Irene Ryan

Infobox actor
name = Irene Ryan

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imagesize = 220px
caption =
occupation = actress
yearsactive =
birthdate = birth date|1902|10|17
birthplace = San Francisco, CA, U.S.
deathdate = death date and age|1973|4|26|1902|10|17
deathplace = New York City, NY, U.S.
spouse = Harold E. Knox (1946 - 1961)
Tim Ryan (1922 - 1942)
partner =
children =
parents =
website =
awards =

Irene Ryan (October 17, 1902 – April 26, 1973) was an Emmy- and Tony Award-nominated actress, one of the few entertainers who found success in vaudeville, radio, film, television and Broadway.

She is most widely known for her portrayal of "Granny" on the long-running TV series "The Beverly Hillbillies" (1962-1971), for which she was nominated for Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead)" in 1963 and 1964.

Personal life

Birth and Early Life

Some reports claim that Irene Ryan, who was born Irene Noblette,was born in El Paso, Texas. She was born to an American father and an Irish immigrant mother. However, the following (unattributed and unreferenced) text is included in "Trivia" about her at IMDB: "Commonly thought to have been born in El Paso, Texas, Irene was actually born in San Francisco, California. This is proven by personal records closer to the family, and census records. Though she may never have known it, Irene was a 3rd cousin once removed to another actress, Mary Castle, (born Mary Ann Noblett). Both had common ancestral roots in the Noblet - Noblitt - Noblett family of Appalachian Georgia and North Carolina, reaching back to Quaker immigrants from Ireland to Pennsylvania, and from Ireland to a centuries-long line of French lords named Noblet and Noblette."]

Early Acting Career

Before being known to millions as the irascible "Granny" on "The Beverly Hillbillies", Ryan was an established vaudeville, radio and movie actress, though not as well known prior to her television stint. Ryan was a part of Bob Hope's famous military tours and she was also known as "the gal who makes Bob Hope laugh." Ryan made her first television sitcom appearance on "Where's Raynmond?" which starredlate actor Ray Bolger, of "The Wizard Of Oz" fame, in 1954.

Ryan and her first husband, Tim Ryan, had a vaudeville act which became the radio show "Ted and Irene", and she also toured with comedian Bob Hope and made regular appearances on his radio show.

"The Beverly Hillbillies" (1962-1971)

In 1962, Ryan was cast as Daisey "Granny" Moses, the irascible matriarch of the Clampett clan the CBS-TV comedy series, "The Beverly Hillbillies". The sitcom ran on the CBS network from from 1962-71, and after the show ended Ryan established the Irene Ryan Acting Competition, providing annual scholarships for promising student actors.

Tony Award-winning theatrical role in "Pippin" (1972)

In 1972 Ryan helped to create and also starred in the role of Berthe in the Bob Fosse-directed Broadway musical "Pippin", in which she sang the show-stopping number "No Time At All." In 1973, Ryan was posthumously nominated for Broadway's 1973 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Musical) for her performance in the musical.

As of July 2008, Pippin is the 28th longest-running Broadway musical in musical theatre history. After Ryan's passing, the role of Berthe was assumed by veteran actress Elizabeth Welch until the remainder of "Pippin's" Broadway run, which ended in the Spring of 1977. (Welch would also appear in the West End prouduction of the play in London, England that same year. Martha Raye also would assume the role in a Canadian television version in 1981).

Marriage

Ryan's first husband was the actor Tim Ryan, with whom she had performed with as part the vaudeville stage/radio/screen act "Ted and Irene". They were married in 1922 and divorced in 1942. She married her second husband, Harold E. Knox, in 1946. They divorced in 1961.

Death

Ryan died on April 26, 1973 at the age of 70, several days following a stroke suffered during a performance of the musical "Pippin" on Broadway. She had been diagnosed with a brain tumor some time previously, but reportedly was never made aware of it. Her friend and fellow "Beverly Hillbillies" cast member, Nancy Kulp, had tried to persuade her not to go to New York for the musical. Pallbearers at her funeral included "Hillbillies" co-stars Buddy Ebsen and Max Baer, Jr., along with "Beverly Hillbillies" creator Paul Henning. The funeral was also attended by Donna Douglas and others associated with the series. Her body was interred in a mausoleum crypt at the Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery in Santa Monica, California, beside her sister, Anna Thompson.

Legacy and Charitable causes

Having no living relatives, Ryan left her more than $1,000,000 estate to fund the Irene Ryan Foundation, which donates scholarships to young theater arts students involved with the Kennedy Center's American College Theater Festival.

External links

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* [http://www.who2.com/ireneryan.html Who2 Profile Irene Ryan]
* [http://www.seeing-stars.com/imagepages/IreneRyanGravePhoto.shtml Irene Ryan's grave]
* [http://www.kennedy-center.org/education/actf/actfira.html National Irene Ryan Award Winners]