Biography.guide
Home › People › Actor › Sarah Selby
Portrait of Sarah Selby

Sarah Selby

1905 – 1980

American actress

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Sarah Selby

Lived 1905 – 1980 (aged 74). Sarah Selby was an American actor.

Sarah Elizabeth Selby (August 30, 1905 – January 7, 1980) was an American actress.

Career Selby was a character actress who played minor roles for the most part – usually a town gossip, maiden aunt, or teacher. Beginning her career as a radio actress, she made her screen debut voicing one of the elephants in Disney's Dumbo (1941). She was best known for her recurring role as Ma Smalley, the owner of a boarding house on TV's Gunsmoke (1955). She had recurring roles on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, initially as Gracie's friend Mamie Kelly, and then a recurring role as Lucille Vanderlip the society hostess wife of banker Chester Vanderlip. In 1963 she played Mrs. Cardiff in "The Way of Aaron," Season 4, Episode 24 of Bonanza. In 1964, she appeared with Jackie Cooper in "Caesar and Me", an episode of the Twilight Zone (Season 5, Episode 32). She also had a recurring role on Father Knows Best as Jim Anderson's (Robert Young) secretary.

She appeared in numerous films from 1941 to 1978. In her first role, she voiced the elephant Prissy in the movie Dumbo. Selby was an actress, known for Tower of London (1962), Beyond the Forest (1949) and a recurring role as Aunt Gertrude in The Mickey Mouse Club television series The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure (1956). Among her radio program appearances, she played various roles on 1947 Escape drama anthology series, and was a regular cast member as Grace in the 1948–50 Junior Miss radio sitcom.

Personal life and death Selby was married to Holger Yngvar Harthern-Jakobsen, and to Stanley Robert Wuliger. She died from cancer at the age of 74, on January 7, 1980, in Los Angeles California.

Feature-length films

1943 The Seventh Victim - Min Gottschalk

1944 San Diego, I Love You - Mrs. Lovelace The Curse of the Cat People - Miss Plunkett

1945 The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry - Alice Earl Carroll Vanities - Mrs. Thayer The Beautiful Cheat - Athena [Haven] Wonder Man - Woman in library The Naughty Nineties - Mrs. Hawkins

1946 One Exciting Week - Committee Woman Idea Girl - Esmeralda Little Iodine - Mrs. Bigdome

1947 Swell Guy - Lorraine Stork Bites Man - Mrs. Greene The Fabulous Texan - Unknown That's My Man - Unknown

1948 A Double Life - Anna Trapped by Boston Blackie - Mrs. Carter Train to Alcatraz - Widow's friend

1949 Beyond the Forest - Mildred Sorren Prison Warden - Vivian Markham Side Street - Nurse Williams

1950 Perfect Strangers - Mrs. Wilson

1951 Jim Thorpe – All-American - Miss Benton

1952 The Sniper - (unknown character role) The Iron Mistress - Mrs. Bowie

1953 Battle Circus - Capt. Dobbs Mister Scoutmaster - Mrs. Weber The System - Liz Allen

1954 Men of the Fighting Lady - Mrs. Syzmanski

1955 Good Morning, Miss Dove - Teacher Battle Cry - Mrs. Forrester The McConnell Story - Mom Brown

1957 An Affair to Remember - Miss Lane Short Cut to Hell - Adam's secretary Gunfire at Indian Gap - Bessie Moran Stopover Tokyo - Wife of High Commissioner No Time to Be Young - Helen Root

1962 Moon Pilot - Mrs. Celia Talbot Tower of London - The Queen

1964 Taggart - Maude Taggart

1967 Don't Make Waves - Ethyl

1973 The World's Greatest Athlete - Woman in jeep who points out cheetah

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Also known as
Sarah Elizabeth Selby

People in Sarah Selby's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Sarah Selby's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Sarah Selby?

American actress (1905–1980)

When was Sarah Selby born?

Sarah Selby was born on 30 August 1905 in Middletown.

When did Sarah Selby die?

Sarah Selby died on 7 January 1980 in Los Angeles.

What was Sarah Selby's occupation?

Sarah Selby was an actor.

What nationality was Sarah Selby?

Sarah Selby was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Sarah Selby

· Wikidata: Q3473423

· DBpedia: Sarah Selby

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Sarah Selby. https://biography.guide/sarah-selby/

MLA: "Sarah Selby." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/sarah-selby/.

Chicago: "Sarah Selby." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/sarah-selby/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:02 UTC