Irene Tedrow

Irene Tedrow (August 3, 1907 – March 10, 1995) was an American character actress in stage, film, television and radio.

Among her notable roles are as Janet Archer in the radio series Meet Corliss Archer, Mrs. Lucy Elkins on the TV sitcom Dennis the Menace, and as Mrs. Webb in the stage production Our Town at the Plumstead Playhouse.

Early life Irene Tedrow was born in Denver, Colorado to Harry Ralph Beecher Tedrow and Camila Roberts Tedrow, the oldest of two sisters.

Stage Tedrow studied with Ben Iden Payne, who directed the Memorial Theater at Stratford-on-Avon, in England. She also had three seasons' experience with Maurice Evans's troupe in New York City and in national tourings. In 1931, she was a member of the Chautauqua Repertory Theater.

Tedrow was a founding member of San Diego's Old Globe Theater and was cast as an ingénue in the beginning of her career. In 1934, she portrayed 18 characters in multiple adaptations of Shakespearean plays at The Old Globe during the Chicago Fair. and Pygmalion.

Television One of Tedrow's early roles as a regular cast member on a television program was that of Mrs. Ruggles on the first season of comedy series The Ruggles (1949-1950). In 1959 she played a small part as Mrs. Adams in the weekly series Maverick in the episode "Gun Shy". She had a recurring role on the Dennis the Menace television sitcom from 1959 to 1963, portraying the character Mrs. Elkins. In 1966, she was cast in The Addams Family in the role of the stern, taciturn governess Miss Thudd ("Just call me Thudd"). As a character actor, she appears in many other shows produced from the mid-1940s into the 1970s. Some of those shows include the Lux Video Theatre, Jefferson Drum, The Real McCoys, Rawhide, Mannix, The Twilight Zone, Leave it to Beaver, and The Andy Griffith Show. In 1955, she performed on The Jack Benny Program as a contestant with Benny in a mock segment of the You Bet Your Life series hosted by Groucho Marx.

In the early 1960s, Tedrow made two guest appearances on Perry Mason, including the role of Amy Douglas in "The Case of the Ominous Outcast", and a role on Bonanza in the episode "Abner Willoughby's Return". Later, she also performed in Dundee and the Culhane, Diff'rent Strokes, The Rockford Files, Facts of Life, Three's Company and two episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show as Congresswoman Margaret Geddes. In 1976, Tedrow played Mary Ludlow Hall, Eleanor Roosevelt's grandmother in Eleanor and Franklin. she was also a regular actress on the TV series Dragnet from 1949 to 1970.

Radio Tedrow's work in radio dated back at least to 1929. As a drama student at Carnegie Institute of Technology, she was master of ceremonies and student director for "Carnegie Tech Day at Gimbel's," which was broadcast on WCAE. A 1937 radio listing shows her as one of the actresses in George Bernard Shaw's Back to Methuselah when it was broadcast on NBC Blue.

During the 1940s and 1950s, Tedrow had roles in radio productions, including The Baby Snooks Show. Tedrow appeared in an episode of Gunsmoke, titled "The Promise" (a.k.a. "The Handcuffs"), in 1954. Her roles included those shown in the table below. Program Role Aunt Mary Jessie Ward Calvert Chandu the Magician Dorothy Regent Jonathan Trimble, Esquire Alice Trimble Meet Corliss Archer Mrs. Archer The Nebbs Fannie This Is Judy Jones Mrs. Jones Source: On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio except as noted.

Recognition Tedrow's performance in Eleanor and Franklin garnered her one of the first Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Comedy or Drama Special (Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Comedy or Drama Special - 1976 per the Emmy Awards website).

Death On March 10, 1995, Tedrow died from stroke complications in Hollywood at age 87.

Trapper John, M.D. Mrs. Pinkler episode: "Love and Marriage" Quincy M.E. Mrs. Weinecke episode: "Expert in Murder" Three's Company Miss Arlington episode: "The Brunch" The Devlin Connection Margaret Hollister episode: "Erica" 1983 The Last Ninja Dr. Sanford TV movie

CBS Schoolbreak Special Miss Bowring episode: "Welcome Home, Jellybean" Family Secrets Mrs. Fenwick TV movie Remington Steele Nanny Perkins episode: "Blue Blooded Steele"

The Paper Chase Mrs. Whitney episode: "The Day Kingsfield Missed Class" The Facts of Life Grace episode: "Teacher, Teacher" Magnum, P.I. Mrs. Wilson, the Antique Dealer episode: "Going Home"

St. Elsewhere episode: "Slip Sliding Away" Punky Brewster Maude Fierstein episode: "Hands Across the Halls"

episode: "A Part of Life"

episode: "Ensign Cleaver" 14 Going on 30 May TV movie It's Garry Shandling's Show Grandma Shandling episode: "Garry Falls Down a Hole" L.A. Law Katherine Crutcher episode: "Open Heart Perjury" 1989 A Deadly Silence Grandma Virginia Pierson TV movie

Award nominations Year Award Result Category Film or series 1976Emmy AwardNominated Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Comedy or Drama Special Eleanor and Franklin 1978 Outstanding Lead Actress for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series James at 15for the episode "Ducks"