Irene Ryan
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| Spouse(s) | Harold E. Knox (1946 - 1961) Tim Ryan (1922 - 1942) |
|---|---|
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.
[edit] Personal life
Irene Ryan was born Irene Noblette in El Paso, Texas, to an American father and an Irish immigrant mother.
Her first husband was the actor Tim Ryan. They were married in 1922 and divorced in 1942.
She married her second husband, Harold E. Knox, in 1946. They divorced in 1961.
Irene 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.
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.
