Still glamorous, Hedren returns to Lafayette

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

LAFAYETTE -- Almost as if she stepped out of the silver screen, Nathalia "Tippi" Hedren returned to her early childhood hometown Friday with beauty, grace, charm and articulation that defied the passage of time.

One of her secrets--she still works out and walks often.

Her voice was light and lively, not unlike the lead role she played 37 years ago in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds."

"Tippy" and her sister Patty, escorted by relatives from Oregon, toured the original family home as soon as they got to town.

Following an interview with The Journal, she and her entourage walked to the fire hall for a chicken feed and ice cream social.

Then the Lafayette Municipal Band and former players performed. They were followed by the Concord Singers and Narren, a family movie and "The Birds" was shown in the mini park.

Hedren played a lead role in the movie "Storytellers" which was filmed last year.

The movie has not been released yet. Hedren played a woman that was a script supervisor, retired, then started writing scripts. The movie includes other famous actors including an academy award winner in "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest."

Her biggest passion these days is the Shambala Wild Animal Protection Act.

Friday, she learned that the act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. It will be introduced to the U.S. Senate by John McCain August 25.

The bill is designed to stop the illegal breeding and irresponsible sale of lions and tigers and other wild animals as pets.

"There are 50,000 wild animals living in people's homes across the country," Hedren said. "These animals are not pets. They can be lovable and charming but they are hurting and killing people. They shouldn't be."

For the past 30 years, she has been taking in abused and neglected animals and placing them in her 180-acre animal preserve in Acton, Calif., near Los Angeles.

She filmed a movie about lions and other wild animals called "Roar" that was released in England and Australia but not in the United States.

She has strong feelings about the subject.

"Most of the animals I have were private pets until people found they were unmanageable and let them go," she said.

Hedren spent her first six years in Lafayette before the family moved to Minneapolis.

While a freshman at West High School, she was chosen to model for Donaldson's Department Store.

Two years later, the family moved to California. Ben, her father, needed the warm weather for his health. He lived to be 87. Her mother, Dorothea, lived 95 years.

Hedren modeled in California but wanted to try the New York fashion world. She married actor Peter Griffith. Their daughter-turned-movie-star, Melanie, was born in 1957.

Four years later, Tippi and Melanie returned to California. Tippi appeared in many commercials, which caught Hitchcock's eye.

She has appeared in about 50 movies. She still appears in movies, theatre, cable television shows and cartoon character voice-overs.

Hedren was recently honored as "Best Actress in a Comedy Film" for "Mulligans" at the Independent Film Festival Method Fest.