Irene Tedrow was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 character actress in stage

Stage (theatre)

In theatre or performance arts, the stage is a designated space for the performance productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience...

, film

Film

A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

, television and radio

Radio programming

Radio programming is the Broadcast programming of a Radio format or content that is organized for Commercial broadcasting and Public broadcasting radio stations....

. Tedrow is also the mother of actress Enid Kent

Enid Kent

Enid Kent is a former American television actress.She was born to William Kent, a refugee from Hitler's Germany and Irene Tedrow, an actress of radio, stage, film and television, originally from Denver, Colorado.A Hollywood High School graduate , Enid Kent explored the world of theater from an...

.

Career

Born in Denver, Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

, Tedrow was a founding member of the Old Globe Theater and was cast as an ingénue

Ingenue (stock character)

See also Disingenuous, which is not quite the antonym that it may seem!The ingénue is a stock character in literature, film, and a role type in the theatre; generally a girl or a young woman who is endearingly innocent and wholesome. Ingenue may also refer to a new young actress or one typecast in...

 in the beginning of her career. As she grew older, she found more work in films as the meddling old woman. However, she did have an intermittently recurring role as Mrs. Elkins on the Dennis the Menace television sitcom in the 1950s where her character was a kind woman. Being a character actor she was never given substantial roles, despite having appeared in many shows, includingThe Twilight Zone

The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)

The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...

, Diff'rent Strokes

Diff'rent Strokes

Diff'rent Strokes is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from November 3, 1978 to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985 to March 7, 1986...

and Facts of Life

The Facts of Life (TV series)

The Facts of Life is an American sitcom that originally ran on the NBC television network from August 24, 1979 to May 7, 1988. A spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, the series' premise focused on Edna Garrett as she becomes a housemother at the fictional Eastland School, a prestigious...

.

During the late 1940s, she was the voice of Dorothy Regent in the radio series Chandu the Magician. Theater offered a better outlet and Tedrow appeared on Broadway

Broadway theatre

Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...

 even through her eighties, in such productions as Our Town

Our Town

Our Town is a three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder. It is a character story about an average town's citizens in the early twentieth century as depicted through their everyday lives...

and Pygmalion

Pygmalion (play)

Pygmalion: A Romance in Five Acts is a play by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. Professor of phonetics Henry Higgins makes a bet that he can train a bedraggled Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, to pass for a duchess at an ambassador's garden party by teaching her to assume a veneer of...

. In 1955 she appeared on the Jack Benny Show as a contestant with Jack Benny

Jack Benny

Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...

 on You Bet Your Life

You Bet Your Life

You Bet Your Life is an American quiz show that aired on both radio and television. The original and best-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show debuted on ABC Radio in October 1947, then moved to CBS Radio in September...

 with Groucho Marx

Groucho Marx

Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...

.

Death

On March 10, 1995, Tedrow died of a stroke

Stroke

A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...

 in Hollywood

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California

Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...

. Her grave is located at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery

Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery

The Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery is a cemetery in the Westwood Village area of Los Angeles, California. It is located at 1218 Glendon Avenue in Westwood....

.

Selected filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1940	We Who Are Young	Office Girl	Uncredited
1941	Cheers for Miss Bishop Cheers for Miss Bishop Cheers for Miss Bishop is a film based on the novel Miss Bishop by Bess Streeter Aldrich. It was directed by Tay Garnett and stars Martha Scott in the title role. The other cast members include William Gargan, Edmund Gwenn, Sterling Holloway, Dorothy Peterson, Marsha Hunt, Don Douglas, and Sidney...	Teacher waving from window	Uncredited
1942	The Moon and Sixpence	Mrs. MacAndrew	Uncredited
1943	Nobody's Darling	Julia Rhodes	Uncredited
1944	Song of the Open Road Song of the Open Road Song of the Open Road is a 1944 musical comedy film directed by S. Sylvan Simon, from a screenplay by Irving Phillips and Edward Verdier.-Overview:...	Miss Casper (teacher)	Uncredited
1945	The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry	Mrs. Follinsbee	Uncredited
1946	Just Before Dawn Just Before Dawn (1946 film) Just Before Dawn is a 1946 American black-and-white crime/mystery film based on the radio drama Crime Doctor. The film is the seventh production of the series, written by Max Marcin and adapted to the screen by Eric Taylor and Aubrey Wisberg. It was directed by William Castle and starred Warner...	Nurse Florence White	Uncredited
1947	They Won't Believe Me They Won't Believe Me They Won't Believe Me is a 1947 drama film starring Susan Hayward. The black-and-white film noir was directed by Irving Pichel. The film was produced by Alfred Hitchcock's longtime assistant and collaborator, Joan Harrison.-Plot:...	First Woman	Uncredited
1948	The Mating of Millie The Mating of Millie The Mating of Millie is a 1948 romantic comedy film starring Glenn Ford and Evelyn Keyes. A single woman is willing to go to great lengths to adopt an orphan boy.-Plot:...	Receptionist	Uncredited
1949	Air Hostess	Miss Hamilton
1951	The Company She Keeps	Mrs. Seeley
1953	A Lion Is in the Streets A Lion Is in the Streets A Lion Is in the Streets is a 1953 drama film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring James Cagney as a southern politician loosely based on Huey Long. Cagney's brother William was the producer, while his younger sister Jeanne was a member of the cast. The screenplay was based on a 1945 book by Adria...	Mrs. Sophie Peck	Uncredited
1955	Santa Fe Passage Santa Fe Passage Santa Fe Passage is a United States-produced Western movie directed by William Witney, released in 1955. It stars John Payne as Kirby Randolph and Faith Domergue as Aurelie St. Clair....	Ptewaquin
1956	Slander	Marion Gregg, Secretary	Uncredited
1957	Loving You Loving You Loving You is an American motion picture directed by Hal Kanter, released by Paramount Pictures on July 9, 1957. The film stars Elvis Presley, Lizabeth Scott and Wendell Corey...	Mrs. Jessup	Uncredited
1958	Saddle the Wind	Mrs. Mary Ellison	Uncredited
1960	Please Don't Eat the Daisies Please Don't Eat the Daisies (film) Please Don't Eat the Daisies is a comedy film starring Doris Day and David Niven, made by Euterpe Inc., and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...	Mrs. Greenfield	Uncredited
1961	A Thunder of Drums A Thunder of Drums A Thunder of Drums is a 1961 Western directed by Joseph M. Newman, starring Richard Boone, George Hamilton and Luana Patten.-Plot:1st Lieutenant Curtis McQuade , a cavalry officer without field experience, is assigned to a remote, understaffed post where he attempts to adjust to this new life...	Mrs. Scarborough
1962	Deadly Duo	Lenora Spence
1965	The Cincinnati Kid The Cincinnati Kid The Cincinnati Kid is a 1965 American drama film. It tells the story of Eric "The Kid" Stoner, a young Depression-era poker player, as he seeks to establish his reputation as the best...	Mrs. Rudd
1970	Getting Straight Getting Straight Getting Straight is a 1970 American comedy-drama motion picture directed by Richard Rush, released by Columbia Pictures.The story centered upon student politics at a university in the early 1970s, seen through the eyes of non-conformist graduate student Harry Bailey...	Mrs. Stebbins
1975	Mandingo Mandingo (film) Mandingo is a 1975 film, based on the novel Mandingo by Kyle Onstott and upon the play based thereon by Jack Kirkland. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer and featured James Mason, Susan George, Perry King, Lillian Hayman, boxer-turned-actor Ken Norton, and bodybuilder and pro...	Mrs. Redfield
1978	Foul Play Foul Play Foul Play is a 1978 American comic mystery/thriller film written and directed by Colin Higgins. In it, a recently divorced librarian is drawn into a mystery when a stranger hides a roll of film in a pack of cigarettes and gives it to her for safekeeping....	Mrs. Monk
1980	Midnight Madness	Mrs. Grimhaus
1981	All Night Long All Night Long (1981 film) All Night Long is a 1981 comedy film starring Barbra Streisand, Gene Hackman, Diane Ladd, Dennis Quaid, Kevin Dobson, and William Daniels, written by W. D...	Loft Landlady
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1955	The Millionaire	Countess Turec	1 episode
	Letter to Loretta	Beatrice	1 episode
1956	On Trial	Mrs. Patterson	1 episode
1957	Highway Patrol Highway Patrol (TV series) Highway Patrol is a syndicated action crime drama series produced 1955-1959.-Overview:Highway Patrol stars Broderick Crawford as Dan Mathews, the gruff and dedicated head of a police force in an unidentified Western state...	Eileen Haley	1 episode
1958	Jefferson Drum Jefferson Drum Jefferson Drum is an American Western television series starring Jeff Richards and Eugene Martin on the NBC network that aired from April 25 to December 11, 1958.-Overview:...	Mary Easton	1 episode
	Northwest Passage Northwest Passage (TV series) Northwest Passage is a 26-episode half-hour adventure television series produced by Metro Goldwyn Mayer about Major Robert Rogers during the time of the French and Indian War . The show derived its title and the main characters Rogers, Towne, and Marriner from the 1937 novel of the same name by...	Cora Klagg	1 episode
	Leave It to Beaver Leave It to Beaver Leave It to Beaver is an American television situation comedy about an inquisitive but often naïve boy named Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver and his adventures at home, in school, and around his suburban neighborhood...	Mrs. Claudia Hathaway	1 episode
1959	Rawhide Rawhide (TV series) Rawhide is an American Western series that aired for eight seasons on the CBS network on Friday nights, from January 9, 1959 to September 3, 1965, before moving to Tuesday nights from September 14, 1965 until January 4, 1966, with a total of 217 black-and-white episodes...	Minnie Lou	1 episode
1960	Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond	Dr. J.H. Sesselshreiber	1 episode
	Mr. Lucky	Madam Maria	1 episode
	The Twilight Zone The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series) The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...	Mrs. Loren	1 episode
	Wagon Train Wagon Train Wagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957–62 and then on ABC from 1962–65...	Freda	1 episode
1961–1962	Father of the Bride Father of the Bride (TV series) Father of the Bride is an American sitcom that aired on CBS during the 1961-62 season. Produced by MGM Television, the series was based on the 1950 film of the same title...	Miss Bellamy	2 episodes
1963	Dr. Kildare	June Crowley	1 episode
	Ensign O'Toole Ensign O'Toole Ensign O'Toole is a military comedy that aired on NBC from September 23, 1962, to May 5, 1963, with 31-year-old Dean Jones in the title role of a nonchalant Navy ensign during the early 1960s. Jones, born in 1931 in Alabama and a Navy veteran of the Korean War, played an officer aboard the...	Mrs. Barnes	1 episode
	Grindl Grindl Grindl is an American situation comedy that began in the fall of 1963 on NBC, originally sponsored by Procter & Gamble. The show, starring Imogene Coca in the title role, lasted for one season.-Synopsis:...	Nurse Gardiner	1 episode
1964	Burke's Law Burke's Law Burke's Law is a detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was revived on CBS in the 1990s. The show starred Gene Barry as Amos Burke, millionaire captain of Los Angeles police homicide division, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud...	Librarian	1 episode
1965	Branded	Mrs. Wilcox	1 episode
	Karen	Mrs. Sloat	1 episode
	The Andy Griffith Show The Andy Griffith Show The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...	Mrs. Foster	1 episode
	The Fugitive The Fugitive (TV series) The Fugitive is an American drama series produced by QM Productions and United Artists Television that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1967. David Janssen stars as Richard Kimble, a doctor from the fictional town of Stafford, Indiana, who is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death...	Maude Keller	1 episode
1966	Hogan's Heroes Hogan's Heroes Hogan's Heroes is an American television sitcom that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to March 28, 1971, on the CBS network. The show was set in a German prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. Bob Crane had the starring role as Colonel Robert E...	Jenny	1 episode
1967	The Invaders The Invaders The Invaders, a Quinn Martin Production , is an ABC science fiction television program created by Larry Cohen that ran in the United States for two seasons, from January 10, 1967 to March 26, 1968...	Clare Lapham	1 episode
	The Flying Nun The Flying Nun The Flying Nun is an American sitcom produced by Screen Gems for ABC based on the 1965 book The Fifteenth Pelican, by Tere Rios, which starred Sally Field as Sister Bertrille...	Mother Provincial David	1 episode
	Dundee and the Culhane Dundee and the Culhane Dundee and the Culhane is a Western television series starring John Mills and Sean Garrison that aired on the CBS television network from September 7 to December 13, 1967....	Widow Hughes	1 episode
1969	Family Affair Family Affair Family Affair is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966 to September 9, 1971. The series explored the trials of well-to-do civil engineer and bachelor Bill Davis as he attempted to raise his brother's orphaned children in his luxury New York City apartment. Davis' traditional...	Alice	1 episode
	The Mod Squad The Mod Squad The Mod Squad is a television series that ran on ABC from September 24, 1968, until August 23, 1973. This series starred Michael Cole, Peggy Lipton, Clarence Williams III, and Tige Andrews...	Eloise	1 episode
1971	Mannix Mannix Mannix is an American television detective series that ran from 1967 through 1975 on CBS. Created by Richard Levinson and William Link and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller, the title character, Joe Mannix, is a private investigator. He is played by Mike Connors...	Sara Dawes	1 episode
1972	Banacek Banacek Banacek is a short-lived, light-hearted detective TV series starring George Peppard on NBC from 1972 to 1974. It alternated in its timeslot with several other shows but was the only one to last beyond its first season...	Dr. Dora Bancroft	1 episode
1973	Barnaby Jones Barnaby Jones Barnaby Jones is a television detective series starring Buddy Ebsen and Lee Meriwether as father- and daughter-in-law who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles. A spin-off from Cannon, the show ran on CBS from January 28, 1973 to April 3, 1980, beginning as a midseason replacement...	Mrs. Ryan	1 episodes
1973	Mary Tyler Moore Show	Congresswoman Margaret Geddes	2 episodes	1974	Kung Fu Kung Fu (TV series) Kung Fu is an American television series that starred David Carradine. It was created by Ed Spielman, directed and produced by Jerry Thorpe, and developed by Herman Miller, who was also a writer for, and co-producer of, the series...	Mrs. Stekel	1 episode
Marcus Welby, M.D. Marcus Welby, M.D. Marcus Welby, M.D. is an American medical drama television program that aired on ABC from September 23, 1969, to July 29, 1976. It starred Robert Young as a family practitioner with a kind bedside manner, and was produced by David Victor and David J. O'Connell...	Eileen McAdams	1 episode
1975	Little House: A New Beginning	Minerva Farnsworth	1 episode
1976	Good Heavens Good Heavens Good Heavens was a comedy anthology produced by Columbia Pictures Television that aired between February 29 to June 26, 1976. It ranked #17 in the Nielsen ratings during the 1975-76 television season....	Old Lady	1 episode
	Charlie's Angels Charlie's Angels Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...	Sister Anne	1 episode
1977	The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries is a television series which aired for three seasons on ABC...	Ruby	1 episode
1978	The Amazing Spider-Man The Amazing Spider-Man (TV series) The Amazing Spider-Man is the first live-action TV series based on the popular comic book The Amazing Spider-Man, not counting his appearances on the educational The Electric Company series, and was shown in the USA between 1977-1979...	Aunt May	1 episode
	Diff'rent Strokes Diff'rent Strokes Diff'rent Strokes is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from November 3, 1978 to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985 to March 7, 1986...	Mrs. Drummond	1 episode
Three's Company Three's Company Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....	Aunt Martha	1 episode
1979	Salvage 1 Salvage 1 Salvage 1 is an American science fiction series that aired for 16 episodes on ABC during 1979. The pilot film, Salvage, aired on January 20, 1979 to high ratings....	Aunt Adah	1 episode
	240-Robert 240-Robert 240-Robert is an American drama series that ran on ABC from 1979 to 1981. The series title is a reference to the call-sign designation for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department's search and rescue/paramedic teams.-Synopsis:...	Fake Sissie	1 episode
1980	House Calls House Calls (TV series) House Calls is an American sitcom that lasted three seasons and 57 episodes, from December 17, 1979 to May 27, 1982, on CBS television, produced by Universal Television and based upon the 1978 feature film of the same name.-Scenario:...	Mrs. Bruckner	1 episode
1981	Isabel's Choice	Mrs. Harper	Television movie
1983	The Last Ninja	Dr. Sanford	Television movie
1984	Remington Steele Remington Steele Remington Steele is an American television series, co-created by Robert Butler and Michael Gleason. The series, starring Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan, was produced by MTM Enterprises and first broadcast on the NBC network from 1982 to 1987. The series blended the genres of romantic...	Nanny Perkins	1 episode
1985	Magnum, P.I. Magnum, P.I. Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....	Mrs. Wilson, the Antique Dealer	1 episode
1987	Punky Brewster Punky Brewster Punky Brewster was an American sitcom about a girl named Punky Brewster being raised by her foster parent...	Maude Fierstein	1 episode
1988	L.A. Law L.A. Law L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...	Katherine Crutcher	1 episode
1989	A Deadly Silence	Grandma Virginia Pierson	Television movie

Award nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Film or series
1976	Emmy Award Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...	Nominated	Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Comedy or Drama Special	Eleanor and Franklin Eleanor and Franklin Eleanor and Franklin is a television movie released on January 11, 1976, starring Edward Herrmann as Franklin D. Roosevelt and Jane Alexander as Eleanor Roosevelt. It is the first part in a two-part biopic based on Joseph P. Lash's Pulitzer Prize-winning and best-selling biography with the same...
1978			Outstanding Lead Actress for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series	James at 15 James at 15 James at 15 is an American drama series that aired on NBC in the 1977-1978 season. The series was preceded by the 1977 made-for-TV movie James at 15, intended as a pilot for the series... (For the episode "Ducks")

External links