Mystery writer Mike Worley has enjoyed a multifaceted career that has run the gamut from serving as the chief of police in Meridian, Idaho, to teaching students as a university instructor. Mr. Worley was very close with Linda Hardisty, the late actress best remembered as Dorothy Anderson from episodes 14 and 15 of Tsuburaya Productions’ Ultra Seven (1967-68), for many years. Because Ms. Hardisty suddenly passed away in 1986, very little information about her life has been available to fans of the series. In Japan, Ms. Hardisty continues to be remembered by the show’s many fans, and with the 50th anniversary of the series rapidly approaching, interest in Linda Hardisty has only increased among Japanese fans. Vantage Point Interviews is proud to present this conversation with Mike Worley about the life and legacy of Linda Hardisty.

Brett Homenick: Please tell us about yourself and your background.

Mike Worley: I spent most of my career in law enforcement in the Boise, Idaho, area. I retired from that to teach at a university.

BH: How did you meet Linda Hardisty?

MW: Linda was born and raised in Boise, Idaho. My cousin was Linda’s good friend in junior high and high school. She introduced us when Linda came back to the U.S. because of a death in her family. My cousin felt that we were very similar in temperament and interests.

BH: How would you describe your relationship with her?

MW: We enjoyed a magical and special time together. As with many couples at that stage of life, we discussed our careers, our aspirations, our future, marriage, and children. Career pursuits separated us, but we stayed in touch, and I anticipated a day when we would be together again. But time and circumstances and a tragedy did not allow that.

BH: What were her hobbies and interests?

MW: She loved nature and she enjoyed gardening. She also enjoyed interpretive dance.

BH: Why did she move to Japan?

MW: After she graduated from high school, she went to Japan to visit her sister. Her sister’s husband was stationed in Japan with the U.S. military.

BH: How did she feel about her experiences there?

MW: She loved Japan very much. It was always her goal to go back someday. Although she enjoyed her experiences as an actress, she was most happy teaching English to Japanese people, from children to adults. That was the thing she really wanted to continue doing.

BH: Did she talk about her acting and modeling jobs there?

MW: She had not aspired to be an actress but enjoyed the opportunity, the work, and the people she met there. We discussed some of her experiences, but it wasn’t something we talked about a lot.

BH: What did she do after she came back to the States? What kind of a career did she have?

MW: She graduated from Boise State College (now Boise State University) with a degree in English. She had previously attended Sophia University in Tokyo and was able to transfer most of her credits. She became an English teacher in the U.S.

BH: Unfortunately, Linda passed away at the young age of 39. How did you find out about her passing?

MW: I received a phone call on the morning following her death. It was a shock and very unexpected.

BH: What else would you like to us to know about Linda? How should we remember her?

MW: Linda was a beautiful spirit, extremely intelligent, and a loving and caring person. She had an endearing shyness about her but could put it aside when needed. She was most happy when she could share her knowledge with others, which made her a wonderful teacher.

To find out more about Mike Worley, and to order his mystery and suspense novels, please visit his official Web site.