Fran Ryan
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.
Known For
Credits
- 1993 · River of Rage: The Taking of Maggie Keene as Hattie Clandell
- 1993 · Suture as Mrs. Lucerne
- 1991 · The Commish as
- 1991 · Little Dracula as
- 1990 · Thanksgiving Day as Lois
- 1990 · The New Adam-12 as Ida Collins
- 1990 · Tiny Toon Adventures as Grandma (voice)
- 1990 · The Dave Thomas Comedy Show as
- 1990 · Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again as Miss Grundy
- 1990 · The Bradys as
- 1989 · Nick Knight as Jeannie
- 1989 · Baywatch as
- 1989 · Quantum Leap as Dorothy Jaeger
- 1989 · Chances Are as Mavis Talmadge
- 1989 · Out Cold as Arlene
- 1988 · Murphy Brown as The Asp
- 1988 · Lucky Stiff as Ma
- 1987 · Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge as Hannah
- 1986 · Quiet Cool as Ma
- 1986 · The Wizard as Tillie Russell
- 1986 · Stewardess School as Fainting Lady
- 1986 · Fuzzbucket as Mrs. Langendorf
- 1986 · Matlock as
- 1985 · The Colbys as
- 1985 · Amazing Stories as Mrs. Abbott
- 1985 · Pale Rider as Ma Blankenship
- 1985 · Rebel Love as Granny Plug
- 1985 · Father of Hell Town as Mother Maggie
- 1985 · The Sure Thing as Lady in Car
- 1984 · Murder, She Wrote as Rose Mulligan
- 1984 · Highway to Heaven as
- 1984 · Punky Brewster as
- 1984 · Brothers as Mrs. Murphy
- 1984 · The Return of Marcus Welby, M.D. as Millie Clark
- 1984 · Night Court as Ethel La Rue
- 1984 · Night Court as Miss Crombie
- 1983 · Eyes of Fire as Sister (Calvin's Wife)
- 1983 · Manimal as
- 1983 · Mister T as
- 1983 · Private School as Miss Dutchbok
- 1983 · Ghost Dancing as Judge
- 1983 · Tough Enough as Gert Long
- 1982 · Johnny Belinda as Aunt Aggie McAdam
- 1982 · It Takes Two as
- 1982 · Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice as Beatrice's Mother
- 1982 · Matt Houston as
- 1982 · No Soap, Radio as
- 1982 · Savannah Smiles as Farmer Wilma
- 1981 · Falcon Crest as Cass
- 1981 · Father Murphy as
- 1981 · Stripes as Dowager in Cab
- 1981 · The Adventures of Nellie Bly as Mrs. Roman
- 1981 · Americana as Colonel
- 1981 · Foul Play as
- 1981 · Hill Street Blues as
- 1981 · Christmas Mountain as Flora
- 1980 · The Long Riders as Mrs. Samuel
- 1980 · When the Whistle Blows as
- 1979 · Goldie and the Boxer as Ethel
- 1979 · Rocky II as Adrian's Nurse (uncredited)
- 1978 · Taxi as Mrs. Elizabeth Weber
- 1978 · The Great Brain as Aunt Bertha
- 1978 · Big Wednesday as Lucy
- 1978 · Straight Time as Cafe Owner
- 1977 · Deadly Game as Frieda Beezly
- 1977 · CHiPs as Nancy
- 1977 · Carter Country as
- 1977 · Panic in Echo Park as
- 1977 · Grizzly Adams as
- 1977 · How the West Was Won as
- 1976 · Stalk the Wild Child as Ellen Mott
- 1976 · Charlie's Angels as Nurse Fager
- 1976 · Charlie's Angels as Belle Asher
- 1976 · The Quest as
- 1976 · Family Plot as Registrar Clerk (uncredited)
- 1976 · Good Heavens as
- 1976 · Laverne & Shirley as
- 1975 · One Day at a Time as
- 1975 · Starsky & Hutch as
- 1975 · Long Way Home as Marvis Bidwell
- 1975 · The Apple Dumpling Gang as Mrs. Stockley
- 1975 · Barney Miller as Mrs. Hirsch, Homeless Woman
- 1974 · Hong Kong Phooey as
- 1974 · Devlin as
- 1974 · Hog Wild as Flora
- 1973 · Sigmund and the Sea Monsters as Gertrude
- 1972 · The Waltons as
- 1972 · The Rookies as
- 1972 · New Zoo Revue as
- 1971 · Nichols as Minnie Dowd
- 1971 · The Million Dollar Duck as Mrs. Purdham (uncredited)
- 1971 · Scandalous John as Farm Woman
- 1970 · Night Gallery as
- 1970 · McCloud as
- 1969 · The Brady Bunch as
- 1969 · Mr. Deeds Goes to Town as
- 1969 · The Bill Cosby Show as Mrs. Beal
- 1969 · Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Matter of Humanities as
- 1968 · Adam-12 as Mrs. Killian
- 1966 · That Girl as
- 1966 · Batman as Chairlady
- 1965 · I Dream of Jeannie as Switchboard Operator
- 1965 · Green Acres as
- 1965 · The Front Line as Haughty Customer
- 1964 · Daniel Boone as Mrs. Jones
- 1955 · Gunsmoke as Mrs. Keller
- 1955 · Gunsmoke as Hannah