# Priscilla Morrill

Priscilla Alden Morrill (June 4, 1927 – November 9, 1994) was an American actress. She is best known for playing Edie Grant on the sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1973 and 1975.

## Career

Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, Morrill attended the Carnegie Institute before making her stage debut opposite John Carradine in Julius Caesar. She made her Broadway debut in The Relapse with Cyril Ritchard.
Morrill's first television performance was on the Outer Limits episode "The Man with the Power" in 1963. She was a frequent guest star on numerous television series and in television movies. Morrill had recurring roles on Family, Bret Maverick, Santa Barbara, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and Newhart. Jean Stapleton stated in an interview for the Archive of American Television that Morrill was the stand-in for her in the ninth-season episode of All in the Family, "A Girl Like Edith", in which Stapleton had a dual role.
In addition to guest-starring roles, she also co-starred in two short-lived series: In the Beginning starring McLean Stevenson, and Baby Makes Five starring Peter Scolari. Morrill made a guest appearance in MacGyver, in the season two episode "D.O.A.: MacGyver" as Helen Wilson. She also was on the Golden Girls in the episode "In a Bed of Rose's". She made her final onscreen appearance on an episode of Coach in 1992.

## Death

On November 9, 1994, Morrill died of complications of a kidney infection at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 67. She was survived by her husband, Paul Bryson, to whom she had been married since 1954. The couple had lived in Port Hueneme, California. She was cremated and her ashes scattered at sea.

## Selected filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1963 | The Outer Limits | Vera Finley | Episode: "The Man with the Power" |
| 1966 | The F.B.I. | Ann King | 1 episode |
| 1967 | Felony Squad | Liz McCready | 1 episode |
| 1968 | The Wild Wild West | Phalah | Episode: "The Night of the Undead" |
| 1968 | Mannix | Janet Paulson | Season 2 Episode 07: "Edge of the Knife" |
| 1973 | Breezy | Dress Customer | |
| 1973-75 | The Mary Tyler Moore Show | Edie Grant | 5 episodes |
| 1974 | Barnaby Jones | Mrs. Bryner | Episode: "The Last Contract" |
| 1975 | Kolchak: The Night Stalker | Griselda | Episode: "The Trevi Collection" |
| 1976 | All in the Family | Katie Korman | Episode: "Mr. Edith Bunker" |
| 1976-77 | Family | Elaine Hogan | 8 episodes |
| 1977 | Father Knows Best (reunion) | Louise | Episode: "Home for Christmas" |
| 1977 | Three's Company | Mrs. Snow | Episode: "And Mother Makes Four" |
| 1977 | The Jeffersons | Mrs. Fletcher | Episode: "The Costume Party" |
| 1978 | The Love Boat | Ida Snead | Episode: "Taking Sides/A Friendly Little Game/Going by the Book" |
| 1979 | Welcome Back, Kotter | Mrs. Gladstone Trevors-Smythe | Episode: "The Breadwinners" |
| 1981 | It's a Living | Dean Pressman | Episode: "Making the Grade" |
| 1982 | One Day at a Time | Grandma Cooper | Episode: "Gift Horses" |
| 1982-84 | Family Ties | Kate Donnelly | 2 episodes |
| 1983 | The Powers of Matthew Star | Mrs. Aldridge | Episode: "Starr Knight" |
| 1984 | St. Elsewhere | Sister Teresa | 2 episodes |
| 1985 | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Margaret Brock | Episode: "Spiderweb" |
| 1985 | Three's a Crowd | Judge Hancock | Episode: "September Song" |
| 1985-86 | Santa Barbara | Mother Isabel | 16 episodes |
| 1985-89 | Newhart | Marian "Mary" Vanderkellen | 7 episodes |
| 1986 | The Golden Girls | Lucille Beatty | Episode: "In a Bed of Rose's" |
| 1987 | MacGyver | Helen Wilson | Episode: "D. O. A.: MacGyver" |
| 1989 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Miss Gordon | Episode: "Shivers" |
| 1989-92 | Coach | Mrs. Rizzendough | 4 episodes |
| 1991 | Blossom | Mrs. Whiting | Episode: "School Daze" |