Irene Ryan
Birthday: Born in 1902-10-17 in El Paso, Texas, USA
Deathday: 1973-04-26
Before becoming known to millions as Granny on The Beverly Hillbillies (1962), Irene Ryan was already an established vaudeville, radio and movie actress, though not as famous prior to her television stint. She accompanied Bob Hope on his famous military tours and she was known as "the gal who makes Bob Hope laugh." After being cast as Granny, she became famous overnight. When the Hillbillies ended, she co-starred in the Broadway musical 'Pippin' with Ben Vereen. Unfortunately, despite wonderful reviews from critics, Ryan took ill, was discovered to have an inoperable brain tumor and died soon after at the age of 70.
TV Credits
Mister Ed
Character:
Wilbur Post and his wife Carol move into a beautiful new home. When Wilbur takes a look in his new barn, he finds that the former owner left his horse behind. This horse is no ordinary horse . . . he can talk, but only to Wilbur, which leads to all sorts of misadventures for Wilbur and his trouble-making sidekick Mister Ed....
My Three Sons
Character:
A widower and aeronautical engineer named Steven Douglas raises three sons with the help of his father-in-law, and later the boys' great-uncle. An adopted son, a stepdaughter, wives, and another generation of sons join the loving family in later seasons....
The Beverly Hillbillies
Character: Granny
Jed Clampett's swamp is loaded with oil. When a wildcatter discovers the huge pool, Jed sells his land to the O.K. Oil Company and at the urging of cousin Pearl, moves his family to a 35-room mansion in Beverly Hills, California....
Petticoat Junction
Character: Granny
The Bradley family are proud owners of the Shady Rest Hotel. Kate and her three young daughters do the job of running the hotel....
The Merv Griffin Show
Character: Self
The Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show, starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, September 20, 1965 to August 15, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 at 11:30 PM ET weeknights on CBS and again in first-run syndication from February 14, 1972 to September 5, 1986....
General Electric Theater
Character: Mrs. Bryant
General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations....
The Hollywood Palace
Character: Self - Panelist
The Hollywood Palace is an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly on ABC from January 4, 1964 to February 7, 1970. Originally titled The Saturday Night Hollywood Palace, it began as a mid-season replacement for The Jerry Lewis Show, another variety show which had lasted only three months. It was staged in Hollywood at the former Hollywood Playhouse on Vine Street, which was renamed The Hollywood Palace during the show's duration and is today known as Avalon Hollywoo...
The Real McCoys
Character:
The Real McCoys is an American situation comedy co-produced by Danny Thomas' "Marterto Productions", in association with Walter Brennan and Irving Pincus' "Westgate" company. The series aired for five seasons on the ABC-TV network from 1957 through 1962 and then for its final year on CBS from 1962 to 1963. The series, set in the San Fernando Valley of California, was filmed in Hollywood at Desilu studios....
The Dean Martin Show
Character:
The Dean Martin Show, also known as The Dean Martin Variety Show, is a TV variety-comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by entertainer Dean Martin. The theme song to the series was his 1964 hit "Everybody Loves Somebody."...
Matinee Theater
Character:
Matinee Theater is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from 1955 to 1958. The series, which ran daily in the afternoon, was frequently live. It was produced by Albert McCleery, Darrell Ross, George Cahan and Frank Price with executive producer George Lowther. McCleery had previously produced the live series Cameo Theatre which introduced to television the concept of theater-in-the-round, TV plays staged with minimal sets. Jim Buckley of the Pewter...
The Bob Hope Show
Character: Self
The Bob Hope Show hosted by Bob Hope, debuted on April 9, 1950. During the 1952-1953 season, NBC rotated with other variety shows in a Sunday night block known as "The Colgate Comedy Hour" (Sept. 1950 to Dec. 1955). Also known as, "The Chevy Show with Bob Hope." When the first special debuted in October of 1950 it was the most expensive television program made up to that point - costing an astronomical $1,500 a minute to produce. Bob Hope had his own television show and radio show at the same ti...
Alcoa Theatre
Character: Martha Henderson
Alcoa Theatre is a half-hour American anthology series telecast on NBC at 9:30 pm on alternate Monday nights from October 7, 1957 to September 16, 1960. The program also aired under the title Turn of Fate, with the stories depicting the difficulties faced by individuals who are suddenly thrust into unexpected and perilous dangers. Alcoa Theatre was syndicated together with Goodyear Theatre as Award Theatre. In 1955, The Alcoa Hour premiered in a one-hour format aired on Sunday nights, but it wa...
The Danny Kaye Show
Character: Self
The Danny Kaye Show is an American variety show hosted by Danny Kaye that aired on CBS from 1963 to 1967 on Wednesday nights. Directed by Robert Scheerer, the show premiered in black-and-white, but later switched to color broadcasts. At the time, Kaye was at the height of his popularity, having starred in a string of successful films in the 1940s and '50's, made successful personal appearances at such venues as the London Palladium, and appeared many times on television. His most recent films ha...
Love, American Style
Character:
An anthology comedy series featuring a line up of different celebrity guest stars appearing in anywhere from one, two, three, and four short stories or vignettes within an hour about versions of love and romance....
Movie Credits
The Woman on the Beach
Character: Mrs. Mary Wernecke
A sailor suffering from post-traumatic stress becomes involved with a beautiful and enigmatic seductress married to a blind painter....
The Diary of a Chambermaid
Character: Louise
Celestine, the chamber-maid, has a new job in the country, at the Lanlaires. She has decided to use her beauty to seduce a wealthy man, but Mr. Lanlaire is not a right choice: the house is firmly controlled by Madame Lanlaire, helped by the strange valet Joseph. Then she tries the neighbour, former officer Mauger. This seems to work. But soon the son of the Lanlaires comes back. He is young, attractive and does not share his mother's antirepublican opinions. So Celestine's beauty attracts Captai...
Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title
Character: Granny (uncredited)
A man is mistaken by foreign agents for a defecting cosmonaut and must prove his identity while evading capture....
That Night with You
Character: Prudence
In this musical comedy, a young singer becomes so desperate to appear on Broadway that she goes to a prominent producer and tells him that she is the daughter who resulted from his day-long marriage to a young woman he knew years ago. The producer is delighted and soon puts his daughter up on stage. The trouble begins when the girl's "mother" suddenly pays a call. For her own reasons, the woman decides to play along with the girl's ruse. Fortunately, by the story's end, the truth is revealed, al...
That's the Spirit
Character: Bilson
A vaudeville performer returns from the dead to help his wife and daughter, who are being dominated by a greedy banker....
San Diego I Love You
Character: Sheila Jones
A harried daughter tries to keep her wacky family together while trying to sell her eccentric father's latest invention, a collapsible life raft....
Arch of Triumph
Character: Irate Wife (uncredited)
In the winter of 1938, Paris is crowded with refugees from the Nazis, who live in the black shadows of night, trying to evade deportation. One such is Dr. Ravic, who practices medicine illegally and stalks his old Nazi enemy Haake with murder in mind. One rainy night, Ravic meets Joan Madou, a kept woman cast adrift by her lover's sudden death. Against Ravic's better judgment, they become involved in a doomed affair....
Bonzo Goes to College
Character: Nancy
When Bonzo turns out to be the answer to the football teams troubles, the only solution is to enroll him college....
Blackbeard, the Pirate
Character: Alvina, a lady in waiting
Honest Robert Maynard finds himself serving as ship's surgeon under the infamous pirate Blackbeard....
Half Angel
Character: Nurse Kay
Nurse Nora Gilpin plans are to marry building contractor Tim McCarey and settle down. But one night a sleepwalking Nora slips into a provocative dress and goes to the home of startled lawyer John Raymond, for whom she doesn't care much during the day. She does not reveal her name and he cannot figure out where they have met, but they spend several hours together until she gets away before John notices....
Spring Reunion
Character: Miss Stapleton
A spinster finally finds the right man when she returns to her alma mater after 15 years for a class reunion....
Heading for Heaven
Character: Molly
A fake swami and his crooked business partner, hoping to buy the land that's targeted for a new airport, convince the property's owner that he hasn't long to live....
Meet Me After the Show
Character: Tillie
A Broadway star devises a scheme to win back her husband when she suspects he's being unfaithful....
Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven
Character: Opal Cheever
Eddie Tayloe's grandfather leaves him six thousand dollars and the money belt it came in, freeing Tayloe to leave his dull newspaper job in Texas and move to New York to become a playwright. Along the way, his car breaks down and a girl walking along the highway asks for a lift. It turns out she's a nice girl, named Perry, running away from a job at a gasoline station. Soon they're off to New York together, but part ways once they arrive. Time passes and Eddie is failing to sell his play; Perry ...
Sarong Girl
Character: Irene Raynor
A dancer in a girlie show plots revenge when a judge orders her show closed....
The WAC From Walla Walla
Character: WAC Sgt. Kearns
An unsophisticated country girl accidentally joins the army....
Reveille with Beverly
Character: Elsie (uncredited)
Beverly Ross, the switchboard operator at a local radio station, jumps at the chance to be the DJ for an early morning show before the soldiers at a nearby army camp assemble for reveille. Beverly, with her modern music, camp bulletins and chatter, is a hit with the soldiers. Beverly's younger brother and his two buddies are soldiers at the camp. The buddies vie for Beverly's attentions....
Hot Rhythm
Character: Polly Kane (as Irene)
Jimmy O'Brien (Robert Lowery)and Sammy Rubin (Sidney Miller), write jingle commercials for radio, and meet Mary Adams (Dona Drake), who wants to break into radio as a soloist for a band....
Mighty Joe Young
Character: Southern Belle at the Bar (uncredited)
A young woman, Jill Young, grew up on her father's ranch in Africa, raising a large gorilla named Joe from an infant. Years later, she brings him to Hollywood to become a star....
Desire in the Dust
Character: Nora Finney
Lonnie Wilson returns to small southern hometown after spending six years on the chain-gang for killing Colonel Ben Marquand's son in an automobile accident. He revives his love affair with Melinda Marquand...........
The Skipper Surprised His Wife
Character: Mrs. O'Rourke (uncredited)
A captain tries to keep home as tight as his ship....
My Dear Secretary
Character: Mary
A budding young writer thinks it's her lucky day when she is chosen to be the new secretary for Owen Waterbury, famous novelist. She is soon disppointed, however, when he turns out to be an erratic, immature playboy. Opposites attract, of course, but not without sub-plots that touch on competitiveness within marriage and responsibility....
The Sultan's Daughter
Character: Irene
A sultan's lovely daughter finds herself courted by a handsome American....
O, My Darling Clementine
Character: Irene (Princess Sheba)
"Dapper Dan" Franklin and his small troupe of actors become stranded in the small town of Harmony, Tennessee. The town is shackled by Blue Laws imposed upon it by a City Council under the influence of their domineering wives. Harry Cheshire is under the thumb of his sister Abigail Uppington. One look at "Pappy's" daughter Clementine, and Dan decides to stay in Harmony...Blue Laws or no....
The Beautiful Cheat
Character: Miss Beatrice Kent
The title character, played by Bonita Granville, is the secretary at a boys' reformatory. Sociology professor Noah Beery Jr. shows up to study the juvenile-delinquent mindset. Not surprisingly, he ends up taking a post-grad course in amour from the winsome Ms. Granville....
There's a Girl in My Heart
Character: Mrs. Mullin
A Gay-Nineties musical set in NYC's Bowery and East-Side explores the life of its inhabitants---an Irish policeman and his tap-dancing daughter and music-hall wife; a German professor of music and his singing daughter; and an Italian café-owner, a kindly priest, a struggling young doctor and a saloon-keeper. And a political ward-heeler, Terrence Dowd, who has a deceptive and dishonest plan to sell them all out in order to build a fight arena. But he meets his match in property-owner Claire Adams...
Melody for Three
Character: Mrs. Veronica Higby (uncredited)
Dr. Christian takes an interest in a young boy, a violin prodigy, whose mother is a divorced music teacher. His interest isn't just in the boy's music career--he believes it would be best for the boy to have his parents back together, and sets out to do just that....
Rockabilly Baby
Character: Eunice Johnson
The mysterious Mrs. Eleanor Carter moves to Springville with her two teenage children Jimmy and Cathy. Eleanor makes friends with the town's social leader Mrs. Wellington, who supports her idea for a town youth center, and she is aided by Tom Griffith, the high school principal. At the town's annual picnic, to which Eleanor has bought a band, the town busy-body Eunice reveals what she had learned from Eleanor's past....
Ricochet Romance
Character: Miss Clay
Marjorie Main is the whole show in the Universal programmer Ricochet Romance. Playing the outspoken new cook at a rundown dude ranch, Marjorie forces everyone around her to pitch in and bring some life back into the place. She also sets her sights on old layabout Chill Wills, scheming to rope the critter into marriage. Veteran comedy director Charles W. Lamont moves the proceedings along with style, never missing an opportunity for a low-comedy slapstick turn. The most surprising aspect of Ricoc...
Little Iodine
Character: Mrs. Tremble
Little Iodine does her best to break up the marriage of her parents, ruin a romance and cost her father his job....
An Old-Fashioned Girl
Character: Mrs. Shaw
A music teacher in 1870s Boston works hard to succeed, while her wealthy distant relatives find their fortunes turning....
Will You Stop?
Character: Irene / Cleopatra
Tim (Tim Ryan) has written what he thinks is a great skit about Antony and Cleopatra for the department store's annual employee show, but the boss insists on his goofy daughter (Irene Ryan) playing Cleopatra opposite Tim's Antony....