Jessie Irene (Noblitt) Ryan (1902 - 1973)

Born 17 Oct 1902 in El Paso, Texas, United States

Ancestors

Died 26 Apr 1973 at age 70 in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California, United States

Biography

Irene (Noblitt) Ryan is Notable.

Spouse(s)-

Tim Ryan (m. 1922–42); divorced

Harold E. Knox (m. 1946–61); divorced

Ryan was born Jessie (Note below) Irene Noblitt on October 17, 1902, in El Paso, Texas. She was the second child and last daughter born to Catherine "Katie" J. (née McSharry) and James Merritt Noblitt. Her father was an Army sergeant from North Carolina, and her mother had immigrated from her native Ireland. She was 17 years younger than her only sister Anna.

On March 10, 1973, Ryan suffered an apparent stroke during a performance of Pippin. She flew home to California on her doctor's orders and was hospitalized. She was diagnosed with an inoperable glioblastoma (malignant brain tumor), although reportedly she was never informed of the diagnosis. She died at St. John's Hospital, Santa Monica, California on April 26, 1973, aged 70. The causes of death were given as glioblastoma and arteriosclerotic heart disease. Her body was interred in a mausoleum crypt at the Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery in Santa Monica beside her sister, Mrs. Anna Thompson.

Irene Ryan, born Jessie (Note below), Irene Noblitt; October 17, 1902 – April 26, 1973) was an American actress who found success in vaudeville, radio, film, television, and Broadway.

Ryan is most widely known for her portrayal of Granny, the mother-in-law of Buddy Ebsen's character, on the long-running TV series The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971), for which she was nominated for Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1963 and 1964. The show also starred: Buddy Ebsen as her son-in-law Jed Clampett, Max Baer Jr. as Jed's dimwitted nephew Jethro Bodine; Donna Douglas as Jed's only child, the curvaceous, critter-loving Elly May Clampett; Raymond Bailey as Milburn Drysdale, a bank president who oversees the Clampett fortune; Harriet MacGibbon as Mrs Margaret Drysdale and Nancy Kulp as Jane Hathaway, Drysdale's secretary.

A native of San Francisco, California, she was born on October 17, the same date of the 1989 San Francisco "World Series" Earthquake.

When she didn't have her Granny make-up on, she often went unrecognized on the streets.

Interred at Woodlawn Cemetery, Santa Monica, California, USA. Her gravestone has the name Granny on it.

Since 1972, college thespians have competed annually for the prestigious Irene Ryan Scholarships (started by the Irene Ryan Foundation) at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

Toured with Bob Hope's USO troupe during World War II. (1948-1950) Radio: Co-starred on NBC Radio's The Bob Hope Show.

Had no surviving relatives; with an estate worth over $1 million, she decided to start the Irene Ryan Foundation for theatre aspirants.

After the cancellation of The Beverly Hillbillies (1962), she was offered a starring role in a proposed TV series in which she would have played a character similar to that of Granny. Despite her interest in the idea of doing a new series, she decided to put the project on hold so that she could fulfill her dream of performing on Broadway. Ultimately, the proposed TV series never came into fruition, since her death in 1973 ended any chances of it being produced.

Irene owned and frequently stayed at a summer cottage on Clark Lake in Jackson County, Michigan.

Often appeared as a celebrity panelist on Allen Ludden's Password All-Stars (1961) in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

She played the same character (Daisy Moses) on three different series: Mister Ed (1958), The Beverly Hillbillies (1962) and Petticoat Junction (1963).

Best friend of Buddy Ebsen. Played his mother In-Law on The Beverly Hillbillies (1962), in real-life, Ryan was six years Ebsen's senior. Best known for her role as Buddy Ebsen's mother-in-law, 'Daisy Moses', on the popular sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies (1962). In a live interview, Max Baer Jr., who played Jethro on The Beverly Hillbillies (1962), stated that Irene "smoked like a chimney", which made other cast members fear for her health. She was a drinker and a smoker, which led to the stroke that eventually took over her life.

1. Note: Some sources show her first name as Jessie. I cannot find a reliable source, so I have removed it from her profile.

Irene Ryan was an actress best known as Granny Moses on The Beverly Hillbillies television series from 1962-1971. She was born in 1902 and died in 1974 at age 70.

Sources

• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irene_Ryan
• http://web.archive.org/web/20180504013242/http://www.voy.com/221392/230471.htmll
• https://www.nytimes.com/1973/04/27/archives/irene-ryan-70-actress-is-dead-beverly-hillbillies-granny-had-role.html
• https://books.google.com/books?id=8s1CDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT1532&lpg=PT1532&dq=james+merritt+noblitt&source=bl&ots=Gh-knsgdID&sig=bGd2IPouullpCXowChnXYggQsJs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjp0Pbu59PcAhWmFzQIHeNzAbwQ6AEwDHoECAQQAQ#v=onepage&q=james%20merritt%20noblitt&f=false
• https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0752576/
• Irene Ryan - Wikipedia
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irene_Ryan