongside stars like Tom Selleck, Don Marshall, Roger E. Mosley, Phyllis Davis, and Marta Kristen in this influential film.
Her early roles featured appearances in iconic films such as the spy spoof Our Man Flint (1966), where she assisted Lee J. Cobb’s character, Games (1967) as a party guest, and as a flight attendant in the blockbuster Airport (1970). Hartman also made television history by appearing in the first episode of Adam-12 and the telefilm Prescription Murder (1968), starring Peter Falk as Columbo.
One of the rare Black actresses with a regular TV role at the time, Hartman portrayed Katy Grant, the intelligent and no-nonsense police dispatcher on Dan August. The series, which starred Burt Reynolds as a homicide detective in Santa Luisa, California, ran for only one season with 26 episodes but marked a significant moment in television history.
Born Gerthaline Henry on April 1, 1932, in Moscow, Arkansas, Hartman was the daughter of sharecroppers. Raised by her grandparents before moving to Buffalo, New York, at age 13, she later relocated to New York City to pursue modeling and acting, adopting the stage name Ena Hartman. She studied drama under Josh Shelley and Lloyd Richards, director of A Raisin in the Sun.
Hartman made history when she secured an NBC talent contract, reportedly the first of its kind for a Black actor, a five-year deal paying $12,000 annually. She made her screen debut in 1964 on Bonanza and the film The New Interns. She later signed with Universal and was named honorary mayor of Universal City in 1968.
Though Hartman missed out on roles like Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek and a part in Elvis Presley’s Change of Habit, she appeared in a Star Trek first-season episode titled “The Corbomite Maneuver.” She also guest-starred on many television shows including Profiles in Courage, Tarzan, Ironside, and Police Story (1975), her final screen credit.
Hartman’s legacy extends beyond her acting, breaking racial barriers in Hollywood and inspiring future generations of Black actresses. She is survived by her son Doug, daughter-in-law Kimberly, and her goddaughter Lorraine Foxworth.
