Jean Vander Pyl
Encyclopedia
Jean Vander Pyl was an American
actress on radio, television and movies. Although her career spanned many decades, she is best remembered as the voice of Wilma Flintstone
from the Hanna-Barbera
cartoon The Flintstones
. She also provided the voice for Pebbles Flintstone
, as well as Rosie the Robot Maid from the animated series The Jetsons
, among many others, such as Fifi in Top Cat
and Winsome Witch
on The Secret Squirrel Show
.
and Father Knows Best
, where she portrayed Margaret Anderson; the role was played on television by Jane Wyatt
.
, The Donna Reed Show
, Father Knows Best
and Petticoat Junction
. She also guest starred on The Beverly Hillbillies
. One of her final TV appearances was in the opening scene of the Season Two Murder, She Wrote
episode, "One Good Bid Deserves a Murder". Vander Pyl also had a very brief cameo appearance in the live-action film version of The Flintstones
as Mrs. Feldspar, an elderly woman in a conga line
.
work at Hanna-Barbera
studios, where she played Wilma Flintstone
, her best-known character. She told an interviewer in 1995 that she received $250 per episode for making The Flintstones, and in 1966, when the series ended, she rushed to accept $15,000 in lieu of residual payments from syndication. When she gave the interview, she lived in San Clemente, California
, and remarked: "If I got residuals, I wouldn't live in San Clemente. I'd own San Clemente."
Her first voice role came in 1958 on an episode of The Huckleberry Hound Show, voicing an actress, she did additional voices, particularly Southern belles and beautiful girls on Quick Draw McGraw
, Snagglepuss
and The Yogi Bear Show
. In 1962, she did another memorable role, as Rosie, the Jetsons' robotic maid, and 23 years later in 1985 she reprised the character on the returning series.
Later, she did the voices of Maw Rugg and her daughter Floral Rugg on a rural cartoon, Hillbilly Bears, and Winsome Witch
; both shows were part of The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show
(1965–1968). Jean Vander Pyl was also the voice of Little Ogee on Magilla Gorilla
.
In the 1970s, she was the voice of Marge Huddles, the main character's wife on Where's Huddles?
(playing a role similar to that of Wilma Flintstone, she was reunited on the series with her Flintstones cast members Alan Reed
and Mel Blanc
). Then went on to voice Mrs. Finkerton on Inch High Private Eye, as well as several female characters on Hong Kong Phooey
and The Scooby Doo Show.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the talented voice actress did voices on The Mister T Show and Mrs. Slaghoople on The Flintstone Kids
. She mostly reprised Wilma Flintstone on spin-off series and films, such as The Flintstone Comedy Show, The New Fred and Barney Show
, The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones
, I Yabba-Dabba Do!
, Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby
, and A Flintstones Christmas Carol
.
The actress' last voice roles were again as Wilma Flintstone on The Cartoon Cartoon Show
episode "Dino Stay Out" in 1995, on The Flintstones Christmas in Bedrock in 1996 and on The Weird Al Show
in 1997.
Her husband, Carroll G. O'Meara, died on February 18, 1962, age 53. He was a graduate of Stanford University
who worked as a copywriter at KHJ
radio in the mid-1930s and later became an advertising executive.
at her home in Dana Point, California
. She was 79 years old. She was survived by her three sons, Michael O'Meara, Timothy O'Meara, and Roger DeWitt. Her daughter, Tina O'Meara, died in the 1970s. Vander Pyl was interred in Ascension Cemetery in Lake Forest, California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress on radio, television and movies. Although her career spanned many decades, she is best remembered as the voice of Wilma Flintstone
Wilma Flintstone
Wilma Anna Flintstone is a fictional character in the television animated series The Flintstones. She was the red-headed wife of caveman Fred Flintstone, daughter of Pearl Slaghoople, mother of Pebbles Flintstone and a grandmother...
from the Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
cartoon The Flintstones
The Flintstones
The Flintstones is an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that screened from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966, on ABC. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Flintstones was about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next-door neighbor and best friend. It...
. She also provided the voice for Pebbles Flintstone
Pebbles Flintstone
Pebbles Flintstone is a fictional character, the red-haired daughter of Fred and Wilma Flintstone...
, as well as Rosie the Robot Maid from the animated series The Jetsons
The Jetsons
The Jetsons is a animated American sitcom that was produced by Hanna-Barbera, originally airing in prime-time from 1962–1963 and again from 1985–1987...
, among many others, such as Fifi in Top Cat
Top Cat
Top Cat is a Hanna-Barbera prime time animated television series which ran from September 27, 1961 to April 18, 1962 for a run of 30 episodes on the ABC network. Reruns are played on Cartoon Network's classic animation network Boomerang.-History:...
and Winsome Witch
Winsome Witch
Winsome Witch is a television series produced by Hanna Barbera Studios. It aired alongside Secret Squirrel and Squiddly Diddly on The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show.-Plot:...
on The Secret Squirrel Show
Secret Squirrel
Secret Squirrel is a cartoon created by Hanna-Barbera. Secret Squirrel was one of two co-stars of The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show, which debuted in 1965. He was given his own show in 1966, but was reunited with Atom Ant for one more season in 1967...
.
Radio
On radio she was heard on such programs as The Halls of IvyThe Halls of Ivy
The Halls of Ivy is an NBC radio sitcom that ran from 1950-1952. It was created by Fibber McGee & Molly co-creator/writer Don Quinn before being adapted into a CBS television comedy produced by ITC Entertainment and Television Programs of America...
and Father Knows Best
Father Knows Best
Father Knows Best is an American radio and television comedy series which portrayed a middle class family life in the Midwest. It was created by writer Ed James in the 1940s.-Radio:...
, where she portrayed Margaret Anderson; the role was played on television by Jane Wyatt
Jane Wyatt
Jane Waddington Wyatt was an American actress perhaps best known for her role as the housewife and mother on the television comedy Father Knows Best, and as Amanda Grayson, the human mother of Spock on the science fiction television series Star Trek...
.
Television
She made numerous TV appearances as an actress in programs such as Leave It to BeaverLeave 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...
, The Donna Reed Show
The Donna Reed Show
The Donna Reed Show is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the upper middle class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz appears as her pediatrician husband Alex, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children Mary and Jeff. The show originally aired on ABC at 10 pm from September...
, Father Knows Best
Father Knows Best
Father Knows Best is an American radio and television comedy series which portrayed a middle class family life in the Midwest. It was created by writer Ed James in the 1940s.-Radio:...
and Petticoat Junction
Petticoat Junction
Petticoat Junction is an American situation comedy produced by Filmways which originally aired on CBS from 1963 to 1970. The series is one of three interrelated shows about rural characters created by Paul Henning; the others are The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres.The setting for the series...
. She also guest starred on The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
. One of her final TV appearances was in the opening scene of the Season Two Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
episode, "One Good Bid Deserves a Murder". Vander Pyl also had a very brief cameo appearance in the live-action film version of The Flintstones
The Flintstones (film)
The Flintstones is a 1994 American live-action comedy film based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon television series of the same name about a Stone-Age man, his family and his best friend. The film was directed by Brian Levant, written by Tom S. Parker, Jim Jennewein and Steven E...
as Mrs. Feldspar, an elderly woman in a conga line
Conga Line
The conga line is a Cuban carnival march that was first developed in Cuba and became popular in the United States in the 1930s and 1950s. The dancers form a long, processing line. It has three shuffle steps on the beat, followed by a kick that is slightly ahead of the fourth beat...
.
Animation
Ms. Vander Pyl performed most of her voice actingVoice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
work at Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
studios, where she played Wilma Flintstone
Wilma Flintstone
Wilma Anna Flintstone is a fictional character in the television animated series The Flintstones. She was the red-headed wife of caveman Fred Flintstone, daughter of Pearl Slaghoople, mother of Pebbles Flintstone and a grandmother...
, her best-known character. She told an interviewer in 1995 that she received $250 per episode for making The Flintstones, and in 1966, when the series ended, she rushed to accept $15,000 in lieu of residual payments from syndication. When she gave the interview, she lived in San Clemente, California
San Clemente, California
San Clemente is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 63,522 at the 2010 census. Located on the California Coast, midway between Los Angeles and San Diego at the southern tip of the county, it is known for its ocean, hill, and mountain views, a pleasant climate and its Spanish...
, and remarked: "If I got residuals, I wouldn't live in San Clemente. I'd own San Clemente."
Her first voice role came in 1958 on an episode of The Huckleberry Hound Show, voicing an actress, she did additional voices, particularly Southern belles and beautiful girls on Quick Draw McGraw
Quick Draw McGraw
The Quick Draw McGraw Show is the third cartoon television production created by Hanna-Barbera starring an anthropomorphic cartoon horse named Quick Draw McGraw following their success with The Ruff & Reddy Show and The Huckleberry Hound Show. The show debuted in syndication in the fall of 1959,...
, Snagglepuss
Snagglepuss
Snagglepuss is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon character created in 1959, a pink anthropomorphic mountain lion voiced by Daws Butler. He is best known for his famous catchphrase, "Heavens to Murgatroyd!", along with phrases such as "Exit, stage left!" Snagglepuss was originally known as "Snaggletooth"...
and The Yogi Bear Show
The Yogi Bear Show
The Yogi Bear Show is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions about a fast-talking picnic basket stealing bear named Yogi. The show debuted in syndication on January 30 and ran for 33 episodes until December 30 in 1961 and included two segments, Snagglepuss and Yakky...
. In 1962, she did another memorable role, as Rosie, the Jetsons' robotic maid, and 23 years later in 1985 she reprised the character on the returning series.
Later, she did the voices of Maw Rugg and her daughter Floral Rugg on a rural cartoon, Hillbilly Bears, and Winsome Witch
Winsome Witch
Winsome Witch is a television series produced by Hanna Barbera Studios. It aired alongside Secret Squirrel and Squiddly Diddly on The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show.-Plot:...
; both shows were part of The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show
The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show
The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show was an hour-long Saturday morning cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions from 1965 to 1967 for NBC.-Production:...
(1965–1968). Jean Vander Pyl was also the voice of Little Ogee on Magilla Gorilla
Magilla Gorilla
The Magilla Gorilla Show is an animated series for television produced by Hanna-Barbera for Screen Gems between 1963 and 1967, and originally sponsored in syndication by Ideal Toys from 1963 through 1966. The show also had other recurring characters, including Punkin' Puss & Mushmouse, and Ricochet...
.
In the 1970s, she was the voice of Marge Huddles, the main character's wife on Where's Huddles?
Where's Huddles?
Where's Huddles? is a Hanna-Barbera animated television program which premiered on CBS on July 1, 1970 and ran for ten episodes as a summer replacement show until September 2...
(playing a role similar to that of Wilma Flintstone, she was reunited on the series with her Flintstones cast members Alan Reed
Alan Reed
Alan Reed was an American actor and voice actor, best known as the original voice of Fred Flintstone on The Flintstones and various spinoff series...
and Mel Blanc
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros...
). Then went on to voice Mrs. Finkerton on Inch High Private Eye, as well as several female characters on Hong Kong Phooey
Hong Kong Phooey
Hong Kong Phooey is a 16-episode Hanna-Barbera animated series that first aired on ABC Saturday morning from to . The main character, Hong Kong Phooey, is a superhero who uses Chinese martial arts to fight crime. Hong Kong Phooey is the secret alter ego of Penrod "Penry" Pooch, a "mild-mannered"...
and The Scooby Doo Show.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the talented voice actress did voices on The Mister T Show and Mrs. Slaghoople on The Flintstone Kids
The Flintstone Kids
The Flintstone Kids is a 30-minute animated television series spin-off of The Flintstones which followed the adventures of Fred, Barney, Wilma, and Betty as children with their pet Dino.-Premise:...
. She mostly reprised Wilma Flintstone on spin-off series and films, such as The Flintstone Comedy Show, The New Fred and Barney Show
The New Fred and Barney Show
The New Fred and Barney Show was a 30-minute Saturday morning cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera as a 1979 series revival of The Flintstones from February 3 to October 20, 1979 on NBC...
, The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones
The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones
The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones is an animated TV movie, featuring the first meeting between the characters from The Flintstones and The Jetsons...
, I Yabba-Dabba Do!
I Yabba-Dabba Do!
I Yabba-Dabba Do! is a made-for-TV animated film based on the original series, The Flintstones and its spinoff, The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show. It premiered on ABC on February 7, 1993. Many attribute this movie's inspiration to the success of the remake of Father of the Bride...
, Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby
Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby
Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby is an animated television movie based on the 1960s series classic, The Flintstones. It first aired on ABC on December 5, 1993. It is the sequel to I Yabba-Dabba Do! and is followed by A Flintstone Family Christmas, which aired less than two weeks later on the same channel...
, and A Flintstones Christmas Carol
A Flintstones Christmas Carol
A Flintstones Christmas Carol is an animated made-for-TV movie based on the original 1960s series classic, The Flintstones and on the holiday novel of the same name by Charles Dickens. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, it premiered in syndication on November 21, 1994...
.
The actress' last voice roles were again as Wilma Flintstone on The Cartoon Cartoon Show
The Cartoon Cartoon Show
What a Cartoon! , is an American animation showcase project created by Fred Seibert for Hanna-Barbera Cartoons to be run on Cartoon Network...
episode "Dino Stay Out" in 1995, on The Flintstones Christmas in Bedrock in 1996 and on The Weird Al Show
The Weird Al Show
The Weird Al Show is a television show hosted by "Weird Al" Yankovic. Produced in association with Dick Clark Productions, it aired Saturday mornings on the CBS TV network from September to December 1997. The show was released on DVD on August 15, 2006...
in 1997.
Personal life
Vander Pyl was born in Philadelphia to John H. and Kathleen Hale Vander Pyl. Her grandfather had come from Holland. Her father was the district manager for Knit Underwear, her mother was a Southerner from Tennessee. The two died within six months of each other in the early 1950s. The family came to Los Angeles by the mid 1930s.Her husband, Carroll G. O'Meara, died on February 18, 1962, age 53. He was a graduate of Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
who worked as a copywriter at KHJ
KHJ (AM)
KHJ Radio in Los Angeles, California broadcasts Spanish-language entertainment programming as La Ranchera. It was also one of America's most formidable Top 40 radio stations in the 1960s and 1970s as 93 KHJ before changing its format in 1980....
radio in the mid-1930s and later became an advertising executive.
Death
On April 10, 1999, Vander Pyl died of lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
at her home in Dana Point, California
Dana Point, California
-Climate:Dana Point enjoys a mild climate where temperatures tend to average around the 60's. The warmest month of the year is August with an average temperature of 79 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest month is December with an average minimum temperature of 44 degrees Fahrenheit.-2010:The 2010...
. She was 79 years old. She was survived by her three sons, Michael O'Meara, Timothy O'Meara, and Roger DeWitt. Her daughter, Tina O'Meara, died in the 1970s. Vander Pyl was interred in Ascension Cemetery in Lake Forest, California
Lake Forest, California
Lake Forest is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 77,264 at the 2010 census.Lake Forest incorporated as a city on December 20, 1991. Prior to a vote of the residents in that year, the community had formerly been known as El Toro since the 1880s...
.
External links
- Official Memorial (Possibly disseminating malware. Do not visit without virus scanner and firewall)