Happy Birthday Granny!! ;) Remembering Irene Ryan O:) Irene Ryan (October 17, 1902 – April 26, 1973) was an American actress, one of the few entertainers who found success in vaudeville, radio, film, television and Broadway. Ryan is most widely known for her portrayal of Granny, the mother-in-law of Buddy Ebsens character, on the long-running TV series The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971), for which she was nominated for Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1963 and 1964. Ryan was born Jessie Irene Noblett in San Francisco, California. She began her career at the age of 11 after winning $3 for singing Pretty Baby in an amateur contest at the Valencia Theater in San Francisco. Ryan was cast in 1962 as Daisy Granny Moses, the mother-in-law of patriarch J.D. Jed Clampett in The Beverly Hillbillies. According to Filmways publicist Ted Switzer, series creator and producer Paul Henning had decided to cast Bea Benaderet as Granny. However, when Ryan read for the role, “with her hair tied back in a bun and feisty as all get out, she just blew everyone away. Executive producer Al Simon and Henning immediately said: “That’s Granny”. Later, when Benaderet saw Ryans tryout, she agreed. Benaderet was cast as Jed Clampetts cousin, Pearl Bodine. On March 10, 1973, Ryan suffered a stroke during a performance of Pippin. She flew home to California on her doctors orders and was hospitalized. She died at St. Johns Hospital in Santa Monica, California on April 26, 1973..... O:) youtube/watch?v=75GCLIHPgi0
Posted on: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 03:47:27 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015