Television Most of Latham's work was on television. In 1965, she made two appearances on
Perry Mason: Matilda Shore in "The Case of the Careless Kitten" and Shirley Logan in "The Case of the Cheating Chancellor". She made an appearance on
The Waltons, playing Olivia's Aunt Kate, who consoles Olivia through her ordeal with menopause. She also appeared in
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour,
Bonanza,
Gunsmoke,
Kojak,
Hawaii Five-O,
Ironside,
Columbo,
Quincy, M.E.,
Rhoda,
Murder, She Wrote, and
The Streets of San Francisco. On
Family Affair, she appeared as Aunt Fran, who leaves Buffy (
Anissa Jones) in the care of Uncle Bill (
Brian Keith) in the show's first episode. On
Bonanza in the 1966 episode "A Real Nice, Friendly Little Town", she was Willie Mae Rikeman, and in the 1971 episode "The Silent Killer", she was Mrs. Harriet Clinton). She appeared on
Designing Women as Perky, the mother of
Julia and
Suzanne Sugarbaker,
The X-Files, and
The Invaders in the 1967 episode "Genesis". Latham's character (Betsy Chandler) was the first to learn the real circumstances of Dr. Richard Kimble's wife's death (Helen) in the final episode of
The Fugitive (1967). She was a regular in the cast of the short-lived 1976
CBS series
Sara.
Film Latham's role in
Marnie (1964), her film debut, proved to be a turning point in her career. A newspaper's photo caption in 1965 noted:A stage actress, Louise now leans to making films because "
Marnie changed my life, satisfied my soul," she says, "now I want some more of the same." She also appeared in such films as
Firecreek (1968),
Adam at 6 A.M. (1970),
White Lightning (1973),
The Sugarland Express (1974),
Winter Kill (1974),
Mass Appeal (1984),
The Philadelphia Experiment (1984),
Paradise (1991), and
Love Field (1992).
Stage Latham's
Broadway credits include the 1956 revival of
Major Barbara,
Invitation to a March (1960), and
Isle of Children (1962). Her other stage performances included work "under the personal direction of
Margo Jones" in Theater '54 in Dallas, Texas. In 1958, she was in a touring company that performed
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. ==Personal life and death==