# Helen Slayton-Hughes

Helen Slayton-Hughes (née Slayton; October 30, 1930 – December 7, 2022) was an American actress who was best known for playing Ethel Beavers in Parks and Recreation, as well as over 200 theatre and television shows.

## Personal life

Helen Slayton was born in 1930, the third of 4 children of Ralph Emil Slayton and Helen (née Peer) Slayton.
Slayton-Hughes was married and had four children and six grandchildren.
Slayton-Hughes died in her sleep on December 7, 2022, at age 92. Her death was publicly announced by her family on Thursday, December 8, 2022, via Facebook. Her funeral Mass was celebrated on January 21, 2023 at St Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church in Hollywood.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1980 | Mafia on the Bounty | Selma | |
| 1982 | Shoot the Moon | Singer | |
| 2003 | Gossip | Sophie | Short film |
| 2005 | Good Night, and Good Luck | Mary | |
| 2006 | I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With | Mrs. Moskowitz | |
| 2006 | Being the Tooth Fairy | Tooth Fairy | Short film |
| 2008 | The Onion Movie | 'Yarn-it-All' Employee | |
| 2008 | A Pig's Ear | | Short film |
| 2010 | Crazy on the Outside | Grandma | |
| 2010 | Hesher | Mrs. Rosowski | |
| 2010 | Lesbian Homecoming | Feminist Book Club Member | Short film |
| 2014 | Veronica Mars | Mrs. Barnes | |
| 2015 | Homage to Erik Satie's Laundress | Laundress/Narrator | Short film |
| 2016 | The Gift of the Magpie | Mavis Turner | Short film |
| 2017 | CASH | Mrs. Patterson | Short film |
| 2018 | Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot | Woman on Bus | |
| 2018 | The Invisible Mother | Mona | |
| 2019 | Klaus | Several (voices) | |
| 2019 | I Am Evelyn Rose | Jan | Short film |
| 2021 | Moxie | Helen | |
| 2022 | The Curse of Bridge Hollow | Victoria | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1981 | The Princess and the Cabbie | Valerie Bertinelli's BART Nemesis | Television film |
| 2000 | Nash Bridges | Gertrude Jorgensen | Episodes: "Jump Start", "Rock and a Hard Place" |
| 2001–2002 | Power Rangers Time Force | Elderly Lady | Episodes: "Frax's Fury", "Dawn of Destiny" |
| 2001 | The Drew Carey Show | Eighty-Year-Old Woman | Episode: Drew Carey's Back-to-School Rock 'n' Roll Comedy Hour |
| 2001 | Judging Amy | Coffee Shop Patron | Episode: "Crime and Puzzlement" |
| 2003 | The West Wing | Marion Cotesworth-Haye | Episode: "Privateers" |
| 2003 | Carnivàle | Scripture-Reading Lady | Episode: "Milfay" |
| 2003 | NYPD Blue | Grace Langford | Episode: "Frickin' Fraker" |
| 2003–2004 | Malcolm in the Middle | Nana/Elderly Woman | Episodes: "Malcom Dates a Family", "Stereo Store" |
| 2004 | One on One | Carol | Episode: "Sleepless in Baltimore" |
| 2004–2005 | That's So Raven | Mildred | Episodes: "My Big Fat Pizza Party", "Dog Day After-Groom" |
| 2006 | Arrested Development | Mrs. Van Skoyk | Episode: "S.O.B.s" |
| 2006 | Four Kings | Helen | Episode: "Upper West Side Story" |
| 2007 | My Name is Earl | Mrs. Abernathy | Episode: "Buried Treasure" |
| 2007 | Out of Jimmy's Head | Doris | Episode: "Detention" |
| 2007 | The Minister of Divine | Dorothy Vanderbosch | Television film |
| 2008 | Desperate Housewives | Elderly Woman | Episode: "The Gun Song" |
| 2010 | Pretty Little Liars | Mrs. Potter | Episode: "Keep Your Friends Close" |
| 2011–2015 | Parks and Recreation | Ethel Beavers | 11 episodes |
| 2012 | Raising Hope | Harriett | Episode: "Throw Maw Maw from the House (Part II)" |
| 2012–2013 | Burning Love | Virginia/Agnes | 21 episodes |
| 2013 | True Blood | Caroline Bellefleur | Episodes: "Life Matters", "Dead Meet" |
| 2013 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Ethel Musterberg | Episode: "The Slump" |
| 2013 | Parenthood | Edie | Episode: "Election Day" |
| 2013 | Getting On | Sandy Sayles | Episode: "Born on the Fourth of July" |
| 2014 | Men at Work | Edith | Episode: "Pre-Posal" |
| 2014 | The Greatest Event in Television History | Lilly | Episode: "Bosom Buddies" |
| 2014 | The Night Shift | Wendy Franklin | Episode: "Second Chances" |
| 2014 | The Birthday Boys | Helen Ainsley | Episode: "Wet Dreams May Come" |
| 2014–2015 | New Girl | Mrs. Raws | Episodes: "Coming Out", "Landline" |
| 2015 | Kroll Show | Doris | Episode: "Body Bouncers" |
| 2017 | The Middle | Eleanor | Episode: "Swing and a Miss" |
| 2018 | Little Big Awesome | Penelope Pitt-Plebop/Townsfolk | Episodes: "Snow Day/Rootin' For Change", "Puppy Shower/Claude the Buff Hamster" |
| 2018 | Fresh off the Boat | Dot | Episode: "Where Have All the Cattlemen Gone?" |
| 2019 | Those Who Can't | Agnes Butterpanny | Episode: "Those Who Could've" |
| 2019 | Single Parents | Diana | Episode: "Big Widow Wives" |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2012 | Guild Wars 2 | Shriika/Zena Zonwoman | |
| 2014 | Murdered: Soul Suspect | Several (voices) | |

## Other Activities

Hughes was a songwriter and playwright who joined the BMI Music Theater Writers workshops in 1994. She wrote many novelty songs and wrote book, lyris and sometimes music for various projects inspired by the work of George Bernard Shaw (Androcles and the Lion) and Gene Stratton Porter (Girl of the Limberlost).