FR
Fran Ryan
Actor
Died January 15, 2000 (83 years)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Fran Ryan (November 29, 1916 – January 15, 2000) was an American character actress featured in television and films. She was born in Los Angeles, California.
Fran Ryan began performing at the age of 6, at Oakland's Henry Duffy Theatre, in Northern California. She attended Stanford University for three years, and during World War II was a member of the USO entertaining troops. She performed comedy, singing and acting on stage in California and Chicago but was not to launch her television career for two decades. Her small screen debut came in an episode on Television's Batman, in 1966, followed by a bit part in Beverly Hillbillies. Ryan's best known television role was as Aggie Thompson in The Doris Day Show (in its first incarnation plotline theme), though the gig only lasted a few months. This role was cut short because she was offered the 'replacement' role on the hit series Green Acres as Doris Ziffel from 1969-1971. Fran was to replace Barbara Pepper, who by then was in poor health. Sadly, Miss Pepper died just five months later of heart ailments, on July 15, 1969.
Ryan also starred on the long running TV Western series Gunsmoke during its twentieth and final season as Miss Hannah (Cobb). In 1987, she reprised the role of Miss Hannah in the TV movie Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge.
Fran Ryan played the role of Sister Agatha in the soap opera General Hospital in (1979). She also did voices for cartoons such as Hong Kong Phooey, Mister T and Little Dracula. Fran starred on some TV shows for children like Sigmund and the Sea Monsters in 1975 as Gertrude Grouch, and in 1970s children's show The New Zoo Revue as Ms. Goodbody, the 1980s TV series No Soap, Radio as Mrs. Belmont, the short lived 1980s CBS TV series The Wizard as Tillie Russell from 1986-1987. Her last regular TV role was on The Dave Thomas Comedy Show.
She starred in many feature films, including Flush (1977), Big Wednesday (1978), Take This Job and Shove It (1981), Pale Rider (1985), Chances Are, and in her scene-stealing cameo in 1981's Stripes, as a tortured cab fare to Bill Murray as the cabbie, in the opening scenes of the comedy film.
Ryan made guest appearances on TV shows ranging from Batman, Adam-12, CHiPs, Quantum Leap, Night Court, Baywatch to The Commish.
Fran Ryan was often compared to actress Marjorie Main; they looked similar to one another. Ryan died on January 15, 2000, at age 83. She is buried in the family plots alongside her mother, at the Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery, in Hayward, California.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Fran Ryan, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
| 1993 | Suture · as Mrs. Lucerne |
| 1993 | River of Rage: The Taking of Maggie Keene · as Hattie Clandell |
| 1991 | The Commish (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1990 | Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again · as Miss Grundy |
| 1990 | Over My Dead Body (TV Series) · as Building Manager |
| 1990 | The Bradys (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1990 | Tiny Toon Adventures (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1989 | Chances Are · as Mavis Talmadge |
| 1989 | Nick Knight · as Jeannie |
| 1989 | Out Cold · as Arlene |
| 1989 | Quantum Leap (TV Series) · as Dorothy Jaeger |
| 1989 | Baywatch (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1988 | Lucky Stiff · as Ma |
| 1988 | Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (TV Series) · as Camembert Kate |
| 1988 | Empty Nest (TV Series) · as Mrs. Kramer |
| 1988 | Murphy Brown (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1987 | Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge · as Hannah |
| 1987 | Houston Knights (TV Series) · as Minnie Eliza Lundy |
| 1986 | Stewardess School · as Fainting Lady |
| 1986 | Quiet Cool · as Ma |
| 1986 | Fuzzbucket · as Mrs. Langendorf |
| 1986 | The Wizard (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1986 | Matlock (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1985 | Pale Rider · as Ma Blankenship |
| 1985 | The Sure Thing · as Lady in Car |
| 1985 | Rebel Love · as Granny Plug |
| 1985 | Mr. Belvedere (TV Series) · as Mrs. Deferschmidt |
| 1985 | Hollywood Wives (TV Series) · as Nina Carrolle |
| 1985 | The Colbys (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1985 | Amazing Stories (TV Series) · as Mrs. Abbott |
| 1984 | Night Court (TV Series) · as Ethel La Rue |
| 1984 | The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries (TV Series) · as Various |
| 1984 | Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer (TV Series) · as Mike's New Secretary |
| 1984 | Murder, She Wrote (TV Series) · as Rose Mulligan |
| 1984 | Punky Brewster (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1984 | Highway to Heaven (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1983 | Tough Enough · as Gert Long |
| 1983 | Eyes of Fire · as Sister (Calvin's Wife) |
| 1983 | Private School · as Miss Dutchbok |
| 1983 | Mister T (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1983 | Webster (TV Series) · as Lt. Col. Howard |
| 1983 | Hardcastle and McCormick (TV Series) · as Mrs. Vassah |
| 1983 | Manimal (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1982 | Savannah Smiles · as Farmer Wilma |
| 1982 | Shoot the Moon · as Judge |
| 1982 | Flush · as Belle Chance |
| 1981 | Stripes · as Dowager in Cab |
| 1981 | Take This Job and Shove It · as Mrs. Hinkle |
| 1981 | Circle of Power · as Marie Davis |
| 1981 | Americana · as Colonel |
| 1981 | Christmas Mountain · as Flora |
| 1981 | Falcon Crest (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1981 | Hill Street Blues (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1980 | The Long Riders · as Mrs. Samuel |
| 1979 | Rocky II · as Adrian's Nurse (uncredited) |
| 1979 | The Dukes of Hazzard (TV Series) · as Ma Harper |
| 1979 | Benson (TV Series) · as Molly Emerson |
| 1979 | Salvage 1 (TV Series) · as Melba |
| 1978 | Big Wednesday · as Lucy |
| 1978 | Straight Time · as Cafe Owner |
| 1978 | The Great Brain · as Aunt Bertha |
| 1978 | Taxi (TV Series) · as Mrs. Elizabeth Weber |
| 1977 | Deadly Game · as Frieda Beezly |
| 1977 | Panic in Echo Park · as Unknown |
| 1977 | CHiPs (TV Series) · as Nancy |
| 1977 | The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1976 | Family Plot · as Registrar Clerk |
| 1976 | The Quest (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1976 | Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (TV Series) · as Miss Adeline Jeeter |
| 1976 | How the West Was Won (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1976 | Charlie's Angels (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1976 | Three's Company (TV Series) · as Grace |
| 1976 | Laverne & Shirley (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1975 | The Apple Dumpling Gang · as Mrs. Stockley |
| 1975 | Long Way Home · as Marvis Bidwell |
| 1975 | Starsky & Hutch (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1975 | One Day at a Time (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1975 | Barney Miller (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1974 | How to Seduce a Woman · as Mrs. Toklas |
| 1974 | Devlin (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1974 | Hong Kong Phooey (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1973 | Sigmund and the Sea Monsters (TV Series) · as Gertrude |
| 1972 | The Rookies (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1972 | The Waltons (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1971 | The Million Dollar Duck · as Mrs. Purdham (uncredited) |
| 1971 | Scandalous John · as Farm Woman |
| 1971 | Nichols (TV Series) · as Minnie Dowd |
| 1971 | Columbo (TV Series) · as Woman at Airport |
| 1970 | The Partridge Family (TV Series) · as 1st Wife |
| 1970 | McCloud (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1970 | Scream, Evelyn, Scream! · as The Old Woman |
| 1969 | The Bill Cosby Show (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1969 | Night Gallery (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1969 | The Brady Bunch (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1969 | Marcus Welby, M.D. (TV Series) · as Nurse Prifogle |
| 1968 | The Doris Day Show (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1968 | Adam-12 (TV Series) · as Mrs. Killian |
| 1967 | Ironside (TV Series) · as Charge Nurse |
| 1966 | That Girl (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1966 | Batman (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1965 | Mickey One · as Homeless Woman |
| 1965 | Green Acres (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1965 | Days of Our Lives (TV Series) · as Rosie Carlson |
| 1965 | I Dream of Jeannie (TV Series) · as Switchboard Operator |
| 1964 | Daniel Boone (TV Series) · as Mrs. Jones |
| 1963 | General Hospital (TV Series) · as Sister Agatha |
| 1962 | The Beverly Hillbillies (TV Series) · as Mrs. Meek |
| 1959 | |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke (TV Series) · as Hannah |
| 1954 | Disneyland (TV Series) · as Flora |