Fern Persons

Fern Gwendolyn Persons (née Ball; July 27, 1910 – July 22, 2012) was an American film and television actress who was a member of the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists from 1937 until her death. She appeared in films such as Field of Dreams and Hoosiers. Throughout her career, Persons also served on the national board of directors of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) from 1976 to 1998, as well as the AFTRA Chicago Local Board for over thirty years. She dedicated much of her work to improving professional acting opportunities for older actors. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Persons graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in drama from Kalamazoo College and later earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting from Carnegie Institute of Technology.