page_title: Sheree North
section_title: Later years
hierarchical_section_title: Sheree North / Career / Later years
caption_attribution_description: Photo of Ed Asner as Lou Grant and Sheree North as the new woman in his life. After his divorce from Edie, when Lou starts dating again, he finds that it's hard to carry on a romance without attracting a crowd.
context_page_description: Sheree North was an American actress, dancer and singer, known for being one of 20th Century-Fox's intended successors to Marilyn Monroe.
context_section_description: After North's contract with Fox ended in 1958, her career stalled, although she continued to act in films, television, and on the stage throughout the rest of her life. She guest-starred on episodes of The Untouchables and Gunsmoke (both 1963). North joined the cast of I Can Get It for You Wholesale in 1962, which featured Elliott Gould and introduced Barbra Streisand. She later guest-starred on a series of popular television series, including Ben Casey, Burke's Law (1963–65), The Virginian (1964–66), The Big Valley, The Iron Horse (both 1966), and The Fugitive (1965–67).
  After an eight-year absence from film acting, North accepted a lead role in the B-movie science fiction film Destination Inner Space (1966). The film opened to only a minor release in 1966 and has rarely been seen since. North co-starred with Elvis Presley in one of his final films, The Trouble with Girls (1969). While not working in film, she worked in musical theater and many theatrical productions during her 40-year career. In 1965 she took over for Shirley Knight in a Los Angeles production of "Dutchman," which coincided with the 1965 Watts riots. The production was controversial and was blamed by conservatives for inciting unrest. It was picketed, ads were blocked from the newspapers, and North's car was set on fire. Despite that, the production ran for a year. She had appeared on Broadway doing a lively routine in the musical Hazel Flagg (1953), consequently winning a Theatre World Award. This led directly to her being cast for the film, Living It Up (1954). In 1962, North appeared on Broadway as "Martha Mills" in I Can Get It for You Wholesale, with Jack Kruschen, Elliot Gould, and a young Barbara Streisand in her Broadway debut. North also appeared in productions of Irma La Douce, Bye Bye Birdie, and Can Can.  
  
  From the 1960s onward, North focused mainly on becoming a solid and versatile character actress, appearing on almost every television western, cop show, and medical drama produced from the 1960s through the 1990s. She displayed a fine talent for comic timing on many of the situation comedies of the era. She was a favorite in several made-for-television movies. She also earned Emmy nominations for appearances on "Marcus Welby, M.D." (1969) and "Archie Bunker's Place" (1979). 
   
  A favorite of film producer/director Don Siegel, she appeared in four of his films: Madigan (1968) opposite Richard Widmark; in Charley Varrick (1973) with Walter Matthau, as John Wayne's long-lost love in the actor's final film; in The Shootist (1976); and in Telefon (1977).  She had supporting roles in two Charles Bronson movies, Breakout (1975) with Robert Duvall, and the aforementioned Telefon. Other notable Sheree North performances are 1969's The Gypsy Moths with Burt Lancaster and Gene Hackman; as Burt Lancaster's ex-lover in director Michael Winner's 1971 western, Lawman with Robert Ryan, Lee J. Cobb, Robert Duvall, and Albert Salmi. She appeared in the 1971 crime drama The Organization with Sidney Poitier, and appeared in 1973's The Outfit with Duvall, Joe Don Baker, and Karen Black. 
  Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, North appeared in guest spots on Hawaii Five-O, The Streets of San Francisco, McMillan & Wife,  Matlock, Family, and Magnum, P.I.. She played Lou Grant's girlfriend on several episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She co-starred with Sheldon Leonard in the short-lived CBS sitcom Big Eddie in 1975. During the 1980–81 season, North starred in I'm a Big Girl Now with Diana Canova, Danny Thomas, and Martin Short. The series aired 19 episodes. In 1980, she played Marilyn Monroe's mother in the made-for-television film Marilyn: The Untold Story.  In 1983, she appeared in the ensemble cast of the Steven Bochco series Bay City Blues. The hour-long drama series aired eight episodes. North later appeared in two episodes of The Golden Girls as Blanche Devereaux's sister Virginia. In the 1990s, she appeared as Cosmo Kramer's mother Babs Kramer in two episodes of the sitcom Seinfeld. North's last onscreen role came in John Landis' black comedy Susan's Plan
caption: Ed Asner as Lou Grant and Sheree North as Charlene Maguire, his new girlfriend, in a fifth-season episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
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