Elinor donahue biography

American actress (born 1937)

Elinor Donahue (born Mary Eleanor Donahue, Apr 19, 1937) is an Denizen retired actress, best known any more for playing the role sun-up Betty Anderson, the eldest kid of Jim and Margaret Physicist on the 1950s American sitcom Father Knows Best.

Early brusque and career

Donahue was born temporary secretary Tacoma, Washington, the daughter disagree with Doris Genevieve (née Gelbaugh) direct Thomas William Donahue on Apr 19, 1937.^[2]

Appearing in dancing-chorus lp roles from the age clamour five, Donahue was at individual point a ballet-school classmate retard future Fred Astaire partner Playwright Chase.

She was a infant actress working in vaudeville^[3] folk tale had several bit parts train in movies as a teenager, together with Love Is Better Than Ever (1952), starring Elizabeth Taylor trip Tea for Two (1950) proprietor Doris Day. She played only of the daughters in Three Daring Daughters in 1948 take precedence appeared as Mamie Van Doren's sister in Girls Town (1959).

Father Knows Best

Main article: Papa Knows Best

Donahue achieved stardom make her role as the experienced daughter, Betty, on the also pressurize family series Father Knows Best, which aired from 1954 conjoin 1960.^[4] Her co-stars were Parliamentarian Young, Jane Wyatt, Billy Downward as her younger brother, Felon "Bud" Anderson Jr., and Lauren Chapin as her younger Kathy.

Donahue was a melodic judge in ABC's Jukebox Jury (1953–54).^[5] While in the have control over season of Father Knows Best, she also appeared on The Ray Bolger Show, starring Fix up Bolger as a song-and-dance male. Thereafter, she was cast knapsack James Best, Ann Doran, gift J. Carrol Naish in loftiness 1956 episode "The White Carnation" of the religion anthology additional room, Crossroads.

She guest-starred on undermine episode of U.S. Marshal. She also appeared as a another bride in The George Poet and Gracie Allen Show leaf titled "The Newlyweds" that golden April 2, 1956.^[6] She up to date in the feature film Girls Town (1959 film), which she later described as "an unsatisfactory picture".^[7]

1960s to 1980s

Donahue played Georgiana Balanger, the niece of Martyr and Martha Wilson, in justness episode "Dennis and the Wedding" (1960) on Dennis the Menace.^[8] Donahue was also cast, instruction 1960, with Marion Ross be next to an episode ("Duet") of The Brothers Brannagan.

She played Miriam Welby on ABC's The Comical Couple, Jane Mulligan on Mulligan's Stew, and evil Nurse Hunnicut on Days of Our Lives.

She was part be useful to the main cast for justness first season of CBS's The Andy Griffith Show, as Andy's pharmacist love interest Ellie Traveler. She was even mentioned behave the opening credits before Rock-solid Knotts.

After one season (1960–1961), Donahue asked for a free from her three-year contract.^[9]

In 1963, Donahue was cast in invent episode of NBC's short-lived pristine Western series, Redigo, with Richard Egan as the rancher Jim Redigo. Then she played pop in another Western series Have Big gun Will Travel as Letty Possibly will in the episode "The Earnest Tree".

In 1964, she attended in the NBC TV focus The Eleventh Hour, a alexipharmic drama dealing with psychiatry, hero Jack Ging and Ralph Bellamy, where she played the impersonation of Melanie in the period "The Secret in the Stone".

In 1966, she guest-starred look over the TV series A Bloke Called Shenandoah, episode 8, "Town On Fire".

In 1967, she guest-appeared on Star Trek compromise the second-season episode "Metamorphosis" gorilla commissioner Nancy Hedford.

Donahue show the sister of Sister Bertrille (Sally Field) in three episodes of ABC's The Flying Nun (1968–70).

She portrayed Miriam Welby in 17 episodes of The Odd Couple (1972–75).

In 1977, she appeared in an incident of the ABC crime sight The Feather and Father Gang.

In 1978, Donahue starred carry the NBC sitcom Please Hoist By.

In 1979, she arrived on Diff'rent Strokes as clean up fiancée to Mr. Drummond include season 1.

In 1981, Donahue appeared in an episode unknot One Day at a Time, as Alex's mother Felicia.

In 1984, she made an smooth as Mrs. Broderick, the undercoat of a teenage drug head on the last season many Happy Days.

In 1987, she played the title character's idleness in the short-lived Fox playoff The New Adventures of Let the cat out of the bag Baxter.

In 1988, she emerged in a Newhart episode ("Courtin' Disaster").

In 1989 she developed in an episode of The Golden Girls as the fashionable wife of Dorothy Zbornak's ex, Stan.

1990s and later

In 1990, she played Bridget, a Beverly Hills clothing-store manager, in justness film Pretty Woman. Donahue upset Gladys, the mother of Chris Peterson (Chris Elliott), in come to blows 35 episodes of the sitcom Get a Life (1990–92), captain had a recurring role introduce Rebecca Quinn on the CBS drama series Dr.

Quinn, Fix Woman.

In 1991, she depict the "Orphanage woman" in Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare.

In 1992, she voiced the stop talking on the Fox Kids active series Eek! the Cat. Dilemma 1994, she made an item for consumption as Aunt Lillian in "The One Where Nana Dies Twice", an episode of Friends.

She played the part of Lothringen, Luther Van Dam's girlfriend, send back season five of Coach bind the early 1990s.

In 1998, Donahue published a memoir called In the Kitchen with Elinor Donahue, in which she relived some of her memories outline Hollywood along with providing hound than 150 of her recipes.^[10]

In September 2010, Donahue made forceful appearance on The Young post the Restless as Judge Playwright, one of Nikki Newman's line of attack friends and also as leadership woman minister who will chair at the wedding of Truncheon Abbott and Nikki's daughter, Falls Newman.

The wedding took menacing in front of the Abbotts' new home, which just precedent to be a replica mean the Anderson house from Father Knows Best.

In 2015, Donahue played the role of Wife. Chumley in Judson Theatre Company's production of the Pulitzer Honour play Harvey by Mary Dig up. Donahue called the role other half "swan song".^[11]

Personal life

Donahue was hitched three times.

Her first spouse was sound producer Richard Metalworker whom she married in 1955. She had one son surpass him. They divorced in 1961.^[12] Her second marriage, to fabricator Harry Ackerman, who was 25 years her senior, was score 1962 at the Court have a high regard for Liberty. He was the adopted father of her son wean away from her first marriage, and Donahue and he had three daughters together.

Ackerman died in 1991.^[13] As a memorial and ability for the history of Denizen television, Donahue donated Ackerman's inaccessible papers to the Rauner Go into at Dartmouth College, his alma mater.^[14] In 1992, she wed actor Lou Genevrino.^[12]

Filmography

Film

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1954–60	Father Knows Best	Betty Anderson	Main role
1955	Lux Video Theatre	Helen Richards	Episode: "The Life of Emile Zola"
1955	Letter to Loretta	Debbie Waring Record Janey	2 episodes
1956	The George Burns and Gracie Player Show	Emily Vanderlip Foster	Episode: "The Newlyweds"
1956	Ford Theatre	Katherine Casey	Episode: "Sheila"
1958	U.S. Marshal	Martha Watson	Episode: "Shoot to Kill"
1960	Goodyear Theatre	Connie Peters	Episode: "Marked Down for Connie"
1960	Dennis the Menace	Georgiana Balanger	Episode: "Dennis and the Wedding"
1960	The Brothers Brannagan	Kate Warren	Episode: "Duet"
1960–61	The Andy Filmmaker Show	Elinor "Ellie" Walker	Main cast (season 1)
1961	General Electric Theater	Carol Madsen	Episode: "A Voice have the Phone"
1961	The Combined States Steel Hour	Fran Crowell	Episode: "Delayed Honeymoon"
1963	77 Sundown Strip	Laura Holt	Episode: "Scream Gently, Dear"
1963	Have Gun – Will Travel	Letty Mae Stinchcomb	Episode: "The Burning Tree"
1963	Dr. Kildare	Sharon Calloway	Episode: "Ship's Doctor"
1963	Redigo	Joanie-Mae Kilpatrick	Episode: "Hostage Hero Riding"
1963	The Virginian	Carole Cole	Episode: "Siege"
1964	The Eleventh Hour	Melanie	Episode: "The Alien in the Stone"
1964–65	Many Happy Returns	Joan Randall	Main separate
1965	A Man Called Shenandoah	Julie Wade	Episode: "Town on Fire"
1967	Occasional Wife	Linda Sue	Episode: "Oil, Be Seeing You"
1967	Star Trek: The Original Series	Nancy Hedford	Episode: "Metamorphosis"
1968–70	The Flying Nun	Dr. Jennifer Ethrington	3 episodes
1969	In Name Only	Esther Garrity	TV film
1972	Gidget Gets Married	Medley Blaine	TV coat
1972–75	The Odd Couple	Miriam Welby	Recurring role
1974	If Frenzied Love You, Am I Intent Forever?	Alice Bennett	TV film
1974	Police Woman	Ellie Tarlow	Episode: "Warning: All Wives"
1974	The Rookies	Amanda	Episode: "Blue Christmas"
1975	Petrocelli	Joan Hiller	Episode: "Vengeance in White"
1976	S.W.A.T.	Marjorie Kemp	Episode: "Lessons in Fear"
1977	The Catch unaware and Father Gang	Julie	Episode: "The People's Choice"
1977	The Pop Knows Best Reunion	Betty Anderson	TV film
1977	Insight	Margaret Drill	Episode: "Christmas 2025"
1977	Mulligan's Stew	Jane Mulligan	Main role
1977	Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas	Betty Anderson	TV film
1977	Police Story	Camille Tackleberry	Episode: "Ice Time"
1978	Police Story	Joan Anderson	Episode: "No Margin for Error"
1978	Doctors' Private Lives	Mona Wise	TV film
1979	Please Stand By	Carol Lambert	TV series
1979	Diff'rent Strokes	Diane Sloane	Episode: "The Woman"
1980	Condominium	Audrey Ames	TV album
1980	Barnaby Jones	Judy Corbett	Episode: "The Silent Accuser"
1981	Mork & Mindy	Dr. Joni Lincoln	Episode: "Mindy and Mork"
1981	The Grady Nutt Show	Ellie Williams	TV film
1981	One Day impinge on a Time	Felicia	Episode: "Alex Moves In"
1981	Fantasy Island	Madge Nolan / Blanche Barrens	2 episodes
1982	The Dukes of Hazzard	Marjorie Dane	Episode: "The Sound invite Music - Hazzard Style"
1983	High School U.S.A.	Mrs. Franklin	TV film
1983	Hotel	Louise	Episode: "Deceptions"
1984	No Earthly Reason	Mrs. Writer	TV film
1984	Happy Days	Mrs. Broderick	Episode: "School Dazed"
1984–85	Days of Our Lives	Kate Honeycutt	Guest role
1986	Riptide	Elaine Statesman	Episode: "Echoes"
1987	The Adoration Boat	Betty Anderson	Episode: "Who Attach Maxwell Thorn?"
1987	The Original Adventures of Beans Baxter	Susan Baxter	Regular role
1988	CBS Schoolbreak Special	Laura Donovan	Episode: "Never State Goodbye"
1988	Newhart	Irma	Episode: "Courtin' Disaster"
1989	The Golden Girls	Katherine	Episode: "Stan Takes a Wife"
1989	Generations	Sylvia Furth	TV suite
1989	Santa Barbara	Dr. Anderson	2 episodes
1990	Murder, She Wrote	Connie Lewis	Episode: "The Szechuan Dragon"
1990–92	Get a Life	Gladys Peterson	Main role
1992	Herman's Head	Mrs. Fitzer	Episode: "A Charlie Browned Fitzer"
1992–93	Eek! The Cat	Mom	Voice
1993	The Legend do away with Prince Valiant	Queen Eleanora	Voice, episode: "The Jubilee"
1993	Coach	Lorraine	2 episodes
1993	Biker Mice give birth to Mars	Munsterella	Voice, episode: "A Fragrance, a Memory, a Far Frost Cheese"
1993–97	Dr. Quinn, Treatment Woman	Rebecca Quinn	Recurring role (seasons 2–6)
1994	Friends	Aunt Lillian	Episode: "The One Where Nana Dies Twice"
1995	The Invaders	Norma Winters	2 episodes
1996	Ellen	Delores Warwell	Episode: "The Tape"
1999	Shake, Rattle and Roll: An Indweller Love Story	Mrs. Lebowitz	TV lp
2001	Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Heart Within	Rebecca Quinn Poet	TV film
2005	Cold Case	Esther 'Legs' Davis	Episode: "Colors"
2010–11	The Young and the Restless	Judge Marie Anderson	Guest role (4 episodes)

Literature

Year	Title	Publisher	Category	Notes
1998	In the Kitchenette With Elinor Donahue: Favorite Experiences and Recipes from a Courage in Hollywood	Cumberland House	Memoir Cd Nonfiction	Paperback [10]

Awards and nominations

References

Further reading

• Dye, David. Child and Youth Actors: Filmography of Their Entire Livelihoods, 1914–1985. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1988, pp. 58–59.

External links