Eleanor Audley

Eleanor Audley (Zellman; November 19, 1905 – November 25, 1991) was an American actress with a distinctive voice and a diverse body of work. She played Oliver Douglas's mother, Eunice Douglas, on the CBS sitcom Green Acres (1965–1969), and provided Disney animated features with the voices of the two iconic villains: Lady Tremaine in Cinderella (1950), and Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty (1959). She had roles in live-action films, but was most active in radio programs such as My Favorite Husband as Liz Cooper's mother-in-law, Mrs. Cooper, and Father Knows Best as the Anderson family's neighbor, Mrs. Smith. Audley's television appearances include those in I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mister Ed, Hazel, The Beverly Hillbillies, Pistols 'n' Petticoats, and My Three Sons.
Early and personal life
Eleanor Zellman was born in Newark, New Jersey on November 19, 1905. Her family had moved to West 86th Street in Manhattan, New York City, by 1917.
Zellman began using the stage-name "Eleanor Audley" sometime before 1940.
A Democrat, she supported Adlai Stevenson's campaign during the 1952 presidential election.
Career
Stage and radio
Audley made her Broadway debut at age 21 in the 1926 production of Howdy, King. Her other stage appearances included On Call (1928–1929); Pigeons and People; Thunder on the Left (both 1933); Kill That Story; Ladies' Money (both 1934); Susan and God (1937–1938;1943); and In Bed We Cry (1944).
Audley worked extensively in the 1940s and 1950s in radio, notably playing Liz Cooper's aristocratic mother-in-law, Mrs. Cooper, who typically looks down on her, on My Favorite Husband (the role was initially played by Bea Benaderet), and the Anderson family's neighbor, Mrs. Smith, on Father Knows Best. In addition, Audley performed on radio as a series regular on Romance, Escape, Suspense, Lux Radio Theatre, The Story of Dr. Kildare, The Railroad Hour, and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. She played the stepmother in one-shot adaptations of the Cinderella story on the anothology series Hallmark Playhouse, and the weekly western series The Six Shooter, that starred James Stewart.
Film and animation
Audley's onscreen appearance was an uncredited role as a parole board member in the 1949 noir film The Story of Molly X starring June Havoc. Other film appearances followed, including: Pretty Baby (1950); Gambling House (1951); Cell 2455, Death Row (1955); The Unguarded Moment; Full of Life (both 1956); Spoilers of the Forest (1957); Home Before Dark (1958); an uncredited cameo as the mother and slain victim of suspect Jack Graham in The FBI Story (1959); The Second Time Around (1961); and Hook, Line and Sinker (1969).
In the animated film industry, Audley provided her distinctive voice to Lady Tremaine, Cinderella's cruel stepmother, in the 1950 Disney film Cinderella; and Princess Aurora's wicked fairy nemesis, Maleficent, in Disney's 1959 version of Sleeping Beauty. For those films, animators Frank Thomas and Marc Davis designed the characters' facial features and expressions to be closely similar to Audley's. In addition to providing their voices, she served as the performance model for both characters for live-action referencing to help the animators. Audley had initially turned down the role of Maleficent because she was battling tuberculosis at the time.
Audley provided the voice for Madame Leota—the spirit of a psychic medium—in the Haunted Mansion attractions in Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Television
Audley's first television appearance was in the pilot episode of The Mickey Rooney Show (also titled Hey Mulligan) as Bessie Frost, a terrible actress who stars in a series called The Trials and Tribulations of Auntie Julia on the fictional IBC network where Mickey Mulligan works as their page. From 1954 to 1970, she appeared regularly on television, including episodes of: The People's Choice; I Love Lucy; Crossroads; Perry Mason; The Real McCoys; Richard Diamond, Private Detective; The Twilight Zone; Dennis the Menace; Mr. Lucky; The Tab Hunter Show; Pete and Gladys; and Hazel (in four appearances as different characters). Audley had recurring roles on The Dick Van Dyke Show as the P.T.A head Mrs. Billings, on The Beverly Hillbillies as the school headmistress Mrs. Potts, on Mister Ed as Wilbur Post's aunt Martha, on Pistols 'n' Petticoats as Mrs. Teaseley, on My Three Sons as Mrs. Vincent, and on Green Acres as Oliver Douglas's disapproving mother, Eunice Douglas, despite being only five months older than actor Eddie Albert who played the role of her son.
Death
Audley died from respiratory failure in 1991, six days after her 86th birthday. She is interred at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
Filmography
Film
Television
Studio 57 (1954) as Miss Anna Hunt
The Loretta Young Show (1954) as Miss Bennett, (1958) as Edith Landow
General Electric Theatre (1954) as Woman in Restaurant, (1955–1956), (1959) as Alice Martin
The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse (1955)
Front Row Center (1955) as Carlotta Vance
Damon Runyon Theater (1955) as Cynthia
Celebrity Playhouse (1955)
The Ford Television Theatre (1955) as Tina, (1955), as Constance Perks (1957)
The Millionaire (1955) as Cynthia Semple, (1958) as Gloria Van Enger/Columnist
Our Miss Brooks (1956) as Mrs. Maya Pryor
The 20th Century-Fox Hour (1956) as Governor's Wife/Mrs. Lucy Hammond/Mrs. Julie Morgan
Climax! (1956)
Screen Directors Playhouse (1956) as Judith Brenner
The People's Choice (1956) as Moderator/Mrs. Kimbeley "Kim" Price
The Adventures of Jim Bowie (1956) as Miss Peabody
Father Knows Best (1956) as Saleslady/Woman giving spare change (uncredited)/Bookstacker in Library
Crusader (1956) as Mrs. Erika Watson
Lux Video Theatre (1956) as Mrs. Sandy Lane, (1957) as Aunt Ada
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1956) as The Lady Customer, (1957) as Mrs. Felicity Crowley/Mrs. Winthrop, (1958) as The Saleslady
The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna (1956) as Passenger, (1957) as Mrs. Michelle Gardiner, (1960) as Bess Pomeroy
The Bob Hope Specials (1956–1957;1966)
Cavalcade of America (1957) as Mrs. Stacey Littlefield
I Love Lucy (1957) as Eleanor Spaulding/Flower Judge
Crossroads (1957) as Mrs. Sophie Sand
The Lineup (1957) as Maryanne Carstaires
The Gray Ghost (1957) as Mrs. Joan Maddox
How to Marry a Millionaire (1957) as Gertrude Van Dyne
Frontier Doctor (1958) as Hattie Black
The Old Testament Scriptures (1958) as Naomi
Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre (1958) as Mrs. Emily Trumbull
Perry Mason (1958) as Lois Gilbert, (1960) as Headdress Lorimer
Wagon Train (1958) as Mrs. Winston, (1961) as Mother Albright, (1963) as Minerva Ames
The Real McCoys (1959) as Dr. Laurence Kirkwood
The Ann Sothern Show (1959) as Mrs. Jenny Thompson
Mike Hammer (1959) as Mrs. Wendy Milford
Hennesey (1959)
Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1959) as Mrs. Deneken
The Twilight Zone (1960) as Mrs. Whitney (uncredited)
Walt Disney Presents (1960) as Mrs. Annie Videau
Johnny Midnight (1960) as Mrs. Mia Rice
The Untouchables (1960) as Mrs. Micheline Cross
The Man From Blackhawk (1960) as Comtesse De Vilon
Dennis the Menace (1960) as Mrs. Andrea Pompton
Peter Gunn (1960) as Laura Scott
Mr. Lucky (1960) as Mrs. Alice Dubois
Make Room for Daddy (1960) as Mrs. Anette Willoughby
Shirley Temple's Storybook (1960) as Miss Felicity Collingwood
Have Gun - Will Travel (1960) as Cynthia Palmer, (1961) as School Teacher, (1963) as Mrs. Hannah Randolph Quincy
The Tab Hunter Show (1961) as Columnist
The Tom Ewell Show (1961) as Madame Defarge
The Joey Bishop Show (1961) as Mrs. Adrianne Willoughby, (1962) as Fashion Announcer/Mrs. Penny Fitch as Clubwoman
Pete and Gladys (1961) as Mrs. Linda Brenner, (1962) as Mrs. Elisa Clibber
The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961) as Party Goer, (1962–1963) as Mrs. Peggy Billings
Mister Ed (1961;1965) as Aunt Martha
Hazel (1961) as Customer, (1962) as Mrs. Totter, (1963) as Mrs. Loretta Green, (1965) as Mrs. Katie Hardy
The Best of the Post (1962) as Mrs. Jackie Hill (as Elinor Audley)
Ichabod and Me (1962)
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1962) as Irma Lumpkin
The Detectives (1962) as Liz Roberts
The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1964) as Mrs. Millicent Schuyler-Potts
The Dick Powell Theatre (1963) as Lady
The New Phil Silvers Show (1963) as Mrs. Allison Osborne
McHale's Navy (1964) as Mrs. Millicent Hardsey
Many Happy Returns (1964) as Mrs. Pernandina Atwood
Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre (1964) as Mrs. Johnson/Lil Schaeffer/Buttercup Fuchisa
The Farmer's Daughter (1964) as Simone, (1965) as Mildred
The Cara Williams Show (1965) as Mrs. Lorence Ashford
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (1965) as Mrs. Laura Farnham
The Jack Benny Program (1965) as Mrs. Jeanna Lewis
Kentucky Jones (1965) as Mrs. Winnona Edgerton
Peyton Place (1965) as Miss Martha (uncredited)
O.K. Crackerby! (1965) as Mrs. Ameila Willoughby
The Lucy Show (1965) as The Columnist
The Big Valley (1965) as Mother Callahan
My Brother the Angel (1965) as Mrs. Evelyne Ettinger
Green Acres (1965–1969) as Mother Eunice Douglas
Honey West (1966) as Mrs. Juniper Carlton Murdock
Summer Fun (1966) as Mother-in-law
The Phyllis Diller Show (1966) as Mrs. Elsa Fenwick
Pistols 'n' Petticoats (1966–1967) as Mrs. Jenny Teasley
My Three Sons (1969–1970) as Mrs. Beatrice Vincent
The Wonderful World of Disney (1977) as Lady Tremaine (voice, archived)/Maleficent (voice, archived)
Disney's Wonderful World (1979) as Matron (archived)
Walt Disney (1983) as Lady Tremaine (voice, archived)/Maleficent (voice, archived)
The Wonderful World of Disney (1998) as Maleficent (voice, archived)
Radio
The Bishop and the Gargoyle (NBC special, July 14, 1940)
Adventure Ahead (NBC Red, 1944)
Romance (CBS series, 1944–1954, not often credited), episodes include "Pride and Prejudice" and "The Long Way Home"
Words at War (NBC Red, 1945)
The Eternal Light (NBC, 1945–1946)
Encore Theatre (CBS, 1946)
The Big Story (NBC, 1947)
Escape (CBS, 1947–1948), episodes include "Back for Christmas" and "The Man Who Could Work Miracles"
The Adventures of Ellery Queen (ABC, 1947–1948)
Suspense (CBS, 1940s, not often credited), episodes include repeats of "Sorry, Wrong Number" and "The Man Who Wanted to Be Edward G. Robinson" (both 1948)
The Whistler (CBS, 1948–1950)
Lux Radio Theatre (CBS, 1948–1954)
Sealtest Variety Theatre (NBC, 1949)
My Home Town (NBC, 1949)
This Is Your FBI (ABC, 1949)
Richard Diamond, Private Detective (NBC, 1949)
NBC University Theatre (NBC, 1949)
Pursuit (CBS, 1949)
The Hotpoint Holiday Hour (CBS, 1949), "The Man Who Came to Dinner"
The Story of Dr. Kildare (syndicated, 1949–1950) as Molly Byrd
My Favorite Husband (CBS, 1949–1951) as Mrs. Leticia Cooper
The Railroad Hour (NBC, 1949–1954)
Father Knows Best (NBC, 1949–1954) as Mrs. Elizabeth Smith
The Life of Riley (NBC, 1950)
The Halls of Ivy (NBC, 1950)
The Adventures of Christopher London (NBC, 1950)
The Saint (NBC, 1950)
Screen Directors Playhouse (NBC, 1950–1951)
Family Theatre (Mutual, 1950–1951)
Night Beat (NBC, 1950–1952)
Hollywood Star Playhouse (CBS, 1951)
Hallmark Playhouse (CBS, 1951), includes "The Story Of Cinderella"
The Six Shooter (NBC, 1953–1954) as Mrs. Abbey Ames
Fibber McGee and Molly (NBC, 1954–1955)
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar (CBS, 1955–1960)
The CBS Radio Workshop (CBS, 1956–1957)
Theme parks
Haunted Mansion as Madame Leota (voice)
HalloWishes as Madame Leota (voice)
Discography
Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1949, RCA/Camden) as Evil Queen
Walt Disney's Cinderella: Little Nipper Series (1949, RCA/Camden) as Lady Tremaine
Walt Disney's Cinderella (1954, RCA/Camden) as Lady Tremaine
The Story and Song from The Haunted Mansion (1969, Disneyland Records) as Madame Leota
Disney Songs and Story: Sleeping Beauty (2012, Walt Disney Records) as Maleficent
Stage
Howdy, King as guest in hotel, December 1926 to January 1927
On Call as Mary Randall, November 1928 to January 1929
Pigeons and People as Elinore Payne, January 1933 to November 1933
Thunder on the Left as Ruth Brook, October 1933 to November 1933
Kill That Story as Millicent, August 1934 to December 1934
Ladies' Money as Claire Touhey, November 1934 to December 1934
Susan and God as Charlotte Marley, October 1937 to June 1938, December 1943
In Bed We Cry as Claire Dangerfield, November 1944 to December 23, 1944
References
External links
RadioGOLDINdex listing
1905 births
1991 deaths
20th-century American actresses
Actresses from New York City
American radio actresses
American stage actresses
American television actresses
Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery
Disney people
Jewish American actresses
20th-century American Jews