Jean Byron
Encyclopedia
Jean Byron was an American
film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for the role of Natalie Lane, Patty Lane's mother in The Patty Duke Show
.
, she moved to California
during World War II
and signed with Columbia Pictures
, where she chose Jean Byron as her stage moniker. In the 1950s, Byron appeared in several B-movies, including The Magnetic Monster
and Serpent of the Nile, in addition to guest roles on The Millionaire, The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse
, and Science Fiction Theatre
. Byron also served as spokeswoman for Revlon
and Lux
products on The Rosemary Clooney Show.
In 1959, Byron landed a semiregular spot on CBS
's The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
playing Dr. Imogene Burkhart, her real name. The following year, she starred in the short-lived soap opera
Full Circle, which also co-starred Dyan Cannon
. In 1963, she won the role of Natalie Lane on The Patty Duke Show
. After the series ended in 1966, she continued appearing in guest roles on Batman
, Marcus Welby, M.D.
, Maude
, and Hotel
. Byron's last on-screen role was in the 1999 television movie
The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights.
In addition to film and television roles, Byron also worked in regional theater. She portrayed Mama Rose in Gypsy
and appeared in a production of Guys and Dolls.
from 1949 to 1956. The couple had no children and Byron never remarried.
On February 3, 2006, Byron died in Mobile, Alabama
, of complications following hip replacement
surgery.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for the role of Natalie Lane, Patty Lane's mother in The Patty Duke Show
The Patty Duke Show
The Patty Duke Show is an American sitcom which ran on ABC from September 18, 1963, until May 4, 1966, with reruns airing through August 31, 1966. The show was created as a vehicle for rising star Patty Duke...
.
Early life and career
Born Imogene Burkhart in KentuckyKentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, she moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and signed with Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
, where she chose Jean Byron as her stage moniker. In the 1950s, Byron appeared in several B-movies, including The Magnetic Monster
The Magnetic Monster
The Magnetic Monster is a 1953 independent science fiction film, directed by Curt Siodmak, and starring Richard Carlson and King Donovan.-Plot:...
and Serpent of the Nile, in addition to guest roles on The Millionaire, The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse
The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse
The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse is an American dramatic anthology series that aired on ABC from 1953 to 1955, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. The show was hosted by Arlene Dahl , Anita Colby , and, finally, Polly Bergen -Guest stars:* Claude Akins...
, and Science Fiction Theatre
Science Fiction Theatre
Science Fiction Theatre is an American science fiction anthology series that aired in syndication from April 1955 to April 1957. It was produced by Ivan Tors and Maurice Ziv.-Overview:...
. Byron also served as spokeswoman for Revlon
Revlon
Revlon is an American cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care company founded in 1932.-History:Revlon was founded in the midst of the Great Depression, 1932, by Charles Revson and his brother Joseph, along with a chemist, Charles Lachman, who contributed the "L" in the Revlon name...
and Lux
Lux (soap)
Lux is a global brand developed by Unilever. The range of products includes beauty soaps, shower gels, bath additives, hair shampoos and conditioners. Lux started as “Sunlight Flakes” laundry soap in 1899....
products on The Rosemary Clooney Show.
In 1959, Byron landed a semiregular spot on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1959 to 1963. The series and some episode scripts were adapted from a 1951 collection of short stories of the same name, written by Max Shulman, that also inspired the 1953 film The Affairs of Dobie Gillis with Debbie...
playing Dr. Imogene Burkhart, her real name. The following year, she starred in the short-lived soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Full Circle, which also co-starred Dyan Cannon
Dyan Cannon
Dyan Cannon is an American film and television actress, director, screenwriter, editor, and producer.-Early life:...
. In 1963, she won the role of Natalie Lane on The Patty Duke Show
The Patty Duke Show
The Patty Duke Show is an American sitcom which ran on ABC from September 18, 1963, until May 4, 1966, with reruns airing through August 31, 1966. The show was created as a vehicle for rising star Patty Duke...
. After the series ended in 1966, she continued appearing in guest roles on Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
, 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...
, Maude
Maude (TV series)
Maude was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS network from September 12, 1972 until April 22, 1978.Maude starred Beatrice Arthur as Maude Findlay, an outspoken, middle-aged, politically liberal woman living in suburban Tuckahoe, Westchester County, New York with...
, and Hotel
Hotel (TV series)
Hotel is an American prime time drama series which aired on ABC from September 21, 1983 to May 5, 1988 in the timeslot following Dynasty....
. Byron's last on-screen role was in the 1999 television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights.
In addition to film and television roles, Byron also worked in regional theater. She portrayed Mama Rose in Gypsy
Gypsy: A Musical Fable
Gypsy is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, and focuses on her mother, Rose, whose name has become synonymous with "the ultimate show business...
and appeared in a production of Guys and Dolls.
Personal life and death
Byron was married to actor Michael AnsaraMichael Ansara
Michael Ansara is a Syrian-born American stage, screen, and voice actor best known for his portrayal of Cochise in the American television series Broken Arrow, Kane in the 1979-81 series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and Commander Kang on three different Star Trek TV series.- Early life and...
from 1949 to 1956. The couple had no children and Byron never remarried.
On February 3, 2006, Byron died in Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, of complications following hip replacement
Hip replacement
Hip replacement is a surgical procedure in which the hip joint is replaced by a prosthetic implant. Hip replacement surgery can be performed as a total replacement or a hemi replacement. Such joint replacement orthopaedic surgery generally is conducted to relieve arthritis pain or fix severe...
surgery.
Selected filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1952 | Voodoo Tiger Jungle Jim Jungle Jim is the fictional hero of a series of jungle adventures in various media. The series began in 1934 as an American newspaper comic strip chronicling the adventures of Asia-based hunter Jim Bradley, who was nicknamed Jungle Jim... |
Phyllis Bruce | |
| 1953 | The Magnetic Monster The Magnetic Monster The Magnetic Monster is a 1953 independent science fiction film, directed by Curt Siodmak, and starring Richard Carlson and King Donovan.-Plot:... |
Connie Stewart | |
| Serpent of the Nile | Charmion (Cleopatra's handmaiden) | ||
| 1955 | Jungle Moon Men | Ellen Marsten | |
| 1956 | There's Always Tomorrow | Miss Byron, saleswoman | Uncredited |
| Johnny Concho Johnny Concho (1956 film) Johnny Concho is a 1956 film starring Frank Sinatra, Phyllis Kirk and Keenan Wynn and directed by Don McGuire. Sinatra's role allowed him to play against type in his portrayal of the film's villain.-Plot:... |
Pearl Lang | ||
| 1959 | Invisible Invaders | Phyllis Penner | |
| 1963 | Wall of Noise | Mrs. Harrington | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1954 | City Detective City Detective (TV series) City Detective is a half-hour syndicated crime drama starring Rod Cameron as 43-year-old Bart Grant, a tough 1950s New York City police lieutenant. The first of three consecutive Rod Cameron series, City Detective aired between January 1, 1953 and May 10, 1955... |
Reesa Jean |
2 episodes |
| 1955 | The Millionaire | Betty Jane Ryan/Bea Ryan | 1 episode |
| The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin is an American children's television program which originally aired in 166 episodes on ABC from October 1954 until August 1959. It starred child actor Lee Aaker as Rusty, a boy orphaned in an Indian raid, who was being raised by the soldiers at a US Cavalry post known... |
Irene Larrimore | 1 episode | |
| You Are There | Caroline Lucas | 1 episode | |
| 1956 | My Friend Flicka My Friend Flicka (TV series) My Friend Flicka is a 39-episode western television series set at the fictitious Goose Bar Ranch in Wyoming at the turn of the 20th century. The program was filmed in color but initially aired in black and white on CBS at 7:30 p.m. Fridays from February 10, 1956, to February 1, 1957. It was a... |
Barbara Schuyler | 1 episode |
| Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers is a television series broadcast in the United States by NBC during its 1956-57 season.In a period in which much of the programming on U.S. television consisted of Westerns, Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers could best be described as an "Eastern"... |
Katherine Cheney | 1 episode | |
| 1957 | The 20th Century Fox Hour The 20th Century Fox Hour The 20th Century Fox Hour is an American drama anthology series televised in the United States on CBS from 1955 to 1957. Some of the shows in this series were restored, remastered and shown on the Fox Movie Channel in 2002 under the title Hour of Stars... |
Wilma Standish | 1 episode |
| 1958 | Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer is the title used for two syndicated television series that followed the adventures of fictional private detective Mike Hammer... |
Miss Lewis | 1 episode |
| 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:... |
Angela | 1 episode | |
| Yancy Derringer Yancy Derringer Yancy Derringer is an American Western series that ran on CBS from 1958 to 1959, with Jock Mahoney in the title role. It was produced by Derringer Productions and filmed in Hollywood by Desilu Productions... |
Dorinda Ashton | 1 episode | |
| 1959 | The Dennis O'Keefe Show The Dennis O'Keefe Show The Dennis O'Keefe Show is a 1959-1960 sitcom produced by United Artists Television which aired on CBS for sponsor General Motors' Oldsmobile division. It was not a ratings success during its original run, and was largely forgotten until a "Best Of" DVD release by Alpha Video during 2004. Certain... |
Miss Diffendorf | 1 episode |
| 1959–1963 | The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1959 to 1963. The series and some episode scripts were adapted from a 1951 collection of short stories of the same name, written by Max Shulman, that also inspired the 1953 film The Affairs of Dobie Gillis with Debbie... |
Dr. Imogene Burkhart | 18 episodes |
| 1960 | 77 Sunset Strip 77 Sunset Strip 77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes.... |
Claire Donaldson | 1 episode |
| Hawaiian Eye Hawaiian Eye Hawaiian Eye is an American television series that ran from October 1959 to September 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company television network.-Premise:... |
Karen Ward | 1 episode | |
| Tightrope Tightrope (TV series) Tightrope is an American crime drama series that aired on CBS from September 1959 to September 1960. Produced by Russell Rouse and Clarence Greene in association with Screen Gems, the series stars Mike Connors as an undercover agent named "Nick" who was assigned to infiltrate criminal gangs... |
Marla Keel | 1 episode | |
| 1961 | Hennesey Hennesey Hennesey is an American military sitcom that aired on CBS from 1959 to 1962. The series, which aired for three seasons, stars Jackie Cooper in the title role.-Synopsis:... |
Gloria Grayson | 1 episode |
| Bus Stop Bus Stop (TV series) Bus Stop is a 26-episode drama which aired on ABC from October 1, 1961, until March 25, 1962, starring Marilyn Maxwell as Grace Sherwood, the owner of a bus station and diner in the fictitious town of Sunrise in the Colorado Rockies... |
Helen Adamson | 1 episode | |
| 1962 | The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor is an American crime drama series which ran on ABC during its first two seasons, and on NBC during its third and final season... |
Livona Hart | 1 episode |
| 1963–1966 | The Patty Duke Show The Patty Duke Show The Patty Duke Show is an American sitcom which ran on ABC from September 18, 1963, until May 4, 1966, with reruns airing through August 31, 1966. The show was created as a vehicle for rising star Patty Duke... |
Natalie Lane | 105 episodes |
| 1968 | Batman Batman (TV series) Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to... |
Mrs. Lindseed, Mayor's Wife | 1 episode |
| 1971 | Columbo | Pat | 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... |
Dr. Koerner | 1 episode | |
| 1972 | McCloud | Evelyn Reinhart | 1 episode |
| 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... |
Helen | 1 episode | |
| 1974 | Maude Maude (TV series) Maude was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS network from September 12, 1972 until April 22, 1978.Maude starred Beatrice Arthur as Maude Findlay, an outspoken, middle-aged, politically liberal woman living in suburban Tuckahoe, Westchester County, New York with... |
Housekeeper Applicant | 1 episode |
| 1975 | S.W.A.T. S.W.A.T. (TV series) ----S.W.A.T. is a 1970s American television series about the adventures of the WCPD's Olympic Division Special Weapons And Tactics team operating in an unidentified California city.... |
Nurse Marlowe | 1 episode |
| 1987 | Hotel Hotel (TV series) Hotel is an American prime time drama series which aired on ABC from September 21, 1983 to May 5, 1988 in the timeslot following Dynasty.... |
Dorothy Anderson | 1 episode |
| 1999 | The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights | Natalie Lane | Television movie |