Summary
Helen Kleeb (January 6, 1907 – December 28, 2003)[3] was an American film and television actress. In a career covering nearly 50 years, she may be best known for her role from 1972 to 1981 as Miss Mamie Baldwin on the family drama The Waltons.[4][5][6]
Helen Kleeb | |
|---|---|
 Kleeb in Kansas City Confidential (1952) | |
| Born | January 6, 1907 |
| Died | December 28, 2003 (aged 96) Los Angeles, California[2] |
| Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1952–1997 |
| Spouse(s) |
John Gerald Prendergast
(m. 1937–1950)Elmer Garrison (m. 1959–2003) |
| Children | 1 |
Early life and career edit
Kleeb began acting on stage in Portland, Oregon, late in the 1920s, where she attended the Ellison-White Conservatory of Music.[7] She also gained her first radio experience in Portland.[3]
From 1949 to 1951, she performed voices for the radio program Candy Matson. In 1956–1957, Kleeb guest-starred on Hey, Jeannie!, starring Jeannie Carson. In the 1960–1961 television season, Kleeb appeared as Miss Claridge, a legal secretary, on the sitcom Harrigan and Son.
She appeared in episodes of Dennis the Menace, I Love Lucy, Pete and Gladys, Hennesey, Death Valley Days, Get Smart, The Andy Griffith Show, Green Acres, Bewitched, Gunsmoke (as “Mrs. Randolph” in S1E38’s “Unknown Grave” - 1956), Little House: A New Beginning, Highway to Heaven, Room 222, and The Golden Girls as well as in small film roles in The Manchurian Candidate, and Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte. She also appeared in a number of episodes of The Waltons, as well as Dragnet, starring Jack Webb, during the 1950s. Kleeb also appeared on many radio drama shows, some now playing on XM Satellite Radio.
Personal life edit
Kleeb's first marriage and the birth of a son, Tom Pendergast, caused a hiatus in her career. After her first husband's death in 1950, she taught drama at a college before she returned to acting.[8] She is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City.[9]
Filmography edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Kansas City Confidential | Mrs. Crane | Uncredited | |
| 1953 | 99 River Street | Miss Henderson | Uncredited | |
| Half a Hero | Desk Nurse | Uncredited | ||
| 1954 | Witness to Murder | Nurse in Mental Ward | Uncredited | |
| Magnificent Obsession | Mrs. Eden | |||
| 1955 | There's Always Tomorrow | Miss Walker | ||
| The Desperate Hours | Miss Wells | Uncredited | ||
| 1956 | A Day of Fury | Mrs. McLean | ||
| Friendly Persuasion | Old Lady | Uncredited | ||
| 1957 | Hot Summer Night | Scrub Woman | Uncredited | |
| The Invisible Boy | Miss Vandergrift | Uncredited | ||
| 1958 | High School Confidential | Miss Dodge | Uncredited | |
| Summer Love | Bit Role | Uncredited | ||
| I Want to Live! | Prison Matron | Uncredited | ||
| 1959 | Curse of the Undead | Dora | ||
| The Gazebo | Miss Spence | Uncredited | ||
| 1960 | Cage of Evil | Mrs. Melton, Cherry's Motel | ||
| 1961 | The Young Savages | Mrs. Patton | Uncredited | |
| Ada | Mrs. Smith | Uncredited | ||
| 1962 | The Manchurian Candidate | Mrs. Henry Whittaker - Chairlady | Uncredited | |
| 40 Pounds of Trouble | Child Welfare Worker | Uncredited | ||
| 1963 | Toys in the Attic | Warkins' Secretary | Uncredited | |
| 1964 | Seven Days in May | Esther Townsend | ||
| Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte | Town Gossip | |||
| Sex and the Single Girl | Hilda | |||
| 1965 | The Hallelujah Trail | Henrietta | ||
| 1965 | Get Smart | Frieda | Season 1, episode 4: Our Man in Toyland | |
| 1966 | Munster, Go Home! | Emily | Uncredited | |
| The Fortune Cookie | The Lawyers' Receptionist | |||
| 1967 | Eight on the Lam | Bit Role | Uncredited | |
| Fitzwilly | Mrs. Mortimer | |||
| 1968 | The Party | Secretary | ||
| Blue | Elizabeth Parker | |||
| 1968 | The Virginian (TV series) | Mrs. Mauder | saison 7 episode 13 (Big Tiny) | |
| 1969-1971 | Room 222 | Mrs. Tandy | recurring character | |
| 1970 | Halls of Anger | Rita Monahan | ||
| 1971 | Star Spangled Girl | YWCA Receptionist | ||
| 1972-1981 | The Waltons | Mamie Baldwin | recurring character | |
| 1982 | The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas | Dora | ||
| 1985 | Who’s the Boss | Mrs. Randolf | Season 1, episode 16: Angela’s Ex part 2 | |
| 1988 | The Golden Girls | Elizabeth Ann Hollingsworth | Season 3, episode 25: Mother's Day | |
| 1997 | A Walton Easter | Miss Mamie Baldwin | TV movie |
References edit
- ^ "LIVES OF NOTE: [2 Edition]". Dominion Post (New Zealand). January 15, 2004. p. B9. ProQuest 337939993.
Kleeb's many feature-film appearances included parts in The Manchurian Candidate (alongside Frank Sinatra, 1962) and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (starring Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton, 1982). -- B South Bend, Washington January 6, 1907; d December 28, 2003
- ^ Hayward, Anthony (January 12, 2004). "Obituary: Helen Kleeb ; Eccentric Miss Mamie in `The Waltons': [FOREIGN Edition]". The Independent. p. 18. ProQuest 10641041.
Helen Kleeb, actress: born South Bend, Washington 6 January 1907; married first 1937 John Prendergast (died 1950; one son), secondly Elmer Garrison (died 2004); died Los Angeles 28 December 2003.
- ^ a b Lentz, Harris M. III (2008). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2003: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. ISBN 9780786452088. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
- ^ "Helen Kleeb". BFI. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012.
- ^ "Helen Kleeb movies, photos, movie reviews, filmography, and biography - AllMovie". AllMovie.
- ^ "The Waltons: The Baldwin Sisters". the-waltons.com. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- ^ Johnson, Jimmy (August 18, 1977). "Two Sisters Have 'The Recipe'". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, Vermont. Gannett News Service. p. 27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Smith, Carol (November 11, 1973). "Actress Helen Kleep Happy Over Success Of 'Waltons'". Longview News-Journal. p. 9E. Retrieved December 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.
External links edit
- Helen Kleeb at IMDb